2004 Directed by Joe Johnston
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...
Viggo Mortensen Zuleikha Robinson C. Thomas Howell Chris Owen J.K. Simmons Adoni Maropis Louise Lombard Frank Collison Silas Carson Victor Talmadge Omar Sharif Adam Alexi-Malle Harsh Nayyar Joshua Wolf Coleman Saïd Taghmaoui Peter Mensah Franky Mwangi Floyd Red Crow Westerman Elizabeth Berridge Kimberly Guerrero Zac Badasci Stevan Rimkus Jerry Hardin Marshall Manesh George Gerdes Todd Kimsey Malcolm McDowell Mo Brings Plenty
Ôshan obu Faiyâ, 沙漠骑兵, Hidalgo - Dreitausend Meilen zum Ruhm, Chidalgo - Kalpázontas stin érimo, Hidalgo : Les Aventuriers du désert, Idalʹho, Idalgo: Okean ot ogŭn, Idal'go: Pogonya v pustyne, 大漠雄风
One of the most underrated and overlooked films ever in my opinion, Hidalgo is a fantastic adventure film with an investing plot, beautiful cinematography, terrific action and set pieces, great direction by Joe Johnston and all led by an outstanding lead turn from Viggo Mortensen. This really is one of my personal favorites of all time. I love this movie so much.
fun fact i used to rent this movie so much as a kid my parents ended up talking to the video store owner and bought it from her so now i still have the vhs at home
An adventure film starring Viggo Mortensen, a cowboy on a long distance horse race through the desert, during the 1890's. It's an exciting journey that is reminiscent of such films as "The Mummy" (the Brendan Fraser one), "Pirates of The Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and of the classic heroes of cinema portrayed by Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks.
2004 Ranked
Non-2020 First Time Watches Ranked
Directors Ranked: Joe Johnston
I have to say, this is a pretty underrated adventure film. And when I say underrated, what I mean is that nobody talks about it, like at all. It has some nice sequences, a good performance from Viggo Mortensen and really underrated cinematography.
So why did I only give it three stars? Honestly, I don't remember jack shit about the story, so it isn't like it left a lasting impression on me. All I remember are the two things I mentioned above; Viggo's performance and the cinematography, which is truly beautiful.
I recommend this one if you like Western Adventure films, or Viggo Mortensen, or great cinematography. Maybe on a rewatch, it'll resonate with me more, but it's far from bad.
Despite being a very enjoyable rip-snortin underdog story seemingly ripped from the Golden Age of Hollywood, “Hidalgo” could be the poster child for films based on gigantic lies.
PLOT
The half Native-American Frank Hopkins is slumming it at Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show with his faithful horse Hidalgo, when he is approached to compete in the legendary Arabian horse race, the Ocean of Fire, which spans 3,000 miles across a desert, if Hopkins wants to keep the title of "the world's greatest distance horse and rider". Hopkins begrudgingly accepts and enters the competition despite the fact that he may not survive it.
Factually speaking, only two things are true to real life in that summary. There was a man named…
Stands the test of time. If I look at how Star Wars or Indiana Jones are valued, this movie is so underrated. Sure, just like in those two, there is some cringey dialogue here too and the claim of a true story can be ignored, but "they don't make 'em like this anymore" is very accurate for this film. There's a serious lack of adventure movies.
I’ve come to the conclusion that “what if Viggo Mortensen got to play Indiana Jones but he was also a horse girl” is the best idea for a movie ever created actually
Pferd Hidalgo eine Legende als bestes Langstrecken-Rennpferd, wollen die Araber den Titel für sich beanspruchen und die Angelegenheit in einem 3000 Meilen Ritt durch die Wüste ausmachen.
"Ich glaube fest an ihren bunten Hengst."
Zwischen Cowboys, Indianern und der pseudo-vornehmen Aristokratie, trifft der Wilde Westen auf den Orient und schickt den ungläubigen Außenseiter (Viggo Mortensen) und dessen legendären Mustang durch ein heftiges Abenteuer, etliche Zwischenetappen, Sandstürme und andere Plagen. Die Bindung zwischen Mann und Pferd etwas ganz besonderes, brennt den beiden die Glut der erbarmungslosen Wüste auf den Pelz. Themen der Unterdrückung finden unter der Sonne gleichermaßen Platz, denn egal ob Osten oder Westen, hat ein jeder seine Sklaven oder das Abwerten der Frauenwelt in der fahlen (religiösen) Gesinnung. Für…
I have no idea why “Hidalgo” didn’t catch on when it came out in 2004 or why it has never been reassessed since. Some criticism at the time revolved around the dubious claims made by real life figure Frank Hopkins, who was either a daredevil and accomplished horse racer or a conman who made up his entire biography. Even if he was the latter, who cares? Seriously, who watches a movie like this and marks it down because it embellishes or even flat out makes up history? I have seen “Hidalgo” once or twice over the years and it still holds up nicely. It’s an old-fashioned desert epic and pays tribute to some of its obvious spiritual precursors by prominently…
