"Funner" With Frank

There really was a man named Frank Hopkins. During the late 1800s and on into the early 1900s, Hopkins competed in and allegedly won, hundreds of long-distance horse races. That much is true.

However, the story of Hopkins as put forth in the film, HIDALGO, is pure pulp adventure and, while its most definitely not historically accurate, it’s still one helluva rousing yarn.

Viggo Mortensen stars as Hopkins, whose father was a white man, his mother a native American, and who has a special way with horses, especially his painted Mustang pony, Hidalgo. When the story opens, Hopkins is in a bad place. He was a witness to the infamous battle of Wounded Knee, which saw hundreds of native Americans murdered by American troops. Hopkins had friends among the dead and he turns to drink to ease the pain.

He eventually finds work in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. Bill (J. K. Simmons) leans heavily on the myth of the west using Hopkins, Annie Oakley and other real figures to paint a colorful, albeit false, tapestry of war and conquest.

Hopkins gets wind of a horse race to be held in Arabia, a 3,000-mile trek from the heart of Arabia to Damascus. The race would stake his wild bred pony against the pure blood Arabian stallions, some of the finest racehorses on the planet. Hopkins enters and the fun begins.

HIDALGO is full of thrilling set pieces that feel more at home in an Indiana Jones movie, but which are nonetheless exhilarating. Treachery seems to stalk Hopkins throughout the race, finding ruthless enemies and steadfast friends in various camps along the way.

One of those friends is the great Omar Shariff, who was so memorable in my all-time favorite film, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. Shariff shows the charm and larger-than-life energy he exuded at the beginning of his career and it’s a treat to watch him bring his “A” game.

Of course, the obstacles in Hopkins way only increase as he nears the finish line and there are several points in the narrative when it looks like both the horse and his rider are doomed.

But HIDALGO is a crowd-pleaser, old-fashioned feel-good movie. It should come as no surprise that Hopkins wins the race but it’s the coda of the film that holds the real surprise. Don’t worry, the horse doesn’t die.

HIDALGO was an absolute joy to watch. Some of the CGI was a little bit dodgy but overall, the film is handsomely mounted and lavishly produced. With a cast of colorful characters (both good and bad) and spectacular desert vistas (the movie was filmed in Morocco), HIDALGO is a winner in my book.

Thumbs up!