Hidalgo

Hidalgo is based on the true story of the long distance indurance rider Frank Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen) and his horse Hidalgo. The movie starts off with Hopkins winning a long distance race, and teaching people to respect mustangs. Frank was the dispatch rider for the U.S. Calvalry and delivered the orders at the masacre at Wounded Knee. The plot is quite similar in to the movie the Last Samurai at this point. Frank joins Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show. He tries to drown his sorrows with alcohol. At a show he is challenge to enter a 3000 mile race in the deserts of Syria. All the people in the show raise the entrance fee and Frank decides to enter.

Before the race starts Frank meets Lady Anne Davenport (Louise Lombard) who has her own agenda, to become the major player in Arabian breeding stock. Frank also meets Sheikh Riyadh (Omar Sharif) who is running a horse in the race and his daughter Jazira (Zuleikha Robinson) who wants to ride in the race. The Shiekh's rider Prince Bin Al Reeh (Saīd Taghmaoui) becomes Frank main rival in the race. Frank must overcome the natural dangers of locusts, sandstorms, no water and rough terrain while helping save the Shiekh's daughter from bandits and helping out other riders.

I thought this was a good movie. The story is interesting and Viggo Mortensen makes a convincing cowboy. The cinematography and the setting of the movie made it very visual appealing, from beautiful wild country in America to the deserts in the middle east. The slave who went to help save the Sheikh's daughter was a really cool character and fighter, it is unfortunate he had such a small plot. Things I didn't like about that movie that much were this seems like another movie that involves mysticism. It seems a hollywood trend to stick things like that in movies, but even still it didn't last too long and was realitively well done. Overall a good historical/action movie and an entertaining two hours.

More Reviews
Hidalgo at IMDB
Real Life Story at FrankHopkins.com
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