Burning up the track.
I recently saw the movie Hidalgo, with Viggo Mortensen, and I thought it was a great flick. The movie revolves around Frank Hopkins and his horse Hidalgo, a team that Buffalo Bill dubs as one of the fastest in the world. After the end of a Wild West Show one day, two comers take him up on his claim. They talk of a great race, called the Ocean of Fire, in which men race some of the finest horses ever ridden 3,000 miles across the burning desert. They invite Bill (and Frank) to either enter the race and prove their claim, or drop the bavado.
Of course, Frank and his painted pony can't resist the challenge. Though warned by nearly everyone he comes into contact with (he is the first "infidel" to be invited to the race, and many of the desert's finest riders do not survive the challenge of racing in the desert), Frank enters the race. Of course, adventure ensues.
The plot itself has many implausible moments (what Arab rides around in the middle of the desert with two leopards in a wagon?!), but I still thought the film worked well as a whole. Much is made thematically of the fact that Hopkins was half Sioux. He has been "passing" as a full-blooded white man, and the journey teaches him to be true to himself. Additionally, Hopkins' mixed heritage is used to underscore the theme that it is will, not blood, that determines what a man (or horse) will become.
There are some wonderful shots of the desert landscape; cinematography is a real standout in this film. As well, I thought performances by Omar Sharif (Sheikh Riyadh) and Zuleikha Robinson (Jazira) were particularly good. (Being half-Arab, I also appreciated the fact that all the Arabs in the movie weren't bloodthirsty, unsympathetic characters. There were characters on both sides of the extreme.)
All in all, I thought this was a good movie. No bad language, no nudity. There is quite a bit of violence involved, but that is pretty much par for the course in adventure movies. If I had to grade it, I'd probably give it a B.
Of course, Frank and his painted pony can't resist the challenge. Though warned by nearly everyone he comes into contact with (he is the first "infidel" to be invited to the race, and many of the desert's finest riders do not survive the challenge of racing in the desert), Frank enters the race. Of course, adventure ensues.
The plot itself has many implausible moments (what Arab rides around in the middle of the desert with two leopards in a wagon?!), but I still thought the film worked well as a whole. Much is made thematically of the fact that Hopkins was half Sioux. He has been "passing" as a full-blooded white man, and the journey teaches him to be true to himself. Additionally, Hopkins' mixed heritage is used to underscore the theme that it is will, not blood, that determines what a man (or horse) will become.
There are some wonderful shots of the desert landscape; cinematography is a real standout in this film. As well, I thought performances by Omar Sharif (Sheikh Riyadh) and Zuleikha Robinson (Jazira) were particularly good. (Being half-Arab, I also appreciated the fact that all the Arabs in the movie weren't bloodthirsty, unsympathetic characters. There were characters on both sides of the extreme.)
All in all, I thought this was a good movie. No bad language, no nudity. There is quite a bit of violence involved, but that is pretty much par for the course in adventure movies. If I had to grade it, I'd probably give it a B.
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