Rave for War Horse in the Telegraph

First rave for War Horse comes from the Telegraph:

Ever since Saving Private Ryan, the work of director Steven Spielberg has been hit-or-miss. Finally, our wait for the return of his classic touch is at an end with War Horse, both a model of cinema done right and – even more importantly – the epitome of Spielberg done right.

Seeing something as brutal, terrible and human as war through the innocent eyes of a horse is an ambitious form of storytelling, and Spielberg pulls it off with honesty and authenticity. I felt each emotion as if I was a marionette, manipulated by the director’s strings.

The most telling scene, set in No Man’s Land, involves a German and an English soldier, a pair of wirecutters, a horse and a casual conversation about home.

It reveals what makes this a movie that will be watched generation after generation, with each one crying and cheering in the same places.

It has all the hallmarks of the Spielberg we’ve missed so much: powerful, gutsy, honest, and effective.