“Hidalgo”

By David DiCerto
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) -- A guilt-ridden cowboy tries to outrun his past by agreeing to participate in a grueling 3,000-mile race across the Arabian Desert in the sand-sational, fact-based crowd-pleaser "Hidalgo" (Disney).

Part old-fashioned boys' action-adventure yarn, part redemption parable, director Joe Johnston's movie weds a strong narrative and sweeping visuals to craft a winning tale of friendship, forgiveness, fate and the indomitable spirit of man.

Having already been crowned king in Peter Jackson's epic "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Viggo Mortensen pursues less regal laurels as Frank T. Hopkins, a world-weary horseman of mixed descent (half-Caucasian, half-Native American). Cut from the same disillusioned fabric as Tom Cruise's expatriate captain in "The Last Samurai," Hopkins is haunted by a past which found him an inadvertent accomplice in the government-authorized, wholesale slaughter of Sioux Indians at the Wounded Knee massacre of 1890. Like Cruise's character, Hopkins winds up a self-flagellating drunkard, boozing his way through jingoistic re-enactments of Calvary victories as part of Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show.

His past reputation as "the greatest endurance racer in the world" piques the interest of a Bedouin sheik (Omar Sharif), who, through an emissary, challenges Hopkins to put his money where his muzzle is. He invites the cowpoke to enter the "Ocean of Fire," a punishing cross-desert race which annually claims the lives of most of its competitors -- including the sheik's three sons. Hopkins, whose honorary tribal name is "Far Rider," takes up the gauntlet, not knowing what to expect, but intent on bringing home the sultan-sized purse of prize money.

Upon arriving in Arabia, the Western interloper is met with hot sand and cold shoulders from the native Bedouin riders, who view the infidel's inclusion as an affront to their time-honored traditions. They also ridicule his painted pony, Hidalgo, a frisky, half-wild mustang, whose mongrel bloodline lacks the purebred pedigree of their majestic Arabian steeds.

But with more than just pride and honor at stake, the crucible becomes a fight for survival as the competitors battle tsunami-like sandstorms, locust plagues of biblical proportions and brain-baking heat -- not to mention the devious machinations of a dainty-as-a-dagger British horse breeder, Lady Davenport (Louise Lombard), who will stop at nothing to make sure her Thoroughbred wins. Along the way, Hopkins befriends the sheik's tradition-transgressing daughter, Jazira (Zuleikha Robinson), whose veiled face serves as a metaphor for Hopkins' own shrouded racial identity.

Laconic and iconic, Mortensen is a throwback to the quiet, dignified masculinity of Gary Cooper. Speaking softly but carrying a big six-shooter, he imbues his performance with a classic blend of reticence and untamed virility, standing out against a backdrop that would swallow a lesser presence. Equally up to the challenge is Sharif, who brings a graying gravitas to the role of the soul-searching chieftain. Of course, the cast member with the most riding on him is Hidalgo, who has some pretty big horseshoes to fill after the "Seabiscuit" box-office victory lap.

Johnston's expansive desert vistas breathtakingly evoke a David Lean grandeur. In fact, the movie was shot in the same Moroccan locale where, 40 years earlier, Lean had filmed "Lawrence of Arabia." Canteens of water should be provided with each ticket, as one can almost feel the hot desert winds whip off the screen, blowing across the rolling sea of sand dunes. The parched and arid landscape, reminiscent of the "Devil's Anvil" sequence in "Lawrence," makes Middle-earth's Mordor seem like Club Med. The spirited score provides all the emotional cues, but doesn't breathe life into the film the way that Maurice Jarre's robust opus did for "Lawrence."

Not to be a nag, but there are quibbles. The film subscribes to an oversimplified dichotomy that paints Western society (read white and Christian) as ruthless, treacherous and genocidal, while depicting indigenous cultures and spirituality (in this case Native American) in a far more sympathetic light. Near the climax, Hopkins discards his saddle, which, though done to lighten an ailing Hidalgo's load, can also be interpreted symbolically as his rejection of his Western heritage.

And while the movie does portray Arabs as a mixed bag of good and bad, those cast in nefarious shades come across as cliched comic-book villains from some old Saturday afternoon serial, complete with black turbans. While quickening its pace, the film loses steam when Johnston temporarily reins in his engaging character study in favor of a more conventional derring-do detour. But enough neigh-saying; you don't need much horse sense to recognize this little-colt-that-could movie for what it is -- good storytelling.

Due to recurring adventure violence and some mild sexual innuendo, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

* DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.