(M) ***

Director: Steven Spielberg.

Cast: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, Tom Hiddleston, David Thewlis, Niels Arestrup.

MY unfavourable review for The Cup drew a bit of hatemail earlier this year, and I'm sure the negatives I'm about to point out about War Horse will do the same.

But by comparing these two equine-related films, it might shine a light on what it is I found so bad about one (The Cup) and why the other (War Horse) works despite it's faults.

The Cup had a great story - at its core it's a wonderful real-life tale of a jockey, haunted by tragedy, who rises above his fears to win the greatest race of his career. Unfortunately it was a great story told terribly. The performances were almost uniformly sub-par and the script was uneven, repetitive and, worst of all, actually boring in places. A strong premise can't overcome bad handling.

Now, let's look at War Horse - it has a pretty average story. It's basically a Lassie Come Home-type tale: boy has horse, boy loses horse, boy finds horse. And there's a war going on. But this is so much better than a film like The Cup which actually has a meaty plot.

This is because War Horse is executed beautifully. The performances are note-perfect, the script is nicely written even when it's at its soppiest, the cinematography is outstanding, and the heart and soul of the film resonates above and beyond its plotting deficiencies.

War Horse is an episodic movie and while it mostly maintains interest, it flows poorly and you can feel the minutes ticking away. But like a well-trained thoroughbred, it comes home strong and you'd have to possess a heart of stone to not be moved by some of the moments in the last act.

It's the passion and execution that get this across the line. The film's motto is the old "war is hell" adage, with the added amendment of "...for horses", but it never says much more - it just sort of drifts along, from episode to episode, painting pretty pictures but struggling to offer any further insight.

This will find an appreciative audience, just like The Cup did. War Horse will be loved by those who don't mind being so shamelessly manipulated into an emotional response, which is what the movie does. Some people are turned off by this type of pushy melodramatic film-making.

But the whole thing looks stunning, is wonderfully performed and has a script that actually overcomes these issues to be a moving and well-rounded experience.