What is this 4.4 rating by 2348 users? Where did this come from? Not enough car chases? This is a good movie, well written. One could criticize a bit a sort of awkwardness or heaviness in the technical aspect of movie making, due to a first film or an approach maybe too theatrical, but the directing is good. It plainly deserves a minimum of 6.5 for its artistic value. Maybe Matthew Warchus is more a stage director and too keen on good directing than finding a picturesque way with images to illustrate something he has already staged.If films about horses are to be considered, "Simpatico" is much better than "Dead Heat" (rated 5.3), different from "Seabiscuit" (rated 7.3) because it does not carry hope against odds being more of a drama about betrayal, and better than the totally unrealistic "Hidalgo" (rated 6.6) who has never been in the Sahara, but it does show a chase.Why consider it as a film about horses? Because it also is a film about a horse, magnificent as opposed to human behavior in this story, as far as the only pure character in this movie, named by its title, is the horse Simpatico, and maybe this is the side that should have been enhanced more in opposition with the corruption of all this human horse-racing scam, since human perversion finally kills him, and what's more, because he his becoming sterile. Maybe the overall realism, that had to be detailed more in the movie than the play, brought too many necessary plot details that might have obscured the existence of the character Simpatico, although every time we see him, his beauty reminds us of his existence as metaphor, metaphor that might have been more powerful on the stage, just by being permanent but never visible.I suggest a 6.5 as a minimum.

Was it done with "silly money"? Or is the script one of these peaces of paper that goes round in Hollywood for 20 years until someone says "Ok, lets do it?" I really have no idea. But this movie is so uninspired, so long-winded, so much missing a plot thats worth its name, it is just impossible to find what this movie is about. There are two rare moments when characters dare to say the truth and put some fine acting to the story with doing the unexpected. But unfortunately this is not enough. And what is most, this is definitely no "Seabiscuit", a movie that is set in a similar way and subject and is sharing even one of the actors (Jeff Bridges). If you have the chance to see the latter, grab it. If you have to see Simpatico, leave it!

Nolte and Bridges are great actors and prove it again - although they are not given a script with much gusto. The story left me waiting for more and not receiving it. The movie reminded me of "Affliction" (also with Nolte) in that it is a slow-moving story more concerned with character development than actual plot. All in all not really worth the time.

You'd think that a movie with the acting power of Nick Nolte, Jeff Bridges, and Sharon Stone would be one to watch. Well.......it is and it isn't.First off, I'd never in my life thought I'd see Nolte and Bridges in the same movie. Talk about an odd pairing!With that out of the way, they both put in good performances, as does Stone. The star of this movie though is Albert Finney. His performance is the best of all the parts in this movie.Unfortunately the plot, involving a racing scam many years ago which resurfaces, is only mildly interesting at best. It seems almost a shame to have such good performances wasted on such a story. Still, it's worth a watch if nothing else is on.