Synopsis
An ambitious young skier, determined to break all existing records, is contemptuous of the teamwork advocated by the US coach when they go to Europe for the Olympics.
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Cast
- Robert RedfordDavid Chappellet
- Gene HackmanEugene Claire
- Camilla SparvCarole Stahl
- Karl Michael VoglerMachet
- Jim McMullanJohnny Creech
- Kathleen CrowleyAmerican Newspaper Woman
- Dabney ColemanMayo
- Kenneth KirkD.K.
- Oren StevensKipsmith
- Jerry DexterEngel
Recommendations
- 100
Chicago Sun-Times
Some of the best moments in Downhill Racer are moments during which nothing special seems to be happening. They're moments devoted to capturing the angle of a glance, the curve of a smile, an embarrassed silence. Together they form a portrait of a man that is so complete, and so tragic, that "Downhill Racer" becomes the best movie ever made about sports -- without really being about sports at all. - 100
Entertainment Weekly
One of the great unheralded films of the late ’60s. - 100
MTV News
Is it possible that the great American sports film is not about football, baseball, or boxing, but instead about downhill ski racing? Likely not, but Downhill Racer makes a strong case for the possibility, filled to the brim with heart-pounding slides down snow-covered ravines, the quiet contemplation of an athlete competing against himself, and a realistic scorn for coming in second. - 100
TV Guide Magazine
Downhill Racer is fascinating viewing, even if the closest you've gotten to a ski slope is "Wide World of Sports." - 90
Variety
Redford contributes a sensitive, interesting portrayal. His interpretation is many-faceted and probing. Hackman’s characterization is virile and thoroughly human. - 90
The New York Times
In appreciating that world, its pathos, its narcissism, its tensions, and its sufficient moments of glory, Downhill Racer succeeds with sometimes chilling efficiency. Within the limits imposed by the tangential nature of its insights, it is a very good movie. - 90
Time Out London
The understated performances and reluctance to emphasise plot result in convincing characterisations, to such an extent that the often narcissistic Redford actually allows himself to come across as a dislikeably selfish, arrogant and icy man. And the location skiing sequences, revealing Ritchie's background and interest in documentary styles, are simply astounding, even for those with little interest in the sport. - 80
Time
It may be the first film in history that starts at the top, goes steadily downhill, and still stays interesting along the way.
