Hidalgo is an old-fashioned adventure yarn that works well and will appeal to equine lovers.
Hidalgo (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:155
Fresh:72
Rotten:83
Average Rating:5.6/10
Consensus: The scenery looks great, but this overstuffed horse story contains too much cheese.
Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: A breathtakingly photographed, epic western like none produced for decades, HIDALGO recounts the life of legend Frank T. Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen). Set in the 1800s, this family film chronicles the... A breathtakingly photographed, epic western like none produced for decades, HIDALGO recounts the life of legend Frank T. Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen). Set in the 1800s, this family film chronicles the triumphant victory won by Frank and his mustang Hidalgo in the Ocean of Fire, an often-fatal competition in which the best riders and thoroughbreds race across Middle Eastern deserts. For Frank, who is known in the west for his prowess as a Pony Express rider and the winner of long-distance horse races, the lure of the Ocean of Fire is not only the $100,000 purse but also the clear challenge--both of which prove irresistible, and inspire him to travel across the world for this life-altering experience. With sweeping landscapes that evoke John Ford westerns like STAGECOACH and THE SEARCHERS, HIDALGO features enough racing, rivalry, and romance to befit any action film. But the race also provides a vehicle for the story of Frank forgiving himself for his participation in the Wounded Knee slaughter and accepting his part-Indian ancestry. The film's message, highlighted in a particularly moving scene where Frank invokes the spirits of his Native American ancestors, is that the key to happiness is accepting yourself as you are. [More]
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Omar Sharif, Zuleikha Robinson
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Omar Sharif, Zuleikha Robinson
Director: Joe Johnston
Director: Joe Johnston
Screenwriter: John Fusco
Producer: Casey Silver
Composer: James Newton Howard
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures
Reviews for Hidalgo
"Lawrence of Arabia" locations, "The Mummy's" sandstorm, a rescue a la "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and a scrappy horse besting bigger thoroughbreds like "Seabiscuit."
This primitively plotted family action adventure is one of the few movies that seem to be making up their plots as they go along.
...will probably be good for the kiddos who see that there's a 'horsey' movie playing at the cineplex, but for any adults wanting a sweeping epic, look elsewhere.
The touches of shocking physicality impart a genuine sense of consequence to a potentially trivial horse opera.
If you're in the right mood, this can be diverting, partly because Viggo Mortensen is ideally cast as Hidalgo's owner.
Falls far short of the epic grandeur to which it so obviously aspires because it can't shut up.
The action is often gorgeous, but the screenplay is a collection of clichés, and Mortensen's performance hits one note at the beginning and stays with it for the whole movie.
All the characters ... are either saints or devils, with no attempt to explain why any of them behave the way they do.
One horse movie that's just lame. And that's straight from the horse's mouth.
An intermittently savory stew of Pecos Bill, Laurence of Arabia, and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.
The events of Hildago are so far-fetched you wonder why the filmmakers maintain the pretense this story was based on fact.
Mortensen does an exquisite job of revealing just enough of the bottled-up angst to make us aware of the internal turmoil his character battles.
Hidalgo could have been a real eye-roller in the hands of a director of less sincerity and dexterity, but in Johnston's hands it's crowd-pleasing gold.
Far too tolerant of cliches and too seduced by its own special effects and battle scenes.
Starts like Last Samurai, looks like Mummy, and ends a la Seabiscuit; gorgeous-looking hokey horsey drama high on ambition but low on plausibility despite its true-life tale.
Latest News for Hidalgo
June 09, 2006:
Weinsteins Hire a "Samurai" Screenwriter
We've already learned that WeinsteinCo. has plans to produce a "Seven Samurai" remake, and now comes word that the brothers have hired a screenwriter for the gig --... More...
August 03, 2005:
Fusco Hired to Adapt "Wolf Brother" Series for the Big Screen
Veteran screenwriter John Fusco has been hired by Fox 2000 to adapt Michelle Paver's "Wolf Brother" into screenplay form. Book One of Paver's "Chonicles of... More...
December 20, 2004:
In 2004, Bigger Not Necessarily Better for Profits
Big-budget movies may be playing to smaller audiences, the New York Times writes. Although domestic box office receipts are approaching $9.4 billion, which would top last year's... More...
February 04, 2004:
News and features from all over. ![]()
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