IMDb RATING
6.3/10
5.5K
YOUR RATING
Quietly cocky David Chappellet joins the U.S. ski team as downhill racer and clashes with the team's coach, Eugene Claire.Quietly cocky David Chappellet joins the U.S. ski team as downhill racer and clashes with the team's coach, Eugene Claire.Quietly cocky David Chappellet joins the U.S. ski team as downhill racer and clashes with the team's coach, Eugene Claire.
- Won 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 win & 5 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaTen days before filming began, star Robert Redford accidentally drove a snowmobile over a cliff, tearing his tendon and requiring seven stitches in his knee.
- GoofsTires don't squeal on snow, yet Dave manages this when driving the Porsche.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Siskel & Ebert: Robert Redford (1992)
Featured review
After many years of catching brief scenes of this now semi-cult film, I finally watched it in its entirety. It is not a great film, but for film students, and fans of both Gene Hackman and Robert Redford, it's a must. The opening credits are delivered over scenes of a Super G skier flying down the mountain and feature a combination of stop action and over-cranked footage. The film quality is beautiful, and although the techniques now seem dated, they stand for what was cutting-edge editing at the time. Watching the opening, you feel like you're in for a great ride but are sadly let down by a staid script. Having said that, the film can sort of get a way with this (at least to a certain extent) because you've got such great actors playing the main roles of skier (Redford) and coach (Hackman). Both know how to exploit the economy of language and show a lot simply with body language and expression. (They must have realized they had to with this script.) Add to that fact, that the character Redford is playing - a vainglorious Super G racer named David Chappellett, probably wouldn't have much to say.
Ultimately, the film serves as cinematic commentary on how fleeting success is in a sport like skiing, as well as the shallowness shown by both the press that cover the sport, and the women that covet the skiers.
Ultimately, the film serves as cinematic commentary on how fleeting success is in a sport like skiing, as well as the shallowness shown by both the press that cover the sport, and the women that covet the skiers.
- How long is Downhill Racer?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Snjezni trkac
- Filming locations
- Sankt Anton am Arlberg, Austria(Arlberg-Kandahar World Cup race)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,600,000 (estimated)
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