Hidalgo (2004)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Chris W

  
  This is a period piece centering around a rugged western hero who decides to prove himself by being the first westerner to enter into a gruelling desert horse race in the Middle East, hoping ot prove that his American horse Hidalgo is just as good if not better than any of the Arabian… More
  This is a period piece centering around a rugged western hero who decides to prove himself by being the first westerner to enter into a gruelling desert horse race in the Middle East, hoping ot prove that his American horse Hidalgo is just as good if not better than any of the Arabian horses he's up against. The film is very schmaltzy, sappy, and emotionally manipulative, and some of it does work, but a lot of it fell flat for me. Viggo Mortensen's presence helps things out a lot, and there;s some wonderful cinematography, but some of this was just really too cheesy for me. That, and I really don't care for the opening stuff involving the Native Americans. It jsut comes off as forced, unnecessary, pandering, and really mishandled. It shouldn't even be in here, really. Also, Omar Sharif is a great guy, but give him some better material to work with, especially a character who we're supposed to like (in the end), but can't buy how it gets to that point. Yeah, I'm ripping on this movie, and some of it is just nitpicking and personal issues, but really, this film just isn't that special or all that memorable even. Go with Seabiscuit instead, or, now that it's out, War Horse.

• Jeff "

  
  Hidalgo is a terrific action adventure following the legend of Frank T. Hopkins and his Mustang horse, Hidalgo. The film is about a race known as the Ocean of fire a long distance race across the Arabian desert. Hidalgo is a fairly entertaining adventure and is a film that deserves a… More
  Hidalgo is a terrific action adventure following the legend of Frank T. Hopkins and his Mustang horse, Hidalgo. The film is about a race known as the Ocean of fire a long distance race across the Arabian desert. Hidalgo is a fairly entertaining adventure and is a film that deserves a lot more credit than it deserves. Sure the film is at times uneven, but it manages to be an entertaining and thrilling adventure that is simply loads of fun. Viggo Mortensen is good in his portrayal of Frank Hopkins. Hidalgo is basically a story of attempting the impossible. The film has Western elements, but it doesn't evoke a sense of nostalgia found in viewing such epic Spaghetti Westerns of old. The film is pretty well crafted and the pacing of the story is well thought out meaning the film is never too dull or boring, it's always exciting and thrilling. October Sky director Joe Johnson helms this film and does yet another terrific job and making a film that doesn't have a specific demographic in mind. Johnson is a splendid filmmaker and Hidalgo is yet another solid picture that proves his talents further. A surprising casting choice is Omar Shariff (I thought he was dead long ago) He plays a decent role in Hidalgo also was more famous for playing Ali in the epic masterpiece Lawrence Of Arabia. Hidalgo is an action packed film that the whole family will surely enjoy. The film is never boring, or dull and theres always something going on to keep the pace of the film going.

• moon r

  
  Different from most any western this crossbred tale of a crossbred cowboy horseracing in arabia is itself a crossbreed, has interesting legs and succeeds in entertaining.

• Anthony L

  
  It's a little over the top in places, a little over-long and descends into just a mere 'Desert themed' action movie in places but I did enjoy it. I like the history behind it, although I'm not sure how accurate it is. It did exceed my expectations but they were… More
  It's a little over the top in places, a little over-long and descends into just a mere 'Desert themed' action movie in places but I did enjoy it. I like the history behind it, although I'm not sure how accurate it is. It did exceed my expectations but they were pretty low to be honest. Hidalgo is classic Sunday afternoon viewing.

• Jennifer D

  
  Watched this in the aftermath of Mortensen's success in LOTR. Delivered what was expected.

• Wahida K

  
  A beautiful Adventure Movie based upon real event. I like Viggo. Omar Sharif was Awesome in this Movie.

• Thomas B

  
  an attempt at a moving story. however, if you want a moving film about a horse, watch seabiscuit

• Coxxie M

  
  stupid horse...

• Rachel F

  
  This was actually an alright movie. The locations where the movie was shot are beautiful. Also, Viggo Mortensen is the shit. Love him.

• danny d

  
  an epic adventure, very underrated. this film was not well recieved but viggo was solid and the story was compelling. i hope that with time more people find this movie.

• Curtis L

  
  okay

• xGary X

  
  This heavily romanticized story based on the life of cowboy Frank T. Hopkins is based around his entry into a race across the deserts of persia. It's a handsome outdoor adventure that, when edited down to bite sized chunks for the trailer, probably looks thrilling. But the… More
  This heavily romanticized story based on the life of cowboy Frank T. Hopkins is based around his entry into a race across the deserts of persia. It's a handsome outdoor adventure that, when edited down to bite sized chunks for the trailer, probably looks thrilling. But the reality is that although it is very entertaining when the swashbuckling action kicks in, these scenes are far too brief and few and far between. I spent most of the film looking at the scenery wondering when something interesting was going to happen. Unless you really, really like horses, I just wouldn't bother.

• Dean !

  
  A pretty good film about an endurance horse race, based on the life of a true person.

• Jens S

  
  A rather convincing adventure movie for horse lovers, with a few rare glimpses of Indiana Jones-ness. The action scenes are few but convincing, the cinematography and landscapes stunningly beautiful. The movie could have gotten rid of a couple of slower scenes and used a little more… More
  A rather convincing adventure movie for horse lovers, with a few rare glimpses of Indiana Jones-ness. The action scenes are few but convincing, the cinematography and landscapes stunningly beautiful. The movie could have gotten rid of a couple of slower scenes and used a little more humor but still works pretty well. Nothing awfully exciting but very likable and entertaining in every way.

• Jennifer X

  
  good story, dragged a little

• Jason S

  
  Not bad. A good one for the lazy sunday.

• Dean M

  
  Amazing true-life of legendary Frank T. Hopkins who entered the Ocean of Fire, a death-defying 3,000 horse race across the Arabian Desert. Viggio Mortensen makes fantastic performance as a hero and horse rider in this epic adventure film.

• Nate Z

  
  [center][font=Arial][color=darkred][img]http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/4903/photo024iv.jpg[/img][/color][/font][/center] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]It is important to talk about Hidalgo being marketed as a "true story." As a… More
  [center][font=Arial][color=darkred][img]http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/4903/photo024iv.jpg[/img][/color][/font][/center] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]It is important to talk about Hidalgo being marketed as a "true story." As a general rule, it?s good to be wary of movies that are heavily pushed as being "true stories" or "based on true events." You have to pay close attention to the wording.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Last fall, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake was heavily marketed as a film "inspired by true events." Which means it?s about as real as your dreams are. With this said, Hidalgo is based on the real Frank Hopkins and his stories about his life. Oh yeah, it just so happens that Hopkins is also a pathological liar and none of this is real. So, what the marketing of Hidalgo should really say is something like "based on the true story of what we heard from a pathological liar." Something like that.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]In fact, if you do some minor research, you?ll discover that the only thing true is that there was a guy named Frank Hopkins. He wasn?t part Native American, a Pony Express employee, a member of Wild Bill's Circus, and he never had a horse named Hidalgo [b]AND[/b] there has never been any 3,000-mile race in the Arabian desert. Yet Disney?s marketing department still goes with "based on a true story." I'll remember that next time I have a dream involving midgets and ice cream.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Hidalgo is the "story" of Frank Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen), a former Pony Express employee who's turned to the bottle to try to forget the slaughtering of Native Americans (exactly like Tom Cruise in Last Samurai). Hopkins enters a legendary 3,000-mile race across the Arabian desert to regain his spirit. The race, across the "Ocean of Fire," is dangerous, the elements are brutal, and the other riders will stop at nothing to win. Can the American cowboy who no one believes in triumph in the end?[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Taking a hard look at Hidalgo, roughly 50 percent of the finished movie is watching Hopkins travel from Point A (usually on the left) to Point B (usually on the right). So, yes, half of this movie is watching someone walk one direction. I can't imagine what the editing process was like. How do you know exactly where one shot of Hopkins walking should go? Sure, Lawrence of Arabia had a lot of walking in the desert from left to right, but it was also 4 hours long! Both films do star Omar Sharif, though.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]25 percent of what is left involves people sitting around talking about all kinds of clichés, like pining for acceptance, independence, equality, etc. These sequences tend to bog down Hidalgo's narrative and bring the action to a halt. I realize that these "sit down" scenes are meant to be breathers and expand the characters. However, the characters don't deepen because they are amidst a patchwork of clichés instead of a story. [/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The actors are also saddled with some laughably awful dialogue, like, "There is a tempest in my tent," or the greatest groaner of them all, "Even a blind man could see you?re beautiful."[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]So, continuing numbers crunching, an audience is left with 25 percent of a movie, and what is that 25 percent? In short, the rest. Hidalgo does have some lively action sequences and exciting horse races, but these bursts of fun are much too far apart. When getting down to it, Hidalgo is 25 percent an interesting movie. Now, whether 25 percent of entertainment is enough for someone depends on how hard-fought they are for amusement.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The thing Hidalgo has going for it is Viggo's star power. He is a handsome guy and has a smoldering presence, but he whispers more lines than any actor I know. Maybe he threw out his voice after three of years of yelling with The Lord of the Rings.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]There are just some wondrously odd moments in Hidalgo. When Hopkins gets to the Arabian desert he notices a group of chained black people walking beside him. "Never seen slaves before?" a rider asks Hopkins. Then we cut away. What was that? The movie gives a shoulder shrug to slavery and then moves on. Later the slave kid becomes part of Hopkins' pit crew, which also includes a wily old goat farmer. What? I have no idea how this kid became like Hopkins' servant, and I have no idea why he'd be so happy about it. This part of the movie leaves me stumped, especially for a film where a character is so forward thinking about tolerating other races (as the protagonists always are in movies now). By the time you get to a laugh-out-loud sequence where Hopkins is on his knees chanting Native American chants, and the wavy ghosts of his brethren encircle him, you may have already checked out of the building.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Some of the blame must be heaped upon director Joe Johnston (Jumanji, Jurassic Park 3). His pacing is quite slack (136 minutes), and yet he stuffs more subplots and minor characters than the narrative seems able to handle. A very long subplot involving a kidnapped princess is a nice diversion, but entirely inorganic and almost to a distracting level of fantasy. Johnston also employs some hatchet CGI work that seems like it was left over from The Mummy movies. It does not speak well to the quality of a film when it's been on the shelf for close to a year.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred][u]The surprise antagonist who kidnaps, kills, and does whatever to win the race has no repercussions at the end. They lose. That's it. Hopkins doesn't even find out the person is a villain. What?s up with that? There's no comeuppance[/u].[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Hidalgo is not a bad film, but it's not exactly a good film either. It's cliché-ridden, clumsily plotted, and full of bad dialogue and stiff characters. The movie looks good, and the horses are beautiful, but this is one tale to put out to pasture. Those hungry for a grand adventure with a hunky lead may be partially pleased, but that's only if they can put up with 25 percent of an entertaining movie.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: C+[/color][/font]

• Mike N

  
  The world was raising. Thunderous canyons shot from below to meet my footsteps. Forests rose and died behind my back. Birds evolved and turned to dust before me. The sky was fire and shadow, and it covered the sun like a closing fist. My hair was a wild brown spirit dancing in the… More
  The world was raising. Thunderous canyons shot from below to meet my footsteps. Forests rose and died behind my back. Birds evolved and turned to dust before me. The sky was fire and shadow, and it covered the sun like a closing fist. My hair was a wild brown spirit dancing in the tempest. My consciousness tore apart into a thousand different pieces, each shot itself like a rocketship to a thousand stars. The moon crashed into the earth. Humanity begged to be. Civilization threw its hands up. Existence screamed. My body is an auditorium. Memory is music fading, acoustics wearing. Starlight is taxed. Clouds rule the universe. The bridges I walk end before they begin. All the islands and planets are sinking. An air just above me is a melancholy fragrance, and yellowness stains reality. The madness of my flesh is annihilated. I am just a tangle of wires choking a soul, stranded in a breath and under the dead mountains. The edge is deep. I let go, and fall back into a flock of glimmering crystal angels. I dream that they are building me beautiful white wings.

• Mark K

  
  This interesting footnote in history (and the historicity is dubious at best)didn't make for the grand, sweeping epic it could have been. The movie is only watchable because of Viggo Mortensen's grim charm. It has great cinematography and an appealing supporting cast, but… More
  This interesting footnote in history (and the historicity is dubious at best)didn't make for the grand, sweeping epic it could have been. The movie is only watchable because of Viggo Mortensen's grim charm. It has great cinematography and an appealing supporting cast, but there's just not enough meat on this horses' bones.

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