The Cup

What it's about:

"The Cup is more than just the story of a horse race. It is the story triumph over adversity," says the film’s director, producer and co-writer, the internationally acclaimed Simon Wincer.

Probably no horse race had a more extraordinary effect on a nation than the running of Australia’s 2002 Melbourne Cup.

At heart of this true story is Damien Oliver, a young jockey who loses his only brother in a tragic racing accident just days before the Melbourne Cup. 

The race fall hauntingly reflecting of the way their father died 27 years earlier.

After suffering through a series of discouraging defeats, Damien teams with Irish trainer Dermot Weld, and triumphs at the 2002 Melbourne Cup in one of the most thrilling finales in sporting history.
 
What the critics thought:

"It's a shamelessly old-fashioned picture but if you like horses and fancy cantering off into the land of wish-fulfilment for a couple of hours, why not?"
- Sandra Hall, Sydney Morning Herald


"The hybrid feel of it all works, and the inevitable uneven moments didn't bother me, nor did the odd story cliché."
- Jason Di Rosso, MovieTime


"There's a lot of interesting stuff here but in the end it's a bit disappointing."
- David Stratton, At the Movies