Hidalgo (Widescreen Edition)

Hidalgo (Widescreen Edition)
by Joe Johnston

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DVD Cover Information

• A sandstorm of epic proportions. A swarm of locusts so massive it obliterates the relentless sun. Deadly traps that defy imagination. These are just a few of the astonishing obstacles Frank T. Hopkins, the greatest long-distance racer ever, faces in the rousing action-adventure HIDALGO. Based on a true story and starring Viggo Mortensen (THE LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy), Hopkins (Mortensen) and his

Movie Reviews of Hidalgo (Widescreen Edition)

Movie Review: A suprisingly great and thoughful movie!
Summary: 5 Stars

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. I was also 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.

Based on a true story 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.....as so he thought.

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 Arab 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 plot is also very well done as well even though it was actually a true story. In some ways true stories such as "Hidalgo" can be very moving considering that these events really did in fact happen even if the movie alters some of the actual timeline of the events such as what "Radio" did by setting the movie in 1976 as opposed to when Radio was actually hired in 1964 but let's not change the subject of this review.

Back to the movie, I think that this movie benefits from many things. 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.

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. However it is countered one scene which I thought was rather thought provoking which Frank actually saves the life of a fellow racer and rival after falling into a pit of desert quicksand. In a sense, this was a very good plot element to add to the movie as it shows the benefits of forgiveness.

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", 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 ending is also excellent as well. While I'm not divulging out details, some of the predictable endings that sometimes ruin many potentially great movies are not on "Hidalgo" and this is a good thing. The ending is not as predictable as one would expect either. "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. 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 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.

Summary of Hidalgo (Widescreen Edition)