The Horse Whisperer is trending on a free streaming service following Robert Redford’s recent death. Directed by and starring Redford, based on the 1995 novel of the same name, the 1998 neo-Western follows a gifted horse trainer with an extraordinary ability to connect with animals, who is brought in to aid a young girl and her horse in their recovery after a devastating accident.

The cast also includes Oscar nominee Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient), two-time Emmy nominee Sam Neill, two-time Oscar winner Dianne Wiest (Hannah and Her Sisters, Bullets Over Broadway), two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson (Marriage Story, Jojo Rabbit), Oscar winner Chris Cooper (Adaptaion), three-time Emmy winner Cherry Jones (Succession, The Handmaid’s Tale), Kate Bosworth, Jessalyn Gilsig, and Jeanette Nolan.

Now, shortly after Robert Redford’s death on September 16 at the age of 89, The Horse Whisperer is trending on Tubi, ranking seventh on their Top 10 movies in the United States for today, September 17. It ranks below Scarface, Coming to America, Goodfellas, The Fifth Element, Life, Meet Joe Black, and above Queen of the Damned, Never Been Kissed, and Hercules.

What The Horse Whisperer’s Streaming Success Means For The Movie

With classics like Butch Cᴀssidy and the Sundance Kid and Jeremiah Johnson, Robert Redford’s name will forever be tied to the Western genre. After his pᴀssing, The Horse Whisperer will always endure as the legendary actor’s final Western, with a story that may resonate more deeply now following his death.

While The Horse Whisperer can feel a little heavy-handed in its emotional pull, it still reflects Redford’s signature touch – elegant, thoughtful, and skillfully made – both in front of and behind the camera. The neo-Western explores the tension between the fading spirit of America’s “Old West” and the rising tide of urban expansion, years before Yellowstone took on similar themes.

Though it gave Scarlett Johansson one of her earliest breakout performances and achieved moderate critical and box office success, The Horse Whisperer remains an underappreciated chapter in the careers of both Johansson and Redford.

Our Take On The Horse Whisperer’s Streaming Success

Now, following his death, The Horse Whisperer‘s ending feels like a fitting reflection of Robert Redford himself. Audiences revisiting the film today are not just watching a character choose his path, but also remembering an artist who chose his with equal conviction. In that sense, The Horse Whisperer endures as more than a story of healing, but as a tribute to Robert Redford himself, and the timeless legacy he leaves behind.