Hidalgo   
 

Frank T. Hopkins: Viggo Mortensen

Jazira: Zuleikha Robinson

Shiekh Riyadh: Omar Sharif

Lady Anne Davenport: Louise Lombard

 

Directed by Joe Johnston

Written by John Fusco

 

 
One time near Glacier National Park in Montana, I had my first and only opportunity to ride a horse.  Since I was a first-time rider, I was given an old horse who probably knew his way around the trail with his eyes closed, which would provide for an easy ride.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience that deepened my appreciation for these animals.  

Nevertheless, some movies featuring horses ignore the basic facts that make these animals great.  They attempt to trivialize a horse's true nature for either laughs or a false sense of wonderment.  Among Hidalgo's many problems, this is but one of them.  

Hidalgo, directed by Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park III) is a story based on the alleged real life events of Frank T. Hopkins, played by Viggo Mortensen.  There has been some dispute and controversy as to the truth behind some of his accounts, but none of it has any real bearing on the movie.  Hidalgo is the name of Hopkins' horse, a wild mustang tamed by Hopkins, and together they have established a reputation as great long-distance racers.  This reputation, of course, leads them halfway around the world to the deserts of the Middle East to enter the 3,000-mile race known as the "Ocean of Fire."

Unfortunately, Hidalgo is loaded with all the typical cliches.  The underdog mixed-blood horse racing against thoroughbreds.  White men mistreating Native Americans except for our hero, who feels a special kinship with them.  The brave girl raised in a culture where women are second-class people.  And even the unlikely villain revealed late into the film.  All of these things are dealt with over the course of the great race. 

Overall, the movie is quite boring.  Director Joe Johnston tries to ratchet up the excitement level with numerous predicaments for the heroes to escape from.  But the problem lies in the fact that he and writer John Fusco have painted Hopkins as a flawless character, which zaps any tension that may exist right out of these situations.  There is no doubt that he will prevail, and, therefore, when he does, there is no reward or sense of relief for the audience. 

In between these requisite scenes of action, we are treated to numerous silhouetted shots of Hopkins and Hidalgo in the desert.  Clever one-liners are dispensed throughout in a feeble effort to add levity to a tiresome story.  Every one of these one-liners usually elicits a shot of surprise or amusement on Hidalgo's face as if he is a mute Mr. Ed, fully capable of understanding English.  It is just another way of reducing the horse's importance to the story to that of a trusty sidekick.

Mortensen is, once again, unconvincing as a heroic character.  He mumbles through his lines and does nothing to support the fact that Hopkins is capable of great feats.  Johnston's pacing of the film is monotonous as he layers adventures on top of one another, culminating in the race's final moments.  The movie just gets lost along the way, and in the process of wrapping up each little storyline, eventually loses the viewer.