Hidalgo (2004)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Joe Johnston

Writer (WGA):

John Fusco (written by)

Release Date:

5 March 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

The True Story Of A Man Who Went Halfway Around The World To Find Himself.

Plot:

Set in 1890, this is the story of a Pony Express courier who travels to Arabia to compete with his horse, Hidalgo, in a dangerous race for a massive contest prize, in an adventure that sends the pair around the world...

Plot Keywords:

Horse | Race | Cowboy | Massacre | Pony Express

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Viggo Mortensen	...	Frank Hopkins
Zuleikha Robinson	...	Jazira
Omar Sharif	...	Sheikh Riyadh
Louise Lombard	...	Lady Anne Davenport
Adam Alexi-Malle	...	Aziz
Saïd Taghmaoui	...	Prince Bin Al Reeh
Silas Carson	...	Katib
Harsh Nayyar	...	Yusef
J.K. Simmons	...	Buffalo Bill Cody
Adoni Maropis	...	Sakr
Victor Talmadge	...	Rau Rasmussen
Peter Mensah	...	Jaffa
Joshua Wolf Coleman	...	The Kurd
Franky Mwangi	...	Slave Boy
Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman	...	Chief Eagle Horn (as Floyd Red Crow Westerman)

Also Known As:

Dash (Philippines: English title) (review title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for adventure violence and some mild innuendo.

Runtime:

136 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Arabic | Sioux

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Iceland:12 | Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40252) | Sweden:11 | South Korea:12 | Norway:15 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Hong Kong:IIA | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | France:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | UK:12A

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

When distributed in Egypt, the Arabic translation of "fifth wife" is "fourth wife" since in Islam you are not permitted to have more than four wives. See also the goofs.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Scene at the well features British soldiers preventing the main character from getting water. In 1890, the race route went through the Ottoman Empire. The British did not have a military presence in that area until after World War One.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Frank T. Hopkins: [to Hidalgo] C'mon little brother. Checkout time. Yeah.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Shrek 2 (2004)

Soundtrack:

Wyoming Days

This is a film that I could watch almost any time.

OK: so what makes a film a "10"? For me, every scene has to work. Would I take out any scenes? If so, then the flick isn't a 10. Also, does each scene move the story forward? If this is seamlessly done, then all the better. "Hidalgo" not only does this; but it does so easily, and unobtrusivesly, with the sense that the lead actor (Vigo Mortensen) is the vehicle for an ongoing, and interesting, story ... and what a story it is! Just as with the film Apollo 13, the fact that the story is based on real history and fact makes the story-telling more than a good tale. It tells us something worth remembering.

Did I mention that this is a rippingly good story? Did I mention that all of the actors are compellingly good ... including the horse (Hidalgo)? Did I mention that this movie transcends facile categorization (Western, Adventure, Drama, etc.?) This is just a damned good, under-appreciated movie.

The bonus material on the DVD is worthy of inclusion in a course on Western Civilization (a course that I've taught several times)? See this for yourself. I doubt that you'll be disappointed. In fact, I think that you'll recognize this as equal to such under-appreciated films such as "King of Hearts" and "Kasper Hauser" ... films that you'll be proud to own and to show to your friends.