Hidalgo Movie Review:


1890, Frank Hopkins (Mortensen) and his horse Hidalgo were legendary long distance racers winning competitions all over the US. His reputation was spreading to the point that it gained the attention of Sheikh Riyadh (Sharif). Every year his family run a 3000-mile race called the Ocean of Fire across some of the most inhospitable desert the Middle East has to offer. Frank accepts the challenges but nobody expects that an inferior mustang could ever beat a field full of thoroughbred Arabian horses.

Viggo Mortensen takes another step towards becoming the silver screen’s most bankable hero, the same way as Harrison for did after starring in a successful film trilogy.

Based on the allegedly true story of life of Frank Hopkins, this is a big budget action that isn’t like your usual high concept fair. The movie combines blistering action, exhilarating racing with slow character development and a lot of subtitles as the characters speak in their native languages. This is an unusual approach for a potential blockbuster, as it is well known that excessively subtitled films find it difficult to reach an audience in English speaking countries, especially the US.

The story of Frank Hopkins and his horse Hidalgo is still interesting however as it is a tale of extreme endurance made all the more watchable by some great performances. Omar Sharif brings a touch of class to the proceeding as the honourable Sheikh Riyadh. The actor just exudes dignity and commands respect every time he graces the screen. It’s a shame that we don’t see him more often. The beautiful Zuleikha Robinson makes her big screen splash as Jazira. This should start to get the British actress noticed in Hollywood. Louise Lombard is also good as Lady Ann Davenport, the woman with a lot to gain if her horse wins the race.

This is Viggo Mortensen’s showpiece however. Not shackled by a fellowship, Mortensen is becoming an extremely watchable actor and the hero for new millennium. He is emerging as a lead actor that can command the screen and bring iconic idols to life.

Hidalgo is a good movie that is bogged down by been slightly too long and by having large gaps between the action. Director Joe Johnston is known for his big budget spectaculars like The Rocketeer, Honey I Shrunk the Kids and Jurassic Park but his shows that his can handle character development as well as rip-roaring action. Capturing the extremes of the Arabian Desert brilliantly and always doing enough to entertain, this is a movie that is well worth a flutter.

Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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Hidalgo brings to life the story of Frank T. Hopkins, a pony express rider who claims, among other things, to have won nearly every long distance horseback race that existed at the time. While a little research shows that the "true" portion of its claim to be based on a true story is anything but, Hidalgo's real problems stem from factors far more significant than whether or not Hopkins actually lived up to all of his claims. Hidalgo is a sprawling, wide-screen, western epic that's not only overly ambitious but also suffers from a touch of multiple personality disorder.

As the film opens, we learn that Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen) is now a performer in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. Having once been a dispatch rider for the U.S. Cavalry, he now spends his days performing bareback riding tricks and tipping the bottle. With the haunting images of the massacre of innocent Native Americans at Wounded Knee Creek still fresh in his head, Hopkins goes through the motions of life with very little motivation and even less sense of purpose. So, it's not a surprise when he accepts the invitation from a wealthy sheik (Omar Sharif) to participate in the grueling 3,000-mile "Ocean of Fire" race, on horseback, across the Arabian Peninsula.

The "Ocean of Fire" has been run in Saudi Arabia for thousands of years as a means to test the noblest of purebred Arabian stallions. But Hopkins' horse, called Hidalgo, is a lowly mustang, a mixed breed, regarded as impure and extremely inferior. Naturally, the local Arabs deride Hopkins' participation in the dignified race, seeing it as a violation of the event's distinction. Setting up the film's main theme, we learn that Hopkins himself is also of mixed descent, the progeny of a white man and a Native American. While the film's intentions of cleverly juxtaposing these similarities of the man to his horse are indeed honorable, the message might have succeeded if managed with a more subtle hand. African slaves in ankle chains are frequently paraded across the screen, reminding us of the persecution of those considered different or impure. The Arabs themselves often refer to Hopkins as the infidel, hammering us with the reminder that he is an outcast, sullying the purity of their land. In filmmaking, subtlety is a virtue that when violated, comes across as hokey or amateurish. There's nothing subtle about Hidalgo.

At first glance, Hidalgo appears to be an exciting action/adventure movie. And as that, it succeeds. It features some great sword-fighting sequences, beautiful vistas, and a classic James Newton Howard score. Director Joe Johnston is successful at making the audience feel the excruciating heat, starvation and thirst suffered by Hopkins and Hidalgo. But after watching the movie, I realized the filmmakers wanted it to be so much more. The movie's fun and action became muddied in an ocean of heavy-handed messages. Is Hidalgo, like The Last Samurai the story of a confused man looking for a chance at redemption? Is it the Seabiscuit of 2004? Is it another Arabian Nights tale? Like Dances With Wolves, is it another difficult look at the extermination of the Native American people? To its fault, it tries to be all these things. Hidalgo might have been a better film had it roped-in its ambitions a bit. Think about it. With the intentions of making a great film, how do you successfully combine Buffalo Bill Cody, African slaves, Oklahoma, swords, Arabian sheiks, Annie Oakley, The Red Sea, the U.S. Cavalry, Muslims, Omar Sharif, Christians, and little pointy-toed genie shoes? The point is, you can't.

Hidalgo sprawls way too far and its ambitions considerably exceed its grasp. I really wanted the film to allow me to connect a bit more with Hidalgo, the horse. Clearly screenwriter John Fusco wanted to glorify horses, and he mostly succeeded; but at a runtime of nearly 2 1/2 hours, I'm sure executive decisions had to be made. He must have cut the wrong parts. I feel as though I just watched Hidalgo I: The Pony Express Horse, Hidalgo II; the People of the Horse, Hidalgo III: The Ocean of Fire, and Hidalgo IV: Return of The People of the Horse, all rolled into one. They might have killed a franchise before it ever became a franchise.

Frank Wilkins

He's back in the saddle again. Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy) saddles up a new horse as he rides into the adventure epic, "Hidalgo".

Mortensen plays real-life legend Frank Hopkins, a long distance horse racer and dispatcher who ends up washed up and in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.
Hopkins gets the challenge of a lifetime when a Sheik (Omar Sharif) sends for him to enter the epic 3,000 mile race across the Arabian Desert. The
Sheik urges Frank to prove his claim that he is the best long distance racer in the world. Can Frank and his beloved horse Hidalgo survive such a
challenge in a far off land? Can they endure the infamous Ocean of Fire and live to tell the tale? This stubborn cowboy sure hopes so.

"Hidalgo" is great escapist entertainment as Frank's adventures in Arabia are plenty and fun to behold.

Mortensen is stern and steadfast as the cowboy hero and there is a lot in common here to his beloved portrayal of Aragorn. Mortensen maybe a laid back actor but his simpler portrayal of Frank does show he can be an audience favorite.

It is nice to see Omar Sharif return to the silver screen and it was kind of funny seeing the cameo from C. Thomas Howell. The female leads in the film match Mortensen word for word but I never found captivating or enthralling. That is kind of a shame since it would have been nice to see what Mortensen was like next to a strong female lead character.

Hidalgo's director Joe Johnston has always been a favorite of mine. The man has directed such projects as "Honey I Shrunk the Kids", "The Rocketeer", "Jumanji" and "October Sky". Johnston has also taken up the reigns of the "Jurassic Park" franchise from Steven Spielberg where he directed "Jurassic Park 3" and is slated to directed "Jurassic 4".

Johnston has always had a certain style for his films. His unique use of music and grand adventure scenes have always been a staple. "Hidalgo" has a
lot of elements that are staples of a Joe Johnston film and it is amazing how they bring a lot more to the film. He has always been a great audience
pleaser and Hidalgo is no different.

I liked a lot of Johnston's panoramic and silhouette shots of Viggo and horse. I liked how he was able to bring life to the most lifeless of places.
There are so many of those kinds of scenes in this film.

The film also reminded me some of those old Sheik love stories starring Rudolph Valentino and the film adaptations of the Arabian Knights. It was
almost like one of those films with a Gary Cooper or mellower Charles Brosnan styled cowboy trapped inside. It was a lot of fun seeing the genres
mix it up.

My only problem with the film is that it feels quite long. The film's story is a simple one spread across a 3,000 mile race. There really is no depth to
sustain the film's exotic adventure.

This adventure film won't win any awards or challenge us in anyway but like the film's central character it is steadfast, true to itself and a joy to
watch.

(4 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer.

Dean Kish

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