From the cold-blooded Nate Jacobs in Euphoria to his BAFTA-nominated role in Saltburn, Jacob Elordi has come a long way since The Kissing Booth series. As he continues to prove himself as a well-rounded actor, when it was announced that Elordi would be replacing Andrew Garfield as Frankenstein’s monster in Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming film, many were curious to see how one of Hollywood’s latest heartthrobs would tackle such an iconic role. As we wait to see Elordi’s full transformation in Frankenstein, which hits select theaters in October and Netflix in November, you can catch one of his best recent performances in On Swift Horses, which just landed on Netflix. Based on Shannon Pufahl’s 2019 novel of the same name, On Swift Horses shows Elordi at his most vulnerable as Julius, a Korean War veteran trying to make a life for himself in post-war America. Starring alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones, Will Poulter, and Diego Calva, nothing is more reflective of Elordi’s evolution than his career-best performance in this bittersweet romantic drama.
What Is ‘On Swift Horses’ About?
Elordi’s Julius is one of two protagonists in On Swift Horses, which tells both his story and that of his sister-in-law Muriel (Edgar-Jones). Upon returning to the United States after the Korean War, Muriel gets engaged to Julius’ older brother Lee (Poulter), but as soon as Muriel and Julius first meet, there is instant chemistry between them. While Lee and Muriel plan to start over in California, inviting Julius to join them, he has other plans. Not interested in the more traditional white picket fence life Lee and Muriel go on to live, Julius is more of a drifter, eventually traveling to Las Vegas where he does sex work and eventually gets a job at a casino monitoring gamblers to make sure they’re not cheating. It’s there he meets and falls in love with his co-worker Henry (Calva). Both men are practiced gamblers (and cheaters), so Henry tries to convince Julius to work together with him to cheat casinos, which would make them much more money.
Meanwhile, Muriel and Lee live mundane lives in San Diego, with Muriel working as a waitress at a diner. Muriel is a gambler too, using tips she overhears from customers at the diner to bet on horse races, but she keeps this lucrative hobby and the money she earns from it hidden from her husband. When she meets a beautiful woman at the track who invites her to the only known gay bar in the area, Muriel explores her attraction to women, eventually starting a secret relationship with their neighbor, Sandra (Sasha Calle). Julius and Muriel live very different lives but share a similar secret, and though Muriel tries her best to keep in touch with him through both letters and phone calls, Julius mostly prefers to keep his distance.
Jacob Elordi Is at His Best in ‘On Swift Horses’
Following two queer characters in a repressive, post-war United States, On Swift Horses is a tender romantic drama that dwells on meaningful glances and unspoken words. Elordi and Edgar-Jones don’t spend too much of the film’s run time on screen together, but the connection between Julius and Muriel is strong and reveals itself to be much more than just sexual or romantic tension. They both gamble, not just with their money but with their love lives, pursuing same-sex relationships in secret for fear of social ostracization or worse. What at first appears to be a love triangle between Muriel, Lee, and Julius—with Muriel pining after her brother-in-law even after he leaves for Las Vegas—turns into something very different, with Lee unfortunately and unwittingly caught in between. Torn between the different kinds of love he feels for both Muriel and Henry, Julius is a complex, sensitive character who comes alive in the most private moments while remaining stoic and detached in public. Elordi skillfully plays this duality in a way that makes Julius a sympathetic figure you want to root for despite his flaws.
Elordi’s magnetism makes it easy to understand why both Muriel and Henry would fall for Julius. From the moment Julius first appears onscreen, he exudes the kind of charm that draws people to him and allows him to get away with being selfish and unreliable. With quiet intensity, Elordi’s internalized performance succeeds in getting to the heart of Julius’ character, often with his gaze and body language alone. While his chemistry with Calva is strong, his connection with Edgar Jones’ character Muriel is one of the film’s defining elements.
Though On Swift Horses divides its time between their two characters, Julius’ presence is felt throughout Muriel’s story as well, due to her lingering feelings for him, and the film more so revolves around him than it is an equal split between the two of them. That being said, the scene that best captures what Elordi does so well in On Swift Horses takes place when Julius and Muriel finally do reunite and have a moment alone together, and Julius tries his hardest to express his understanding of her sexuality without actually saying the words themselves. Without taking away from Edgar-Jones—who does a fine job with her performance as Muriel—Julius’ story and, by extension, Elordi’s performance, make him the more compelling character. In one of the most multifaceted roles of his career thus far, Elordi’s performance alone makes On Swift Horses worth a watch, and the film’s hopeful ending feels well-earned.
On Swift Horses
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
- Runtime
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96 minutes
- Director
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Daniel Minahan
- Writers
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Bryce Kass
- Producers
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Bryce Kass, Christine Vachon, David Darby, Pamela Koffler, Peter Spears, Tim Headington, Nate Kamiya, Jacob Elordi, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jenifer Westphal, Alvaro R. Valente, Joe Plummer, Theresa Steele Page, Claude Amadeo, Michael D’Alto
