SIMPATICO

SIMPATICO is based on the play written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Sam Shepard. The film is set in the world of thoroughbred horse racing, money and finance. Flashbacks carry viewers back to the past lives of four people.

Carter (Jeff Bridges) has succeeded remarkably well as the owner of a thoroughbred race horse, named Simpatico, which he is in the process of selling for breeding purposes. Vinnie (Nick Nolte), his friend from childhood, has not faired so well. Vinnie calls Carter needing help with a legal situation. He has been accused of stalking. Even though the deadline for the sale of his prize possession is imminent, Carter immediately drops everything to help his friend. He flies to California to the town where the two were raised. Vinnie convinces Carter to help remedy the situation between himself and the girl who apparently has laid the charges against him. Vinnie is able to manipulate Carter, because he has blackmailed him for years with incriminating photographs and negatives from the past, a past which included deception, fixing races and blackmail.

Carter wants the photos and negatives. He has been paying Vinnie for years in the vain attempt to redeem himself, but Vinnie has ideas of his own – retribution. While Carter is attempting to exonerate Vinnie, Vinnie steals Carter’s car, airline ticket and wallet, flies to Carter’s hometown and attempts to pawn the negatives off to the highest bidder. There are no takers, however. Instead, Vinnie faces the reality that the past is not going to be revived, and those whose lives were influenced by their past crime have either forgiven and continued with their lives, or have been living in a personal hell they do not wish to change.

One of the people, a former horse racing commissioner named Simms (Albert Finney), has redemptive qualities. Although he took bribes earlier in his career, which caused the loss of his job, family and credibility, he has changed. He has created a new identity for himself and holds no remorse or bitterness toward the past and those who helped destroy him.

Vinnie attempts to gain favour with his former girlfriend, Rosie (Sharon Stone), who is married to Carter. Although affluent, her personal life has been tragic. She used her past involvement with Vinnie and Carter as a manipulative tool in her marriage to Carter. There is no love lost in their marriage.

SIMPATICO is a flawed lesson in morality. Carter’s character changes throughout the movie as he is required to relive his past. Carter is forced to reflect how the love of money destroyed their individual lives and influenced their present condition. Carter has never taken a tally on how his actions had hurt those around him. This journey causes a pivotal reassessment of his present life and character.

For Vinnie, his entire adult life was consumed with anger, bitterness and jealousy. He has basically had no life, because he has allowed these emotions to control him. He was the one whose life was held ransom by the photos he had held onto so tightly. He recognizes that his life has been wasted by allowing the past to control his life.

For Rosie, her redemption lies in destroying the only thing which has allowed her marriage to barely survive, a financially secure lifestyle. Her life still holds unresolved emotions, guilt and unforgiveness.

Albert Finney as usual exemplifies the art of character acting. He manages to make viewers feel exonerated for disliking him for destroying his life by his own actions. He possesses the most redemptive traits in the movie. He recognizes that he has been dealt what he deserves and so he continues with his life.

Both Bridges and Nolte play strong characters. As Bridges stated in a recent interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, “I don’t panic in such a role, but am challenged by the double-edged sword. I don’t like to be frightened and uncomfortable…but am attracted to that sort of thing.” Nolte plays his character with an incensed passion, as if he himself had experienced similar life situations.

Cinematically, the movie intercuts the past and present with friendships and deceptions, beautiful scenery of the Kentucky Derby, laughter from the past, and much hurt and unforgiveness in the present.

Even with the resolution at the end SIMPATICO, there lingers a sense of despair and hopelessness. If one is hoping for a happy ending, it won’t be found in this 106 minutes. The moral of the film: The actions that do today can and probably will alter and greatly or gravely affect our future; your sins will find you out.