by Frank Wilkins
Hidalgo brings to life the story of Frank T. Hopkins, a pony express rider who claims, among other things, to have won nearly every long distance horseback race that existed at the time. While a little research shows that the "true" portion of its claim to be based on a true story is anything but, Hidalgo's real problems stem from factors far more significant than whether or not Hopkins actually lived up to all of his claims. Hidalgo is a sprawling, wide-screen, western epic that's not only overly ambitious but also suffers from a touch of multiple personality disorder.
The film opens as we learn that Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen) is now a performer in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. Having once been a dispatch rider for the U.S. Cavalry, he now spends his days performing bareback riding tricks and tipping the bottle. With the haunting images of the massacre of innocent Native Americans at Wounded Knee Creek still fresh in his head, Hopkins goes through the motions of life with very little motivation and even less sense of purpose. So, it's not a surprise when he accepts the invitation from a wealthy sheik (Omar Sharif) to participate in the grueling 3,000-mile "Ocean of Fire" race, on horseback, across the Arabian Peninsula.
The "Ocean of Fire" has been run in Saudi Arabia for thousands of years as a means to test the noblest of purebred Arabian stallions. But Hopkins' horse, called Hidalgo, is a lowly mustang, a mixed breed, regarded as impure and extremely inferior. Naturally, the local Arabs deride Hopkins' participation in the dignified race, seeing it as a violation of the event's distinction. Setting up the film's main theme, we learn that Hopkins himself is also of mixed descent, the progeny of a white man and a Native American. While the film's intentions of cleverly juxtaposing these similarities of the man to his horse are indeed honorable, the message might have succeeded if managed with a more subtle hand. African slaves in ankle chains are frequently paraded across the screen, reminding us of the persecution of those considered different or impure. The Arabs themselves often refer to Hopkins as the infidel, hammering us with the reminder that he is an outcast, sullying the purity of their land. In filmmaking, subtlety is a virtue that when violated, comes across as hokey or amateurish. Hidalgo is nothing about subtlety.
Hidalgo, at first glance, appears to be an exciting action/adventure movie. And as that, it succeeds. It featurs some great sword-fighting sequences, beautiful vistas, and a classic James Newton Howard score. Director Joe Johnston is successful at making the audience feel the excruciating heat, starvation and thirst suffered by Hopkins and Hidalgo. But after watching the movie, I realized the filmmakers wanted it to be so much more. The movie's fun and action became muddied in an ocean of heavy-handed messages. Is Hidalgo, like The Last Samurai, the story of a confused man looking for a chance at redemption? Is it the Seabiscuit of 2004? Is it another Arabian Nights tale? Like Dances With Wolves, is it another difficult look at the extermination of the Native American people? To its fault, it tries to be all of these things. Hidalgo might have been a better film had it roped-in its ambitions a bit. Think about it. With the intentions of making a great film, how do you successfully combine Buffalo Bill Cody, African slaves, Oklahoma, swords, Arabian sheiks, Annie Oakley, The Red Sea, the U.S. Cavalry, Muslims, Omar Sharif, Christians, and little pointy-toed genie shoes? The point is, you can't.
Hidalgo sprawls way too far and its ambitions considerably exceed its grasp. I really wanted the film to allow me to connect a bit more with Hidalgo, the horse. Clearly screenwriter John Fusco wanted to glorify horses, and he mostly succeeded; but at a runtime of nearly 2 1/2 hours, I'm sure executive decisions had to be made. He must have cut the wrong parts. I feel as though I just watched Hidalgo I: The Pony Express Horse, Hidalgo II; the People of the Horse, Hidalgo III: The Ocean of Fire, and Hidalgo IV: Return of The People of the Horse, all rolled into one. They might have killed a franchise before it ever became a franchise.
Frank Wilkins
This review also posted at Reel Talk Reviews.
Hidalgo (2004)
