Based on Bernard Malamud's book, Barry Levinson's baseball epic is a carefully-wound extrapolation of the original. The all-American Robert Redford's Biblical qualities made him the perfect fit for wunderkind player Roy Hobbs. The plot takes shape slowly, drawn out in painstaking detail to make the payoff all the more memorable. As the three women Roy encounters, Barbara Hershey, Kim Basinger and Glenn Close all turn in solid performances as Roy's three fates. This is an outstanding sports film that adds even more romanticism to baseball lore. Caleb Deschanel's amber-tinged cinematography supplies the film with its striking look. Randy Newman's music bolsters the romantic feel, upping the film's Americana quotient. Although it is first and foremost a topnotch baseball film it also lends itself to a variety of interpretations dealing with fate, American heritage, and the metaphysical. Levinson's patient and textured direction combined with a focused and engrossing storyline make this a unique picture.