Wednesday, December 14, 2011

As “Luck” Would Have It

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY, December 13, 2011—I must have missed the memo that said David Milch was supposed to create a dramatic piece meant to promote horse racing and attract new fans to the sport.

Hopefully that cause is not lost already, on Milch or anyone else, but neither should it be one person’s responsibility to change the course of an industry that for too long ignored or treated its fans poorly, many of whom have either left or in the process of leaving.

There recently appeared on this site a piece that tried to put the checkered career of the recently retired Patrick Valenzuela in some perspective by recalling a movie line, “wasted talent,” to help describe the life of one of the most gifted race riders the sport has known.

Well, here’s another quote, delivered by George C. Scott as General George S. Patton as he surveyed the human carnage of a battlefield the morning after an epic conflict had been waged: “God help me but I do love it so.”

And yet another, this from an honest-to-goodness Kentucky Derby-winning Hall of Fame horse trainer, Leroy Jolley, who, after the tragic “Great Match” that took Ruffian’s life, said: “We don’t play this game in short pants.”

In that spirit, then, I believe the pilot episode of HBO’s “Luck” captured the game at its core; the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, all in the same race.

Now everyone can sit back, relax, and watch a narrative unfold.

I spoke with one of my daughters the morning after the sneak preview and, somewhat surprisingly, she became emotional. Her favorite part of the game, like mine, takes place on the backside during training hours. For her, it’s about the animals.

In all the reviews I read online, it was very surprising that more wasn’t made of the breakdown; the gruesome view of a bloodied left foreleg hanging by a thread, the mercy killing that followed, all of it commencing with one horrific snap.

“Oh no,” I cried out when I heard it. I've felt the anguished passion expressed by jockey Ronnie Jenkins who explained to the triple-bug apprentice as they walked back to the jocks’ room: “You never get used to it. That’s what the Jim Beam is for.”

If all eight episodes turn out to be as good as the pilot, it’s very clear that series creator Milch, who’s owned horses for a few decades, gets it. This game is dangerous on so many levels and never discriminates between the animals and the people around them.

It’s the textbook backdrop for what lead character Ace Bernstein and his people have in mind; “the perfect Trojan horse,” his intention to turn a failing racetrack into a casino cash cow.

For anyone that didn’t see the pilot episode, pay no attention to the few naysayers and nitpickers. It’s scary how many scenes were pitch perfect, like ‘the Old Man’ sitting in a lawn chair and talking to his grazing “big horse.” Not to mention thr eclectic, talented cast.

Anyone who has seen Dustin Hoffman play Meyer Lansky or Dutch Schultz knows how menacing and volatile his criminal persona can be. Dennis Farina has deceptively great range, from Lt. Mike Torello, to “Bones” Barboni, to “Empire Falls” ’ Walt Comeau.

Who doesn’t love John Ortiz as the “crafty” Turo Escalante? Does Nick Nolte’s “the old man” remind anyone of Frank Whiteley Jr.? Is Richard Kind a jocks’ agent in real life, too? I think I know that guy.

And Gary Stevens, the Hall of Fame jockey? Stevens seems a natural born actor with more than a modicum of intensity in front of a camera.

The racing scenes were amazing, too, snapshots of real life on the racetrack, right down to closing the tailgate on a vet’s SUV. Shedrows were captured authentically. Tight cuts to horses racing, training, galloping; great job. Then there is the postcard that is Santa Anita.

There was one scene that did hurt the eyes, however. It was one of the early shots of a racethat looked more like a morning gallop with horses all over the track than an actual race, something I’m sure went unnoticed to an untrained eye.

The people I really know best in “Luck” are the gamblers,of course, and a degenerate lot they are. I’ve seen more than my share. I grew up, hung out, with guys like them. I guess I was more of a nerdy DG, believing there was more to the game than just action.

Jason Gedrick’s character Jerry, like many of the guys I knew, would bet on anything. I hope Jerry’s character doesn’t become too prominent a player in the piece. Too many sidebars about high stakes poker with “ricers” would distract from the racing storylines.

There was one egregious error that, for a work so rooted in honest detail, was a careless, unnecessary mistake. There were nine runners in the final race of the Pick Six sequence. Hence, the 3 x 1 x 4 x 5 x 3 x ALL ticket would cost $3,240, not $846.

Michael Mann, whose visual style began by watering the streets for scenes shot at night on the original hit series “Miami Vice,” gave that show the slick, modern look that’s become standard fare. The quick-cut, tight shots convey action and urgency at once. I wish Mann were directing all nine episodes.

As the pilot showed, there are many sub-texts that should keep the series moving at a fast pace. When coupled with greed, intrigue and danger, the beauty of Santa Anita should enable "Luck" to continue to be a visual treat as well.

“Luck” is an action drama made by a racetracker for other racetrackers and non-racing fans alike. It conveys the sense of a bubbling underworld of excitement that only horse racing can provide--moments capable of blowing up in a minute flat, going from zenith to nadir and back again.

One final thought: To hell with the learning curve. Viewers that become engaged with “Luck” will want to catch-up on the lingo. Those who aren’t, won’t. Racing’s not going to convert those people, anyway. You don’t choose this game. It chooses you.


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