Hidalgo

Inspired by real events, Hidalgo follows rough-and-tumble 19th-century cowboy Frank Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen) as he agrees to participate in an epic horse race across the Middle East – with the perilous trek made all-the-more-dangerous by a series of sabotages and backstabbings. Director Joe Johnston, perhaps predictably, has infused Hidalgo with a sweeping, old-fashioned sensibility that’s reflected in its various attributes, and it’s clear that the movie’s initial stretch is as watchable as it is (occasionally) thrilling – with Mortensen’s typically commanding performance anchoring the proceedings to an impressive degree. It’s disappointing to note, then, that the film’s hold on the viewer dwindles steadily as it enters its progressively dull midsection, as Johnston, working from John Fusco’s bloated screenplay, offers up a series of padded-out and needless sequences detailing the backhanded exploits of Hopkins’ competitors – which ensures that one’s interest in the actual race begins to evaporate on an increasingly prominent basis. The ensuing lull in the buildup to the climax paves the way for a rather interminable final half hour (and one that isn’t even remotely exciting), and it subsequently goes without saying that by the time Hopkins’ begins chanting in the Sioux language, Hidalgo has completely worn out its welcome and confirmed its place as a disastrously overlong true-life tale.

** out of ****