An amateur Scottish cyclist determined to become the world's fastest rider struggles against his own mental illness and the resentful hostility of sports authorities unwilling to accept his remarkable innovation in this inspirational biopic from director Douglas MacKinnon. When Briton cyclist Chris Boardman took home the gold at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, the world was caught off guard; no one had ever suspected that Britain was capable of producing world-class cyclists, yet there was no
denying his remarkable numbers. Perhaps no one was more shocked by Boardman's surprise success than unemployed Scot Graeme Obree (Jonny Le Miller), an old riding partner of Boardman's who on more than a few occasions had crossed the finish line before his medal-winning counterpart. Despite his remarkable prowess, however, Obree simply didn't seem to have the fortitude needed to translate his formidable riding skills into a profitable career like his old friend Boardman. His debt piling up and his family in desperate need of some good luck, Obree is determined to take one last shot at the world of cycling with a little encouragement from his longtime friend Malky McGovern (Billy Boyd) and his loving wife, Anne (Laura Fraser). Now, with no official sponsor, no financial backing, no funding to speak of, and a decided lack of experience needed to design the kind of bike he would need for his ambitious, late-career endeavor, the 27-year-old cyclist would build his own revolutionary bike from the ground up and begin the arduous journey to becoming the fastest cyclist in the history of the sport. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A classic tale of the heroic little guy that goes beyond the sport of cycling, told with elegant restraint in this sensitive and beautifully rendered film.
Competently made and reasonably interesting, but The Flying Scotsman lacks the kind of exhilaration that inspirational true-life sport films generally need to carry them to cinematic gold
A paucity of pedal power and an abundance of cliché make this Jock-on-a-bike yarn an uphill climb from false start to weak finish. Miller's brooding hero may well be Flying, but the film never gets off the ground.
Still, there's useful support from Brian Cox as a pep-talking priest, and Gavin Finney's long-take velodrome cinematography is frequently rather excellent.
What cripples the film's success as a sporting movie is the fact that its director, Douglas Mackinnon, struggles to find a way of making the climactic cycle races interesting.
I remember watching Graeme Obree breaking the world record in the early 90's and subsequently reading about his hand made bike in the papers. It's a great underdog story of passion, determination and perseverance through adversity. It is shame then that it has been made into what is essentially, an underwhelming film
that is devoid of passion or excitement. The cast do a good job, although I can't stand Billy Boyd, the facts are there but it is laden with cliches, dodgy background actors, and rubbish direction. Watch it for the story (obviously) but as a film, it's very amateurish.
I normally avoid sports films because they're very predictable and essentially all the same; let's face it, if they'd f**ked it up, nobody would've made a film about them. The story of Graeme Obree however, is quite an interesting one. A former bicycle courier from a working class Scottish town, Obree went on to become
double world champion on a bike he made himself out of old washing machine parts. He did this despite suffering from an intense depression that caused him to attempt suicide and the interference of the sport's governing body who repeatedly changed the rules to specifically try and stop him competing because his DIY attitude threatened the big money manufacturing concerns within the sport. As such it is a facinating combination of the usual triumph of the human spirit sports movie, human psychological drama and battle of the individual against overwhelming odds. As such it is much more interesting than your average sports film and rather better than the similar biopic of Ian Curtis, Control.
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