I found this movie a surprise from the first time I saw it, probably thirty-five years ago. I've seen it about three times since. It is not what you would expect from a star like Redford; it has a 70s anti-hero thing going on. However, that does not succeed in making his character admirable or romantic, although you think it might...it catches you up. At the base of his character is that he is an exceptional and intensely driven athlete---but inwardly is the most ordinary and un-introspective of men. We all know people like that, but seldom do we see them characterized so completely by someone we are used to admiring, such as the characters typically captured by Redford. It is significant to me for that---a Hollywood movie that tells the truth for a change about an ordinary man in an exceptional situation---and also because it showed me the splendid Camilla Sparv, who is up there with Catherine Deneuve for period beauty. Redford's character caught her interest without trying, and lost it just as quickly. Give it a try and see what you think. I think it depicts a tragic thing in visual language that is close to the kind of human life truths we witness everyday around us---not necessarily reflected simply in people striving for big athletic achievements, but in people we know who have an inkling of something great, yet don't have the creativity or the luck to have a soul that can let them grow and develop fully around their abilities. The high ability or exceptional talent or amazing instinct is not enough, if your internal game is so limited by your personality.