After three years of watching Viggo Mortensen play Aragorn in the Lord of the
Rings trilogy (see .nightsandweekends.com/articles/03/NW0300297.php>my review of the
second movie in the series), I became a fan—so I was eager to see him in a major
non-Shire role.
In Hidalgo, Mortensen plays Frank Hopkins, a
cowboy who, with his Mustang, Hidalgo, has seen his share of long-distance races. But
he’s never seen anything like the Ocean of Fire—a 3,000-mile race across the Arabian
desert. Lured by the challenge—and the $100,000 prize—Frank and Hidalgo head
east.
Frank quickly discovers that the Ocean of Fire is more than just a
race to those involved. It’s a matter of pride and honor, life and death—and they’re not
about to let a foreigner win. Omar Sharif plays a sheik who takes an interest in the
cowboy—as does his daughter, who wishes that she, too, could race (but she’s just a lowly
woman).
Hidalgo is a captivating epic-Western (with plenty of humor
thrown in to keep it light), based on a true story. Sure, I had a pretty good idea of
what was going to happen right from the beginning (though there were definitely a few
surprises). And sure, in the 1800s, common servants in the Middle East most likely
didn’t speak English. But it’s a movie. It’s supposed to be entertaining—and
that’s precisely what Hidalgo is. I instantly found myself caught up in the
story—and intrigued by the characters. The scenery is breathtaking (and so are the
horses), and the story is enchanting and uplifting. And Mortensen didn’t disappoint me,
either—he played Hopkins with that subtle Aragorn-like strength that we all know and
love.
Hidalgo is a movie that I could definitely see again—and
one that I don’t hesitate to recommend.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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