Hidalgo
Directed by:
Joe JohnstonScreenplay:
John FuscoCinematography:
Shelly JohnsonComposer:
James Newton HowardCast:
Viggo Mortensen, Zuleikha Robinson, Omar Sharif, Louise Lombard, Adam Alexi-Malle, Saïd Taghmaoui, J.K. Simmons, Peter Mensah, Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman (more)Plots(1)
Period adventure set in 1890 based on a true story, starring Viggo Mortensen as Frank T. Hopkins, a former US Cavalry officer with a reputation for being one of the fastest and most daring riders in the West. When he meets Aziz (Adam Alexi-Malle), an associate of wealthy Bedouin Sheikh Riyadh (Omar Sharif) in New York, Aziz invites him to take part in 'The Ocean of Fire', a gruelling annual 3000-mile desert horse race across the deserts of the Middle East from Arabia to Iraq. Hopkins accepts the challenge and, along with his trusty steed Hidalgo, sails to Arabia - where he quickly learns that the race course claims the lives of nearly half of its contestants, and that most of his competitors are riding pure-bred Arabian stallions and do not regard Hidalgo and his master as worthy adversaries. But with the support of Riyadh and his beautiful, spirited daughter, Jazira (Zuleikha Robinson), Hopkins determines to give the race his best shot. (Disney / Buena Vista)
(more)Reviews (6)
The few technically well-done action scenes in Hidalgo are offset by a few repulsively kitschy poetic scenes. And the better parts of the screenplay in which something interesting happens are offset by unnecessary digressions that only slow the whole film down. The race itself ends up comprising barely a third of the film. Viggo Mortensen is fine here, but not great.
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A naive adventure film of the old school. It reminded me a lot of the May films from Arabia, but with a more generous budget. The cinematography and production design are good, the digital effects and the script not so much. The rest (i.e. the whole lot) is a grey, bland average.
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A classic adventure template in a striking and, to my great joy, irresistible packaging. Mortensen in a hat and on a horse, a beautiful princess, cunning enemies, unexpected friends, and sandy mountains. In the end, it could be a disappointment or a solid average for the average viewer, but for me, it's a soothing balm for the soul. That's how Kara Ben Nemsi could have turned out if Harald Reinl had caught him a long time ago, just like the classic Vinnetou films.
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A typical example of an average big-budget film. There’s not much going on other than a few action scenes, a bit of romance, a few nice shots of the desert at sunset. You can really feel the smell of Hollywood's commercialism here.
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I actually liked it. The beauty of the desert captured by beautiful cinematography, beautiful animals, beautiful music… Yeah, a lot of beautiful things. Plus a likeable cast and a script that, although clichéd, is at least suspenseful. Another pop-corn flick by Johnson.
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Viggo Mortensen is great even in this adventure film, which could almost evoke some of those old good stories from the turn of the century. It has all the qualifications: Interesting locations, quite good characters, and competitiveness. However, even from this cocktail, they failed to squeeze out something substantial, and the right atmosphere simply didn't resonate with me.
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