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 HIDALGO
by Jane Louise Boursaw
Rated PG-13 (for
adventure violence and some mild innuendo). 135 Minutes. Viggo
Mortensen, Omar Sharif, Louise Lombard. Directed by Joe Johnston.
Written by John Fusco.
If your goal in
life – as mine has been – is to see close-ups of Viggo Mortensen
uttering philosophical one-liners, then you'll be richly rewarded with
Hidalgo. It also delivers in the action-packed, swashbuckling
department, as well.
This is a
fictionalized version of the life of cowboy Frank T. Hopkins, assuming
the accounts of his depressing life on The Long Riders' Guild Web
site are true. But hey, this is Hollywood, so let's spice it up a
little. Let's make Hopkins a half-Indian endurance rider who bonds with
a mustang pony named Hidalgo. Let's make him a drunken, down-and-out
participant in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, who years later, accepts
an offer to travel to the Saudi desert and enter the "Ocean of Fire," a
grueling 3000-mile race across the sun-stroked sands for a $10,000
prize.
Though sluggish at
times, this film offers plenty of sneering-villain swordsmen, lavish
Arabian tents, sweeping desert vistas, and a spectacular sandstorm that
Hidalgo just barely outruns. An assortment
of
sub-plots involve the beautiful princess Jazira (Zuleikha Robinson), who
needs to be rescued from the lustful rival of her father (Omar Sharif);
rich Lady Anne Davenport (Louise Lombard), who lusts after Hopkins; and
lots of bad guys, who lust after the winner's purse and will stop at
nothing – including murder – to get it. In fact, because of the violence
and horse carnage, I'd recommend keeping the pre-teens at home.
Watching Mortensen,
I couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic for Aragorn, his soulful
character in that tiny three-picture trilogy you might have heard of.
But since I can't turn back time, I'll gladly go forward with the
sun-grizzled, parch-lipped loner he offers in Hidalgo. It's an
uplifting film that exemplifies the power of friendship, honor and faith
to overcome virtually any obstacle.
SCORE: 3 out of 4
Reels.
Jane's Reel Rating
System:
One Reel – Pathetic.
Even The Force can’t save it.
Two Reels –
Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.
Three Reels –
Pleasant. Something to talk about.
Four Reels – Wow! The
stuff dreams are made of.
E-chat with me
at
jane@reellifewithjane.com - I
LOVE to talk about movies! For more about me, check out my writer’s Web
site,
www.janeboursaw.com.
 Read my other reviews
here.
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