Product Description: TouchStone Hidalgo (Widescreen) - DVD 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, thisfamily film chronicles the triumphant victory wonby Frank and his mustang Hidalgo in the Ocean of Fire, an often-fatal competition in which the bestriders 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 worldfor 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.
Amazon.com: Director Joe Johnston has always had an entertaining sense of adventure, and with Hidalgo he proves it in spades. It's yet another underrated film for Johnston (along with such enjoyable popcorn flicks as The Rocketeer and Jurassic Park III), dismissed by many critics but a welcome treat for anyone drawn to good ol'-fashioned movie excitement. In his first role since playing Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Viggo Mortensen brings handsome appeal to his low-key portrayal of Frank T. Hopkins, a real-life long-distance horse racer who, as the movie opens, has witnessed the appalling massacre of Native Americans at Wounded Knee in 1890. Drifting into Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, he agrees to compete, with his trusty mustang, Hidalgo, in "The Ocean of Fire," a treacherous 3,000-mile horse race across the Arabian desert. Toss in a bunch of conspiring competitors, a noble sheik (Omar Sharif), his lovely daughter (Zuleikha Robinson), and enough fast-paced danger to fill 133 minutes, and you've got a rousing, humorous, and lightly spiritual adventure that's a lot of fun to watch. It hardly matters that it's almost pure fiction (the real Hopkins was known by many as "a pathological liar"). More important is the love of movies and moviemaking that Johnston so delightfully conveys. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - An entertaining and well acted film
Hidalgo is a pretty good film, entertaining and visually beautiful. Viggo Mortensen utterly owns this film. Him and that beautiful horse. Its unbelievable the rapport they have in this film. Its very sweet and completely believable. It's not just an actor on a horse. It feels like so much more. And that is what makes this film work. The script is pretty engaging and the acting from the rest of the cast is also very good. I do remember I think it was a tad on the long side, which isn't a big deal ... Read More
Rating: - Wonderful Acting
Authentic beautiful set with great costumes and acting. Awesome horses and desert scenery. A must see on my list.
Rating: - Highly Entertaining
A very fast-paced and entertaining film with Viggo Mortensen, Omar Sharif. One important fact: no such race ever existed. Hopkins made all of it up. Still if you are looking for a good family entertainment, then this is certainly one.
Rating: - A good horse an' Indian movie
The American Indian tamed the Spanish horses that got free and went wild.
The mustang became an all American breed of horse. The stamina and endurance
of the mustang against breeds more than 1000 years old was established
by this one horse and one man, refuting all prejudice about breeding lines.
The same has happened repeatedly in human history: out of no where comes
a fellow as stringy as beef jerky!
Killing people and horses because of their heritage is criminal ... Read More
Rating: - Totally decent and action-packed epic movie!
If you like epic movies, this one is for you. Viggo (famous from Lord of the Ring) has impressive performance in this movie, so are other supporting actors. It has actions, humor, suspense, heros, villians. There is no kisses or love scenes, but the story is definitely romantic: the subtle hints, the journey, the exotic desert, etc. Most importantly, there is morality, value, loyalty, and friendship to this story, which is based on a real person. In the world of materialism and action thrills, this one ... Read More