What did the reviewers say about the
movie?
Screen International,
18th August 2006
“Douglas Mackinnon’s
against-the-odds sporting drama has an engaging sincerity and
admirable restraint. The triumph of the sporting underdog may be a tried and
tested narrative
convention, but The Flying Scotsman lends an extra human dimension to the
formula;
champion cyclist Graeme Obree was not just chasing records, he was also
fighting personal
demons… The film, which belies its fractured production history, begins with
a dejected
Obree heading into the woods, intent on taking his own life. Flashbacks
deftly sketch a
childhood scarred by bullying… Told with cinematic sweep and admirable
restraint, The
Flying Scotsman has a sincerity that becomes very engaging. Director Douglas
Mackinnon
reins in any possibility of excessive sentimentality or melodrama, and by
playing it straight
creates a genuinely stirring and ultimately very moving tale. The screenplay
is economical
and well paced… The restraint extends to the performances. Jonny Lee Miller
is well cast,
convincing on a physical level and portraying Obree as a modest and stubborn
loner,
suspicious of authority. He is seen to suffer as the camera fixes its stare
on his sweating
features and grim determination as he endlessly circles the velodrome in
pursuit of a new
record. He also effectively captures Obree’s dry wit, reticence and
unassuming personality.
Brian Cox is a model of understatement, lending a gentle compassion to his
character.
Handsome photography captures Scottish locations in glowing sunshine and
teeming rain."
Times T2, 17th August 2006
“Edinburgh had started as
it clearly meant to go on, with an opening-night party that blew
spots off previous years’ events… A kilted Brian Cox munched on the burgers
manned by
ruddy, slightly flustered catering staff. Elsewhere a radiant Laura Fraser
was mobbed by fans
at every turn…The organisers have every right to be pleased with the
reception for The Flying
Scotsman, a solid crowd-pleaser about the Scottish cyclist and sometime
world record holder
Graeme Obree. The warm response to the film is a double triumph for the
festival.”
Scottish Sun, 17th August 2006
“Hollywood heavyweight
Brian Cox has hailed jinxed movie The Flying Scotsman a
masterpiece. The Troy and Braveheart star reckons the film – the true story
of cycling champ
Graeme Obree – could go on to be a hit despite a run of terrible bad luck.
Brian, 60, said last
night: “It is even better than I had hoped. The opening scene is incredible
– I was very
impressed.” And he saluted director Douglas Mackinnon for his work. He said:
“Douglas is
extremely talented – the man is a genius. This was his transition from TV to
film and he has
done so well… Brian’s co-star Billy Boyd also reckons the film could be a
success. Billy, who
plays Graeme’s manager Malky McGovern, said: “I hope this can be bigger than
Four
Weddings And A Funeral. There is no reason it cannot have international
success.” Lord Of
The Rings star Billy, 37, added: “This is about a Scottish hero. I love the
story.”
Scottish Sun, 16th August 2006
“Flying Scotsman is a
fantastic ride. On Monday night I cried twice and laughed out loud half
a dozen times. I hadn’t been smoking anything either – just watching
brilliant new movie The
Flying Scotsman, starring Jonny Lee Miller, Laura Fraser, Brian Cox and
Billy Boyd. The true
story of Scottish cycling hero Graeme Obree, which opened the 60th Edinburgh
Film Festival,
takes you on a real emotional rollercoaster. The casting was perfect, the
humour understated
and the message inspiring. So it’s astonishing this masterpiece has still
not been snapped up
by a distributor. Let’s hope its run of bad luck ends here.”
Edinburgh Evening News, 15th August 2006
“**** If ever a sporting
story was tailor made for the big screen, it is surely the tale of Scottish
cyclist Graeme Obree… The Flying Scotsman is both a stirring re-enactment of
his success
and a fascinating, at times upsetting, examination of his problems… Like
Obree, who worked
on the film as a consultant and part-time stuntman, the movie is at its most
thrilling when it’s
in the velodrome. First-time director Douglas Mackinnon brings to life the
tension and drama
around the track, and the mental and physical anguish of the man on the
bike. Jonny Lee
Miller gives probably his best performance to date in showing Obree’s almost
unbearable
battle against depression, his eyes showing the inner despair even after his
greatest
triumphs. It is this fight that is the heart of the movie. The film is an
intriguing mix of dark
drama, light comedy and the stirring triumph of Obree’s success, with the
cast, including Billy
Boyd and Brian Cox, excellent throughout… Mackinnon does a superb job in
bringing the
complex strands of the story together, while never letting the pace of the
movie dip.”
The Evening News, 15th August 2006
“After the rousing
reception [The Flying Scotsman] got from packed houses in three screens,
it surely will not be long before someone agrees to bring the movie to a
wider audience…
Many of the people who worked on the film, including Mackinnon, did so
because they felt the
Scot, who defied the odds to shatter the world hour record on a home-made
bike, hadn’t been
given the recognition in Scotland that he deserved… Film Festival Director
Shane
Danielson… said he was delighted with the success of the evening: “I was
really pleased to
get this film to open the festival as it turns 60, as it is everything the
festival is about. It is a
film people have not seen before. That it was Scottish was a bonus, that it
was unsigned was
a bonus, although hopefully after tonight it will find a distributor.”
Screendaily.com, 15th August 2006
“The triumph of the
sporting underdog may be a tried and tested narrative convention, but
The Flying Scotsman lends an extra human dimension to the formula; champion
cyclist
Graeme Obree wasn’t just chasing records he was also fighting personal
demons. Belying its
fractured production history, Douglas Mackinnnon’s feature emerges as a
solidly crafted,
carefully balanced biographical heartwarmer that has a built-in appeal for
cycling devotees
and an older demographic who appreciate the virtues of a well-told personal
story… [It] can
expect positive word of mouth… Obree’s global renown could help the film
make some
headway internationally and further festival exposure is guaranteed after a
world premiere as
Edinburgh’s opening night attraction… Told with a cinematic sweep and an
admirable
restraint, The Flying Scotsman has a sincerity that becomes very engaging.
Mackinnon is
able to rein in any possibility of excessive sentimentality or melodrama
that the material might
encourage and by playing it straight he creates a genuinely stirring and
ultimately very moving
tale. The screenplay is economical and the film has pace… The sense of
restraint also
extends to the performances. Brian Cox is a model of understatement, lending
a gentle
compassion to his character. Jonny Lee Miller is well suited to his role. He
is entirely
convincing on a physical level and is seen to suffer as the camera fixes its
stare on his
sweating features and grim determination as he endlessly circles the
velodrome in pursuit of a
new record. He also effectively captures Obree’s dry wit, reticence and
unassuming
personality in his most impressive performance for some time. The Scottish
locations
captured in glowing sunshine and teeming rain by Gavin Finney’s handsome
cinematography
might also prove an attraction for international audiences.”
The Herald, 14th August 2006
“**** The good news, given
this film’s troubled production, is The Flying Scotsman is a winner.
Just as the protagonist of this sports biopic, Scottish cyclist Graeme
Obree, had to overcome
personal and professional obstacles in order to win the World Cycling
Championships twice,
so the film’s debuting director Douglas Mackinnon had to wrangle with
various financing
problems in order to finish his film. It’s to Mackinnon and his cast and
crew’s credit that they
managed that, and moreover that the result is a solid piece of film-making
and a genuine
crowd-pleaser… Mackinnon’s film dramatises this underdog story, but it also
brings an
involving personal dimension… there’s a nicely realised scene in which Obree
hallucinates
that the bullies’ full-grown ringleader pays him a deeply creepy home visit…
The Flying
Scotsman is rousing and often very funny. As Obree’s eccentric associate
Baxter, Brian Cox
generates the lion’s share of the laughs. Billy Boyd and Laura Fraser,
playing Obree’s
pal/manager and his wife, provide sterling support, and Jonny Lee Miller
brings grit (and a fine
pair of legs) to the role, crossing the finishing line a winning leading
man.”
Scotland on Sunday, 13th August 2006
“The story of champion
Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree is filled with human emotion and
uplifting sentiment… [Douglas Mackinnon] has become one of the country’s
most prolific and
accomplished television directors, with a list of credits that include The
Vice with Ken Stott,
riveting medical drama Bodies with Max Beesley, and period romp Gentleman’s
Relish with
Billy Connolly… [The Flying Scotsman] is finely balanced with a great
cinematic sweep and a
sense of restraint that tries to rein in any sentimentality or melodrama
inherent in the tale. It
also features uniformly fine performances from Brian Cox, Billy Boyd, Laura
Fraser and Jonny
Lee Miller as Obree… Other festivals are starting to take notice, and it is
the kind of well made,
handsomely told human interest story whose appeal will stretch far beyond
Scotland…
It may be tempting fate but having seen and admired the film, and shed a
tear, it seems as if
The Flying Scotsman, like Obree himself, could be on course for a happy
ending.”
Scottish Daily Mail, 12th August 2006
“It wouldn’t be right,
wouldn’t be fitting, for Graeme Obree’s life story simply to hit the big
screen without creating some extreme reactions… The Flying Scotsman [is] a
story of cycling
glories and suicide attempts all wrapped up into one dramatic celluloid
package… If ever
there was a production likely to suffer misfortune, it was one dealing with
the incredible
struggles of this talented, troubled individual. Even those with no
knowledge of cycling should
recall Obree, if not by name, then certainly by the story attached to it…
The rags-to-riches tale
of a man who was surviving on marmalade sandwiches when he made Chris
Boardman,
financial backers and £250,000 bike notwithstanding, sick to his stomach
with a world title and
a world record, to boot. And the slow realisation of a watching world,
entranced by Obree’s
persistence even after the authorities outlawed his riding position, that
there was something
very wrong with this Scottish sporting hero… A decade in the completion,
finished without a
ghost writer [his autobiography] is a searingly honest account of one
athlete’s battle against
depression. A tale of talent, dedication and solvent abuse, it must have
taken some guts to
give vent to some of the disturbed emotions at play… [The film] should
provide inspiration and
insight to many. For a man whose life veered from impossible highs to
unimaginable depths
of despair, it seems rather fitting that his life story should be born in a
storm.”
Edinburgh Evening News, 10th August 2006
“It is an incredible story
of determination to succeed against the odds, to push forward all the
way to the finish line no matter what obstacles were put in it way. If The
Flying Scotsman
goes on to pick up awards and recoup its costs, it would be a triumph
against the odds fitting
of the great man himself.”
Variety, 24th July 2006
“The word from those who have
had a sneak preview is that the movie might, just might,
deliver on the crowd-pleasing, heart-warming promise that led one
participant to pitch it as “Shine on a bike.”
