The Flying Scotsman (2007)

49% of critics liked it
(53 reviews)
50% of users liked it
(83,111 ratings)

An amateur Scottish cyclist determined to become the world's fastest rider struggles against his own mental illness and the resentful hostility of sports authorities unwilling to accept his remarkable innovation in this inspirational biopic from director Douglas MacKinnon. When Briton cyclist Chris… More An amateur Scottish cyclist determined to become the world's fastest rider struggles against his own mental illness and the resentful hostility of sports authorities unwilling to accept his remarkable innovation in this inspirational biopic from director Douglas MacKinnon. When Briton cyclist Chris Boardman took home the gold at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, the world was caught off guard; no one had ever suspected that Britain was capable of producing world-class cyclists, yet there was no denying his remarkable numbers. Perhaps no one was more shocked by Boardman's surprise success than unemployed Scot Graeme Obree (Jonny Le Miller), an old riding partner of Boardman's who on more than a few occasions had crossed the finish line before his medal-winning counterpart. Despite his remarkable prowess, however, Obree simply didn't seem to have the fortitude needed to translate his formidable riding skills into a profitable career like his old friend Boardman. His debt piling up and his family in desperate need of some good luck, Obree is determined to take one last shot at the world of cycling with a little encouragement from his longtime friend Malky McGovern (Billy Boyd) and his loving wife, Anne (Laura Fraser). Now, with no official sponsor, no financial backing, no funding to speak of, and a decided lack of experience needed to design the kind of bike he would need for his ambitious, late-career endeavor, the 27-year-old cyclist would build his own revolutionary bike from the ground up and begin the arduous journey to becoming the fastest cyclist in the history of the sport. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 43 min.
Directed By: Douglas MacKinnon
Written By: Simon Rose, Declan Hughes, John Brown
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Dec 29, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Sep 18, 2007
Studio: MGM

Critic Reviews

Kyle Smith, New York Post
It's an underdog story with teeth.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Never quite manages to whip its disparate story elements into an emotionally moving whole.
Sarah Kaufman, Washington Post
A classic tale of the heroic little guy that goes beyond the sport of cycling, told with elegant restraint in this sensitive and beautifully rendered film.
Susan Walker, Toronto Star
For all its dramatic manipulation, The Flying Scotsman succeeds, in a modest way, because it's true.
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
The filmmaking is unremarkable, but the obsessiveness of the lead character is infectious enough to make this drama passable entertainment.
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
Tells a tale both fast and moving. And when Miller as Obree takes his whirls around the track, it gets your heart pumping and your blood up.
S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
Cycling drama doesn't quite race to the finish.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Business-as-usual for a sports movie.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Competently made and reasonably interesting, but The Flying Scotsman lacks the kind of exhilaration that inspirational true-life sport films generally need to carry them to cinematic gold
Derek Malcolm, This is London
It is a straightforward biography but it treads so gingerly around his mental troubles that you feel something is missing.
Neil Smith, thelondonpaper
Why pay to see someone cycling when they do it on the pavement for nothing?
Anthony Quinn, Independent
It moves, but it never flies.
Johnny Vaughan, Sun Online
It's stirring stuff from start to finish which will make our friends from north of the border proud to be Scottish. Go See.
, Daily Mirror [UK]
The underdog plot has been done umpteen times before, of course, but there's something Miller brings to the screen that transcends the familiarity.
Neil Smith, Total Film
A paucity of pedal power and an abundance of cliché make this Jock-on-a-bike yarn an uphill climb from false start to weak finish. Miller's brooding hero may well be Flying, but the film never gets off the ground.
Tom Robey, Daily Telegraph
Still, there's useful support from Brian Cox as a pep-talking priest, and Gavin Finney's long-take velodrome cinematography is frequently rather excellent.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
The sinking Scotsman is more like it.
Wendy Ide, Times [UK]
What cripples the film's success as a sporting movie is the fact that its director, Douglas Mackinnon, struggles to find a way of making the climactic cycle races interesting.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

I remember watching Graeme Obree breaking the world record in the early 90's and subsequently reading about his hand made bike in the papers. It's a great underdog story of passion, determination and perseverance through adversity. It is shame then that it has been made into… More
I remember watching Graeme Obree breaking the world record in the early 90's and subsequently reading about his hand made bike in the papers. It's a great underdog story of passion, determination and perseverance through adversity. It is shame then that it has been made into what is essentially, an underwhelming film that is devoid of passion or excitement. The cast do a good job, although I can't stand Billy Boyd, the facts are there but it is laden with cliches, dodgy background actors, and rubbish direction. Watch it for the story (obviously) but as a film, it's very amateurish.
xGary X

I normally avoid sports films because they're very predictable and essentially all the same; let's face it, if they'd f**ked it up, nobody would've made a film about them. The story of Graeme Obree however, is quite an interesting one. A former bicycle courier from… More
I normally avoid sports films because they're very predictable and essentially all the same; let's face it, if they'd f**ked it up, nobody would've made a film about them. The story of Graeme Obree however, is quite an interesting one. A former bicycle courier from a working class Scottish town, Obree went on to become double world champion on a bike he made himself out of old washing machine parts. He did this despite suffering from an intense depression that caused him to attempt suicide and the interference of the sport's governing body who repeatedly changed the rules to specifically try and stop him competing because his DIY attitude threatened the big money manufacturing concerns within the sport. As such it is a facinating combination of the usual triumph of the human spirit sports movie, human psychological drama and battle of the individual against overwhelming odds. As such it is much more interesting than your average sports film and rather better than the similar biopic of Ian Curtis, Control.
paul s

trying to be both a sports movie and biopic and failing at both. Some interesting side charactors (Brian Cox, wonderful as usual) make this watchable, but the film takes way too much for granted; never fully investigating the bi-polar disorder that should have been at the center of… More
trying to be both a sports movie and biopic and failing at both. Some interesting side charactors (Brian Cox, wonderful as usual) make this watchable, but the film takes way too much for granted; never fully investigating the bi-polar disorder that should have been at the center of the film - so in the end you feel like a passive viewer to someone's life, and not invested in its outcome. The direction did have some nice touches of levity - too bad it couldn't find a coherent voice in the screenplay.
Gordon A

Underwhelming by the numbers biopic which sketches over the protagonists mental illness unconvincingly.
Craig S

Directed by: Douglas MacKinnon. Starring: Billy Boyd, Brian Cox, Johnny Lee Miller. Originally it wasn't a movie I wanted to see and a lot of the friends on my list on Flixster have put this down as… More
Directed by: Douglas MacKinnon. Starring: Billy Boyd, Brian Cox, Johnny Lee Miller. Originally it wasn't a movie I wanted to see and a lot of the friends on my list on Flixster have put this down as 'not interested'....I'm not surprised, with so many 'inspirational' movies being made in Hollywood that are too cliched and sentimental, but I had recently seen The Worlds Fastest Indian and loved it, and many recommended this film if you enjoyed The Worlds Fastest Indian....and I am glad that I saw this, because it is one of the better inspiration films that has a heart. The story follows Graeme Obree, champion cyclist who designed a new style of bike from old washing machine parts and went on to become the World Champion, but he had his title stripped from him (won't give that away) and also fell victim to the mental illness he has had since a child. That is where the film highlights lie, but also its weak points. The highlights would definately be how real the film is most of the time, it doesn't always overkill with cliche or use old hollywood tricks to try and inject emotion, it does come quite naturally and we are shown the other aspects of Graeme Obree's life and his battle with his mental illness. Jonny Lee Miller steals the film by giving an excellent performance, tapping into the many emotional ranges of the character very well, from the breakdown with his illness, to his amazing determination, no matter what obsticle he faced. Also I give credit to the director and cinematographer, for giving us a unique look at what would be seen through the eyes of a cyclist, from the camera angles to the lighting effects. Now the downpoints of the film also lie within the storytelling, although we are shown some quite compelling looks into his illness, you are left wanting to know more, to see more development from this character, especially when he seems like a really great guy. And also the ending comes a bit to fast and the film could have done with another 20 minutes or so to spread out the leadup to the final event. I certainly do still recommend it, it is a cut above most cliche and sentimental movies, although the film isn't truly original, it does have great heart, an excellent performance from Johnny Lee Miller and some compelling looks into his illness, even if you are left wanting more. I recommend it, even if you only see it on DVD.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "The Flying Scotsman," Graeme Obree(Jonny Lee Miller) wants to break the one hour bicycling record that has stood for more than nine years and which Chris Boardman is about to try and break. But he has other more mundane things to worry about like his… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "The Flying Scotsman," Graeme Obree(Jonny Lee Miller) wants to break the one hour bicycling record that has stood for more than nine years and which Chris Boardman is about to try and break. But he has other more mundane things to worry about like his bike shop being forced to close and having to work as a bike messenger in Glasgow while his long-suffering wife Anne(Laura Fraser) works as a nurse to make ends meet. On the job, he makes the acquaintance of Malky(Billy Boyd) who he recruits into being his new manager once he comes up with a revolutionary new design that he builds with the help of Douglas Baxter(Brian Cox) and the cannibalizing of parts from his washing machine. Sponsorship makes it possible for them to go to Norway to give it a shot...[/font] [font=Century Gothic]"The Flying Scotsman" is an engaging biopic that is helped by a very good cast but the direction is so obvious that it cannot but point out that something momentous is about to happen in big bold letters on at least three occasions. The point of view shots during the races make them especially thrilling to watch. So, then why does there have to be a villain? I get that being bullied as a youth drives Graeme to push himself to succeed as an adult(even if it is too easy an explanation). At the same time, I was far more interested in exploring the topic of depression since it not only gives the movie more dramatic depth but also is a subject that is not touched on as often as it should be.[/font]
Marcus W

Scottish cyclists are never going to be as big as footballers, nor movies about them. Yet this is far better than most sports movies and it deserves more appreciation. Miller really throws himself into this role and gets you behind him from the start. Much like Rocky, it's a… More
Scottish cyclists are never going to be as big as footballers, nor movies about them. Yet this is far better than most sports movies and it deserves more appreciation. Miller really throws himself into this role and gets you behind him from the start. Much like Rocky, it's a classic "underdog" story, but by keeping it short and showing how elitist Sporting Federations can be, you find yourself willing him to succeed. Definitely one to watch.
Bill C

As mellowed avid cyclist, its nice to peak into the world of two time world champion and dual world record holder Graham Oberee rising to these challenges using a bike built by his own hands on a shoestring budget in Scotland well outside the cycling mainstream. Even by the early… More
As mellowed avid cyclist, its nice to peak into the world of two time world champion and dual world record holder Graham Oberee rising to these challenges using a bike built by his own hands on a shoestring budget in Scotland well outside the cycling mainstream. Even by the early nineties the development of high tech materials and aerodynamic aids where so prevalent in the sport of cycling that there was air that without the most expensive computer designed bikes cyclist had no chance of competing with the elite professionals. Along comes Graham Obree a promising amateur with a failed bicycle shop forced to work as a messenger to support his family. Obree?s finshed cycle and position defy standard expectations of what should work. My only positive comment on johny lee miller is that he emulated it correctly without killing himself. The news that his old cycling rival and now national champion is going to challenge the world 1 hour record, spurs Obree to make his own attempt 1 month earlier 8 weeks to put it together. With the sponsorship of a local placement agency they manage to scrape-up enough money to get a certified velodrome in Norway. Even after his success, Obree must battle is demons of depression. Brian Baxter (Red 2007) has the only acting role of positive note as the Obree friend who unbeknownst to Obree agnostic world view is a minister. After Obree suicide attempt Baxter successfully convinces him to seek help My interest in cycling and specifically the physics of cycling probably the only chance to experience the history of Graham Obree bias my review, for someone only casually interested in cycling this movie would have a hard time rating a 60. The plot developments are merely par for a sports movie.