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	Hidalgo
	Joe Johnston Viggo Mortensen, Omar Sharif, Louise Lombard, Saïd Taghmaoui, Peter Mensah, J.K. Simmons, Zuleikha Robinson, Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman, Elizabeth Berridge, C. Thomas Howell, Malcolm McDowell 2004		Horsing around with widescreen adventure — large casts, exotic locales, etc. — is a difficult logistical proposition for a filmmaker. When one of the stars of such a spectacle is a noble steed entered in a winner-take-all, loser-get-screwed race, the horsing around gets serious. So it was with the literate, exciting period drama "Seabiscuit," about the real-life mount whose racing career captivated America during the Depression. Also based on a true story, "Hidalgo," director Joe Johnston's lushly filmed, melodramatic, overlong tribute to human/equine teamwork, comes in a distant second. Viggo Mortensen, who rode all over Middle-Earth in "The Lord of the Rings," is back in the saddle in "Hidalgo" as cowboy legend Frank Hopkins, billed as the world's greatest long-distance racer. By 1890, Hopkins is a drunken wreck, barely keeping it together as a performer with his mustang Hidalgo in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. A chance at redemption comes when Hopkins is invited to participate in an arduous 3,000-mile race across the arid Arabian Desert. If he and Hidalgo can best the Bedouin riders and their stallions, Hopkins wins riches and respect. Deceitful opponents and natural dangers conspire to thwart him. Omar Sharif is imposing and a-twinkle as a sheik who fancies his horses unbeatable. (He jes' don't reckon with Hidalgo.)


	Wednesday, December 18, 2024





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