Title: Hidalgo
Company: Touchstone Pictures
Director: Joe Johnson
Screenwriter: John Fusco
Starring: Viggo Mortensen
Length of DVD: 136 min
Rating: PG-13

"Let her buck!" Ride into 1890s with Frank T. Hopkins and his painted mustang, Hidalgo, on an epic horse race in Arabia. In the movie "Hidalgo", Frank and Hidalgo go on a 3,000-mile race through the Arabian dessert. Frank, a great horse racer from America enters this race. Frank and Hidalgo race against the finest Arabian horses and riders. This race is known as the "THE OCEAN OF FIRE". Frank Hopkins won more than 400 long distant races. This movie is based on a true story.

This movie is about a cowboy and his horse going to a foreign country and entering the most famous race in the world. This is no ordinary cowboy. This cowboy is the best American horse racer. Frank encounters a lot of evil people , blinding sunshine, sandstorms, and hardly any food or water. This is no picnic. So wait, wonder, and watch. Will Frank and Hidalgo survive the race?

When I hear the word Hidalgo I immediately think of the scene with the enormous sandstorm curling up behind Frank and Hidalgo as they were charging across the dessert. A sandstorm beyond imagination. If you think the "Tower of Doom" at Elicthes is scary, try galloping on a horse away from a never ending sandstorm that is going a million miles per hour in the middle of a dessert with no safe havens. Now that's scary. In the rest of the movie you'll find sublime cinematography that is very simmilar to this scene. When I watch the movie it's hard for me to believe that the actors are just acting. It seems as though the camera crew made the movie when it was happening in real life. Frank T. Hopkins is always one with his horse. Frank somehow communicates with Hidalgo. Its either Hidalgo can understand English or Frank can speak horse. What ever it is I wish horses could understand me. There are many other characters than Frank and Hidalgo, but I am only going to talk about a few other main characters. In Arabia there is a sheik. The sheik is not always friendly. He wants to have it his way most of the time. The sheik's daughter's name is Lezira. Lezira is a very coy person. She doesn't like to talk to a lot of people.

I liked that there were horses in it. I get an amazing feeling when I see horses galloping in a vast area. I particularly don't like killing. In this movie there is a lot of killing. It is still a great movie to watch.

I would recommend this movie to kids 10 an up who like horses and action packed adventure survival movies. I would recommend it to those kids because the action in this movie seems like it is real. You feel like you're riding in the race with Frank and Hidalgo. It also has a lot of horses in it. The special features on this DVD aren't that great. They only have an interview with one of the actors. It doesn't say that much on how they trained Hidalgo to do certain things. It is pretty interesting when the cast talks about the days in the desert filming. "Sea Biscuit "is a similar movie to this one that I would recommend.

FUN FACT!!
IN SPANISH MUSTANG MEANS UNTAMED. (October, 2004)

Following is a review of Hidalgo when it appeared in the movie theater.
By CK Movie Kid Tori Price

The biggest horse race in the world, Ocean Of Fire, is a 3,000 mile race across the Sahara Dessert. In the Sahara Dessert there is not a lot of water, except for the occasional oasis. Most racers die during the race either in a giant sandstorm, or in the quicksand that can swallow you alive. In this race, there is no possible way to escape fate. The movie "Hidalgo" is based on a true story about a man named Frank Hopkins, and his horse Hidalgo. They enter the race hoping to win, but meet many obstacles along the way. Nobody believes the American can win the race, but just in case they set up traps to make sure there Hopkins offers no competition. People go mad, and friends turn bad. Frank finds himself being bribed by a woman who is desprate to win the race. She will go to any lengths to win, even if it means killing others.

The role of Frank Hopkins is played by Viggo Mortensen, also known as Aragorn from "Lord Of the Rings." Once again, Viggo's role is a soft spoken role, where the charatcer is usualy whispering. Many similarities can be found between the two roles. I think that he did a better job of acting in "Lord Of The Rings," but that may be just because afetr three movies he gets used to playing the role.

The special effects in this movie were GREAT! It was hard to tell if they actually filmed in the Sahara Dessert. The sandstorm was really realistic. Some parts made you feel like you really were inside the movie. The special effects added to the movie, making it very believable. The story was a lot like the time period it was supposed to be set in. The script writers also managed to squeeze in a few facts, making the movie a history class.

This movie, even though it is rated PG-13 for violence, would be great for most ages. Although horse lovers might not enjoy it as much, others might find it interesting to learn things about the Pony Express days. This story reached out and touched most of the audiences' hearts, making them cry. As we exited the theatre, a man asked the crowd for their opinions of the movie. I never heard a single put down. Truly this movie was great, but if you are a horse lover this might not be your movie. But hey, horses do die, you'll have to understand that some day. (February, 2004)