Hidalgo (Full Frame Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Great western with a twist
Review: I loved this movie so much. This movie reminded me of all those westerns my dad would watch when I was younger. Finally an adventure movie WITHOUT the language, lame acting, poor story line, & over done special effects. It reminds me of "Quigley Down Under" only better. This movie has breathtaking shots throughout and a solid lead character. And did I mention Viggo is hecka fine in it! Don't pass up this one. Get it! Do it! Do it!

Rating:
Summary: A favourite - for the horses, actors and scenery!
Review: I missed this movie at the cinema, to my regret, as I love the wide screen DVD release. "Hidalgo" is one of those horse movies that reminds me why, as a kid, I was so horse crazy! The human personalities have sufficient depth to keep us interested in what happens to them while T.J. (as Hidalgo) and his equine co-stars steal the show. In fact, Hopkin's horse is one of the great 'characters' of this movie. I like John Fusco's work, and Joe Johnston has the right directorial touch for this movie. It's a great yarn, beautifully shot on location in Morocco, and Viggo manages the lead role extremely well, and displays an obvious raport with his four-legged co-star!

Rating:
Summary: Was the horse digital?
Review: I only ask because the film was named after a horse, a horse or horses starred in it, the movie was in large part about appreciating the spirit, beauty, and personalities of these wonderful animals.... and yet no cast listing for the character of Hidalgo. WAS he digital? It sure looked to me like there was a real horse there, taking part in almost every scene of the film. I've never seen a movie having a main animal character and not listing them in the cast credits, because omitting them relegates them back to the status of an "object", after the movie just went out of its way to show you they're anything but that. Anyway, I searched and searched and couldn't find any listing, but maybe someone else spotted it?

Frankly, that just annoys me.

Otherwise, it's fun, touching, exciting.... And would have been none of those things without the anonymous animals in question.

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting People, Scenery and Steeds
Review: It was a matter of course that I went to a cinema to see this film because I love horses (I used to go to race courses when I was living in Tokyo), American Indians (I have visited a Navaho Reservation in Arizona and read lots of books about American Indians and my greatest Indian hero is Crazy Horse of Lakota), films (especially of western, thriller and action with some philosophical view points) and Viggo Mortensen since "G.I. Jane".
And, of course, gHidalgoh never failed me. I am aware of some harsh critiques on this film, but, to me, people who cannot be entertained by this powerful, moving film may just be too cynical towards everything, e.g. meanings of life, death and love including that towards animals and the Nature itself. Sometimes just enjoying your life is the best and most important thing to do, do you not think?
Viggo Mortensen played Frank Hopkins, the half-Indian with bitter memory on the ill-fated tribe of his motherfs, in a very subtle way. He may be seen as a drunken loser who had been kind of ghidingh about his mother and her people, but can also be, after all, a half-Lakota who has a natural ability to talk to the nature which the dead people mixed with after their lives on earth ended. That sensitiveness, I think, added this breath-taking adventure film a philosophical depth.
By the way, Viggo Mortensenfs decision to buy and keep the horse gactorh who played the wild stallion, Hidalgo, (yes, he really seemed to have gplayedh that magnificent animal which always has cheeky opinions to people around him. I hope you wouldnft say; gThat is mere computer generated featureh), who was not tamed by Hopkins but allowed him to be with him, is completely right.@If I were Viggo, who felt unable to apart with the horse after the shooting, I had done the same thing.
That adorable horse, who has swift legs with organic facility of super-charger and strong will to live his own way of life, and Viggofs understated but charming middle-aged Hopkins, along with other steady performances from actors such as good old Omar Sharif and my favourite Indian-man Floyd eRed Crowf Westerman and so on (a short appearance of Malcolm McDowell was surprise bonus to me), made this film not only entertaining but most unforgettable. gHidalgoh is definitely going to be one of my never-tired-after-watching-million-time DVD collections.

Rating:
Summary: Not that impressed
Review: My biggest mistake was probably going into the theater with high expectations, and by the end of the movie, i was thoroughly disappointed. I expected more action, and a more interesting storyline. Sure, there were some really cool scenes, but most of those can be seen in the theatrical trailer, so there were no surprises there. I found the dialog to be boring, especially with Viggo Mortensen's monotone voice. Also, since I have never really been a horse lover, i haven't really been interested in horse-racing, which the whole story revolves around. Some people will really like this movie, but as for me, i would much prefer to see Viggo in LOTR.

Rating:
Summary: great movie
Review: one reviewer asks us to believe that this film can not be good if there are "117 used copies for sale". nonsense! that line of "logic" is highly faulty. there are 157 copies of seabiscuit for sale so it too is a bad film? 193 copies of spider-man are for sale so i guess that one is bad too? the matrix has 274 copies for sale so nobody liked that one either? i could do this all day.

Rating:
Summary: Great Adventure Epic!!!
Review: So...you want to sit on the edge of your seat?!? This is a film for just that. Viggo Mortensen is superb in this movie about the horse which couldn't be beat, and its owner who himself might've appeared as a loser.

Talk about the scenery...this is unbelievable action and cinematography, and the scene where Viggo outruns a sandstorm is incredible!!! My wife and I love horse movies, and if you're one of those kinds, I can't recommend this film highly enough. It has everything...intrigue, adventure, romance, espionage, double dealing, and even some of the old fashioned kind of Indiana Jones kind of plots.

Highly recommended!!!

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully filmed adventure
Review: The movie Hidalgo takes a grain of truth and weaves a heroic tale. Pay no attention to purists who say Frank Hopkins didn't do the things in the movie. I think it is sort of ironic that Hopkins' memoirs tell these stories. If he wanted to stretch the truth, that's okay with me, it makes a good story.

Hidalgo is a movie, not a history. And as so often happens, the movie is more fun than real life. I liked the movie because it looked real. Not because I like to see people suffer, but because it lends verisimilitude to the story. People hurt and bled and got chapped lips in the desert. And the horse had nosebleeds and got all beat up, too.

I've heard complaints that the horse in the movie outran a sandstorm to take shelter. Consider this: If the horse had not, the story would have been much shorter, and very, very much sadder.

Viggo Mortensen, late of Middle Earth, plays the displaced cowboy Frank Hopkins. Viggo has been a working actor for 20 years or more and isn't likely to be ruined by all the fame associated with the LOTR movies. Viggo, in case you're wondering, was his father's name. The actor resisted the suggestion years ago to use his middle name and use David Morten as his stage name.

Omar Sharif played the role of the Sheik. It was like coming full circle to see him playing an old guy in Lawrence's desert-it makes you look around for Peter O'Toole. Sharif has not been lucky in his middle career, making really bad movies. But between this one and Monsieur Ibrahim, perhaps he will close his career on a friendlier note. He was as charming and charismatic as ever in Hidalgo.

"Life is a bunch of stories coming at us one after another," said William H. Burke, Chief of the Walla Walla Tribe, Pendleton, Oregon, May 22, 2003. Thank goodness for that. I cannot take seriously the folk who are dead set on debunking the "Frank Hopkins myth". I do not mean to get embroiled in an argument about whether Disney should have used the words "based on a true story" in its sales pitch. I've always believed one should not let the facts stand in the way of a good story.

Rating:
Summary: Noble
Review: This is an invigorating story about a long distance rider and his horse. Hidalgo (meaning noble) is a mustang and his rider is Frank Hopkins. The son of a Sioux indian chief's daughter and a calvary man, Frank struggles with where he fits in. His indian friend calls him "Far Rider" because he rides far from himself.

Frank is challenged to enter the "Ocean of Fire"-a race 3,000 miles across the Arabian Desert through Syria, Damascus, and Iraq. The host of the race (the Sheik) wants to prove that he has the finest equines in the world and that a mustang "pony" of mixed blood has no place in the ranks of the pure breeds.

Hidalgo and Frank accept the challenge and face many hardships in the desert. The question becomes can sure will overcome breeding?

The movie exposes us to different cultures-the Indian as well as the Middle-Eastern. The daughter of the Sheik, Jazeirra, also struggles to fit into her world.

Viggo Mortensen makes a good cowboy (although he goes a little heavy on the word "partner"). He is gifted with languages, and is a natural with the Sioux dialect. He isn't acting when it comes to his love of horses. He even bought the horse that plays Hidalgo.

Some say the exploits of Frank Hopkins are only stories, but in the movie Hidalgo they become real. The horses, the cultures, and the value of determination make Hidalgo an excellent movie for children.

Rating:
Summary: A suprisingly adventureous and powerful movie.
Review: While I was not against seeing by any stretch of the imagination about "Hidalgo", I went to go see it because of the excellent trailers and hoped that it would be a half-way decent film. It just so happened to interest me because it starred Viggo Mortensen who is one of my favorite actors even before "Lord Of The Rings" came out. I was a bit skeptical considering that I'm not a really big fan of western cowboy movies either. To my astonishment though, "Hidalgo" turned out to be a really phenomenal movie and blew all of the expectations right out of the water and into the trash. This is a really amazing movie and has a great deal of honesty, and emotion behind the plot.

The movie is the story of a North American stallion named Hidalgo and a well respected cowboy champion named Frank T. Hopkins who with his horse Hidalgo, has won every North American long distance race and has not lost a single horse race either. Hopkins is considered to be the greatest horse racing champion in the world and has no rivals. The son of a U.S. Soldier and a Native American woman, he has suffered from the emotional scars of witnessing the massacre at Wounded Knee and has been drinking himself away in guilt from the experience.

An English upper-class aristocratic couple decides to make a deal with Frank and his stallion Hidalgo. The deal is is to bet on going on an extremely treacherous long distance race....again.....except that this race is of a 3000 mile race in the deserts of the Middle East which is called "The Ocean of Fire" by the local villagers. If he wins the race, he is awarded a 'huge prize'. They have no idea of the dangers that they face as they aim to win this dangerous competition. The Bedouin racers who ride on purebred Arab horses aim to dethrone Frank's position as the greatest champion in the world and will do almost anything to do so. There is the several days long journey across burning hot sands with temperatures of over 120 degrees in the burning sun, massive sandstorms, and several invisible booby traps that are scattered around the race course. Can Frank and his stallions be able to overcome the huge odds stacked against them and win the race? Not only are a very angry Mother Nature an obstacle but also social unrest and cultural adversity standing in the way as well.

"Hidalgo" to me is one of the biggest surprise successes in recent times. While the topics are nowhere near as epic as they were on "Lord of the Rings", this movie is a tale of friendship, hope, and courage against even the worst of adversity. The directing is really well done. Director Joe Johnston really gets back on his feet after his glaring misstep that was 2001's "Jurassic Park III". The scenery, while bleak at times, is also stunning to look at. I especially find amazing are some of the angles in which the racing horses are shot. The action sequences are adrenaline rushing fun to watch, whether it be the races or when battling rival factions and individual adversaries. I also liked how they developed many of the characters even if some of them were outright despicable.

There are some things that I find a bit iffy in my opinion. There are some scenes and behavior which I view as being too stereotypical about some cultures and race of people. While I don't want to point out which are being stereotyped with this review, such things were a problem back in the 1890s and unfortunately continue to be serious problems even to this very day. However there were some scenes which countered some of these stereotypical scenes which I felt were welcome additions to this film. Some other scenes while very positive in nature, were very emotionally moving for me.

Being able to transition into a post-LOTR career might have looked like a big task but with "Hidalgo" Viggo Mortensen is a great example of how to be able to still play some awesome and incredible characters in movies. Mortensen does an absolutely fantastic job playing American champion Frank T. Hopkins but this movie is focused primarily on Hopkin's horse Hidalgo. With this movie and "Lord Of The Rings" along with many more in the future, I have a good feeling that Viggo will become another acting legend in the not so distant future. He is one of the best actors out there right now. I also give my hats off to acting veteran Omar Sharif. He absolutely brings out the checkered character in Sheik Riyadh.

The movie also defies some of the highly predictable plot elements that otherwise would've ruined an already excellent movie. "Hidalgo" avoids many of them and it is a good thing it does. "Hidalgo" may not necessarily be the biggest phenomenon in the movie world by any means but to me, it is one of the biggest 'sleeper' hit movies of recent times. It's a tale of faith, courage, and facing the dangers that the future may bring forth. I give my hats off to Mortensen, Johnston, and company for making a really great movie.

I highly recommend that you go and see this movie when you have a chance. It's not just some generic 'cowboy' movie. It's a really excellent movie about having faith in oneself and being able to brave inescapable dangers. I am looking forward to owning this film on DVD. !