Easily one of the best films released this year, Seabiscuit could best be described as "ROCKY with a horse." Only here, we have four underdogs we grow to root for.

The time is 1910. Bicycle repairman Charles Howard (Bridges) has decided to move west and open his own bicycle shop. A chance to repair an early automobile gives him an opportunity to open one, then five, car dealerships. Up in Canada, young Johnny Pollard has received a horse from his parents, a gift to reward his knowledge of poetry. Back in the western US, horse trainer Tom Smith (Cooper) is spending his time breaking wild mustangs for a wild west show. Everything is grand until the stock market crashes in 1929. While Howard manages to escape much financial damage, Smith and young Johnny are greatly affected. Now a young man, Pollard (Maguire) has taken to boxing on the side while he tries to make it as a jockey. Unfortunately he's not very successful at either endeavor. Despite the constant advice he receives from fellow jockey George Woolf (Stevens), Pollard, nicknamed "Red" thanks to his bright orange hair, thinks he knows it all and refuses to listen.

Through a series of twists of fate, our three main men are brought together when Howard decides he wants to buy a race horse. Though the horse he chooses is smaller then the others, Howard senses something in the animal that will make him special. In need of a trainer and a jockey, he is soon led to Smith and Pollard. And, as a team, they groom their horse into an unlikely champion.

Presented to the audience as a Ken Burns style documentary, complete with narration, Seabiscuit is a definite original bright spot in a summer of overblown sequels. The cast is top notch, with a rail-thin Maguire excelling as the jockey who has much in common with his underrated mount. Bridges, who in my opinion is the most original actor of his generation, does another fine job here. And Cooper, who has made a career out of playing silent yet passionate characters, brings a quiet dignity to Smith. Very impressive is the work of real life jockey Stevens. As Red's friend and mentor, he is very genuine. And Macy, as radio announcer "Tick Tock" McGlaughlin, delivers just the right amount of comic relief.

Like his previous film, Pleasantville, director Ross certainly has made sure that his crew paid attention to detail. Everything from the cars to the clothing help draw you into a piece of America's past. And incorporating original radio broadcasts and old time photos with brilliantly choreographed race footage helps enhance the feel of actually witnessing history. Randy Newman's score, his most rousing since "The Natural," adds a perfect background to the on screen story.

On a scale of zero to four stars, I give Seabiscuit