Review: ‘On Swift Horses’ never makes it to the finish line (2025)

A scene from 'On Swift Horses' courtesy of Mongrel Media

‘On Swift Horses’ is a love story about taboo passions that do not have fairy tale endings — or, in this case, any ending at all.

Navigating a world unaccepting of your real self is more than just a challenge as it means constantly hiding from everyone, including those to whom you feel closest. Weary of keeping such substantial secrets, they may seek clandestine ways to express themselves, which has its own risks, but any relief from the endless suffocation of suppressing your true identity may feel worth it. It would be naïve to think people are not still experiencing these feelings today, but it was definitely more prevalent in decades past. In On Swift Horses, three young adults try to figure out how to balance their public and secret selves.

After returning from the Korean War, Lee (Will Poulter) is excited to start a new life with his wife Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and he wants to do it in California. Moreover, he wants his younger, wayward brother, Julius (Jacob Elordi), to join them, but Julius is a wanderer and a gambler, so he heads to nearby Las Vegas instead. While there, he gets a job at a casino where he meets Henry (Diego Calva) and the pair begin a surreptitious love affair. In the meantime, Muriel is using tips she overhears at her waitress job to place bets on racehorses and hiding her winnings from Lee, who’s also unaware of her budding relationship with their new neighbour, Sandra (Sasha Calle).

This is a love story, but not a very satisfying one, which makes it a product of the time in which it’s set and a frustrating experience for viewers. Interestingly, Muriel and Lee are not the central relationship. In fact, Muriel and Julius have more chemistry than the married pair, and Julius and Henry are filled with passion behind closed doors. Conversely, it’s clear Muriel feels free when she’s with Sandra, which is a sensation she revels in without truly understanding the repercussions of her actions until it’s too late and she literally pays for her error in judgement. In spite of and perhaps because of their secrets, Muriel and Julius stay in touch and seem closer than even the brothers, though that’s all relative since neither is safe to share their true selves.

It’s rare to wish a film was longer, but this one ends abruptly just as it might be getting to the best part. The conclusion is idyllic, representing hope and possibility, but it leaves audiences on the hook to imagine what may become of the characters, which is not the typical expectation when watching a romance — particularly when multiple people are involved and their stories are so tumultuous. The actors are excellent at drawing viewers into the film, credibly embodying these past personalities on precarious journeys of self-discovery, which is why it’s so vexing they’re not also given the opportunity to deliver some form of closure.

Director: Daniel Minahan
Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi and Will Poulter