Release Date: 14 January 1994 in USA
Rated:
Runtime: 108
Genres: Family, Adventure
Director: Charles Haid
Cast: Mackenzie Astin, Kevin Spacey, David Ogden Stiers, August Schellenberg, Brian Cox, George Gerdes
The movie, Iron Will, is based upon a true story. It can be classified as an action/adventure, true story, or adventure film. Rated PG, the movie lasts for 1 hour and 49 minutes. The video was released in 2002 and the film is available on DVD.
The beginning of the movie begins with the tragic drowning death of the protagonist’s father. The protagonist, William Stoneman, is then left with the responsibility to provide for his mother and siblings. Without money, his mother will lose her home and Will cannot attend college as he had hoped.
He decides to enter a dogsled race that is offering a $10,000 prize. His mother and a close Native American friend of the family initially oppose Will on this decision. They believe he is too young, the race is too dangerous, and he doesn’t have enough time to train. In fact, he has only a month to prepare himself for the journey.
He is given his wish and begins to prepare for this dangerous dogsled race with the help of his friend. The race begins in Edmonton, Canada and continues for 500 miles. The race is a treacherous one that takes its entrants into dangerous countryside with temperatures well below zero at times.
As the movie continues, Will journeys to Edmonton where he is disqualified for being too young and late. A newspaper reporter named Kingsley eggs the sponsors into consenting to his entrance in the race and even pays the late fee for him.
Amazingly, Will performs the initial days of the race with a fervor and stamina that stuns everyone. He gains himself the nickname, Iron Will. The competition is difficult and some of the entrants are ruthless. Other sledders have more experience and yet, circumstances prevent all of them from remaining in the race. Eventually, Will is the only entrant from America remaining in the race.
With the stories written by Kinglsley, America learns many things about Will. They begin to root for him and to hope and pray that he wins as much as he does. The film is full of twists and turns that add excitement to it.
Despite the tragic beginning and a few rough scenes, the movie is refreshing in its absence of foul language and especially its lack of obscenities. A bit of mildly crude language does surface on rare occasion. Nonetheless, the movie maintains its ability to be seen by families; however, the film is suggested for those children who are ten years of age or older.
The level of violence in this film is low compared to many other films. In fact, the father’s drowning, dogs fighting, two punches thrown by the protagonist, and an attack on one of the less likeable characters by his dogs, are the elements of violence that appear in the film. Parents should use their best judgment to decide their children’s maturity for viewing “Iron Will.”
Mackenzie Astin plays the part of Will Stoneman. David Ogden Stiers plays the part of J. W. Harper. Kevin Spacey has the role of the newspaper reporter. The rest of the cast includes Penelope Windust, Allan “RJ” Joseph, James Cada, Brian Cox, and George Gerdes.
The movie was directed by Charles Haid, produced by Disney, and written by John Michael Hayes, Jeff Archer, and Djordje Milicevia.
