My quick review. (Since I never wrote up the one I promised.)
This movie is okay. All of the actors do a fine job of playing the obviously written stereotypes. (The loner cowboy with a heart of gold, the rebelious noble daughter, the Arabian obsessed with western culture... They're all here. In fact, this is another case of Spot the Bad Guy! You can't miss him. He's got the pointy beard.) The script seriously needed some work. There were characters who played no obvious function at all, other than to add more stereotypes into the mix of things. The story is supposed to be about a race but for some reason there is a 'let's save the princess' story thrown into the middle of it and a use of the Sioux Ghost Dance that is.. well... I wasn't insulted personally but then again, I'm not Sioux.
The cat special effects were attrocious, though the sandstorm was nice.
If you like horses, this isn't a bad movie. The people who play the people you know in the Wild West show are well done. I appreciated the use of appropriate languages at certain times. All of the actors do a really good job with what is given to them but the best performance is easily by the horse playing Hidalgo.
By the way, this is not a true story. This is a story of a man's life, sure, but it is the one he completely made up. There have been people who researched this man up and down and left and right and the only record of him existing that can be found was him digging subway tunnels somewhere in Pennsylvania in the 1920s. (http://outside.away.com/outside/news/200403/hidalgo_frank_hopkins_1.html) This is just one of the many articles about that fact.
Anyway... It is entertaining and worth a matinee if your matinees are actually half of regular price tickets.
This movie is okay. All of the actors do a fine job of playing the obviously written stereotypes. (The loner cowboy with a heart of gold, the rebelious noble daughter, the Arabian obsessed with western culture... They're all here. In fact, this is another case of Spot the Bad Guy! You can't miss him. He's got the pointy beard.) The script seriously needed some work. There were characters who played no obvious function at all, other than to add more stereotypes into the mix of things. The story is supposed to be about a race but for some reason there is a 'let's save the princess' story thrown into the middle of it and a use of the Sioux Ghost Dance that is.. well... I wasn't insulted personally but then again, I'm not Sioux.
The cat special effects were attrocious, though the sandstorm was nice.
If you like horses, this isn't a bad movie. The people who play the people you know in the Wild West show are well done. I appreciated the use of appropriate languages at certain times. All of the actors do a really good job with what is given to them but the best performance is easily by the horse playing Hidalgo.
By the way, this is not a true story. This is a story of a man's life, sure, but it is the one he completely made up. There have been people who researched this man up and down and left and right and the only record of him existing that can be found was him digging subway tunnels somewhere in Pennsylvania in the 1920s. (http://outside.away.com/outside/news/200403/hidalgo_frank_hopkins_1.html) This is just one of the many articles about that fact.
Anyway... It is entertaining and worth a matinee if your matinees are actually half of regular price tickets.
no subject
Date: 2004-03-06 04:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-06 05:08 pm (UTC)