On Swift Horses

"How much would you gamble for love?"

2025 1h 59m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 142

RomanceDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Returning from the Korean War, Lee wants to begin a new life with his wife Muriel in California. But when his charismatic brother Julius arrives, their lives begin to change. Julius’s rebellious streak rubs off on Muriel, who secretly steps into the world of race horse gambling. Here she meets a new lover, a fellow woman looking to break free from her restrictive life. Meanwhile, Julius travels to Las Vegas, where he falls in love with a young man he meets at the card tables.

“How much would you gamble for love?”

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Cast

Daisy Edgar-Jones
Muriel
Jacob Elordi
Julius
Will Poulter
Lee
Diego Calva
Henry
Sasha Calle
Sandra
Don Swayze
Terence
Ryan Fitzgerald
Cat Faced Man
Andrew Keenan-Bolger
Rosie

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Daniel Minahan
Writers: Bryce Kass
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released last year.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Daniel Minahan, shot by Luc Montpellier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Orton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joe Murphy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jacob Elordi and Will Poulter carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "How much would you gamble for love?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt15042300 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Daniel Minahan directs. Luc Montpellier behind the camera. Mark Orton scores. Joe Murphy cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released last year.
2Directed by Daniel Minahan, shot by Luc Montpellier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Mark Orton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Joe Murphy shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Daisy Edgar-Jones and Jacob Elordi and Will Poulter carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "How much would you gamble for love?".
7IMDB entry: tt15042300 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 26 themes, including "casino", "based on novel or book", "gambling", "lesbian relationship".

The technical file

Cinematography: Luc Montpellier
Original score: Mark Orton
Editing: Joe Murphy
Production design: Erin Magill
Costume design: Jeriana San Juan
Makeup / hair: Elle Favorule
VFX supervisor: Scott Winston
Sound: Lewis Goldstein
Stunt coordinator: Ryan Ryusaki
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $1,174,247
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: On Swift Horses (2025)

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Daniel Minahan

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-09-11
★ 6/10
Perhaps the clue comes from the opening scene where “Lee” (Will Poulter) is having the most perfunctory sex with his fiancée “Muriel” (Daisy Edgar-Jones). He wants to get married, but she’s giving off some fairly unconvinced vibes. Then she opens the window to see a shirtless man draped across the bonnet of their car. It must be -5° outside, but this is his brother “Julius” (Jacob Elordi) who has just returned from the war on furlough. Both are supposed to go back, but he has managed to wangle himself some discharge papers so it is only “Lee” who has to return to the army - and hopefully as a married man. Scoot on a bit in their lives and we discover that “Julius” isn’t really the most reliable of gents. He has promised to go into business with his brother in California but en route, this itinerant gambler, finds himself winning, then fleeced, then employed in a casino trying to spot other cheats. That’s when he meets “Henry” (Diego Calva) and the pair are soon cavorting about in their tiny whities. Meantime, “Muriel” and “Lee” are making a go of things in California, but she’s unfulfilled. She works in a diner where she picks up some racing tips. Next thing, she has $12k hidden behind the mirror in their new home near where she encounters the enigmatic, egg-selling, “Sandra” (Sasha Calle). Next thing, well it seems that “Julius” has a sort of kindred spirit. What chance happiness for any of them, especially the decent is slightly pedestrian “Lee”? It does shine something of a light on societal attitudes to homosexuality in 1950s America, but not in any way that we haven’t seen many times before. The sex scenes look even more choreographed than you might have expected, with the Elordi/Calva scenes suggesting neither had cleaned their teeth beforehand and the former having the bed-sheets surgically Velcro’d to his waist. The story between DEJ and Calle isn’t really any more compelling nor characterfully played out and at just shy of two hours, I felt a bit short-changed by a concept that looked good on the tin but that was really just some A-list froth. Maybe that’s what to take away from this. The cast are at or on their way to the top in Hollywood so to play parts like this can only add some strings to their bows, but I found these to be selfish and rather unlikeable individuals portrayed by actors who imbued their personas with little beyond their own good looks. Very disappointing stuff, sorry.

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