Viggo Mortensen's Underseen 2004 Western Is A Hidden Gem Streaming On Prime Video

Westerns come in all forms, from Clint Eastwood's unconventional Western Musical "Paint Your Wagon" to the elegiac revisionist masterpiece "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." Then, there's "Hidalgo," an overlooked 2004 epic biographical Western starring Viggo Mortensen that plays out mostly in the Middle East. Intrigued? Well, the film is available to stream on Prime Video, but it's worth acquainting yourself with the background and controversy surrounding "Hidalgo" before you gallop in.

The film is directed by Joe Johnston, who's best known for family comedy favorites such as "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" (1989) and "Jumanji" (1995). He'd also help kick off the most successful franchise in United States history — the Marvel Cinematic Universe — with 2011's "Captain America: The First Avenger." But before he tackled that fictional modern-day legend, he decided to take on the tale of real-life American distance rider Frank Hopkins.

The horse rider and cowboy lived between 1865 and 1951, but the details of his life are vague to say the least. A Ringling Brothers performer, Hopkins made many claims about his prolific riding career, but as "Hidalgo" would go on to prove, not everybody believed all of them, and the truth remains elusive to this day. Did this dodgy figure and his questionable life story at least make for a good movie? Well, that depends on who you ask. "Hidalgo" divided critics, some of whom enjoyed Johnston's sweeping epic and some of whom were just downright offended. Either way, the film remains an interesting and mostly forgotten early 2000s curio that's well worth a watch if only to see where you might fall on this critical spectrum.

To be sure, "Hidalgo" isn't going to go down as the best Western of the 21st Century. But it's also not really a Western in the traditional sense. In fact, it's not even a Western in the more modern, revisionist sense. Joe Johnston's film is more of an adventure movie and, taken as such, is actually a pretty good time.

Set in 1981, "Hidalgo" stars Viggo Mortensen as Hopkins, a legendary cowboy and long-distance rider who claims to be half-native American. Hopkins is tortured by his memory of having delivered a message to the 7th Cavalry Regiment that began the Wounded Knee Massacre of the Lakota Sioux during his time as a government dispatch rider. With those days behind him, he performs as part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, where he's approached by wealthy Sheik Riyadh (Omar Sharif), who challenges him to a long-distance horse race in the Middle East for a $100,000 prize.

The 3,000-mile race, known as the Ocean of Fire, takes place in the Najd desert region and sees Hopkins face off against Bedouin and Arab riders, all of whom sit proudly atop thoroughbred horses. Hopkins, meanwhile, rides his faithful half-breed mustang Hidalgo, who is seen as an impure creature by the other participants. As the race plays out, Hopkins faces all manner of setbacks and challenges, from locust swarms to bribery and straight-up sabotage. It all makes for a bit of a strange experience if you go in expecting a more traditional Western. But if you go in expecting an adventure that plays fast and loose with the facts of its real-world subject matter, it's a good time.

Viggo Mortensen was fresh off the "Lord of the Rings" films when he made "Hidalgo," which was always going to make the film a bit of a letdown in some respects. That's especially so as the movie eventually ended up sandwiched between Peter Jackson's celebrated trilogy and David Cronenberg's excellent "A History of Violence" (which, incidentally, also marked the end of VHS) in the Mortensen filmography. In that sense, it seemed destined to be overlooked, which it ultimately was.

"Hidalgo" debuted in March 2004 and garnered mixed reviews. It also didn't make anyone any money, grossing $108 million on a $100 million budget. On top of all that, A 46% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes didn't do the film any favors. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wasn't too impressed, labelling the film "an adventure that never met a cliche it couldn't saddle, mount and ride for a butt-numbing two hours and sixteen minutes." But Roger Ebert, who had previously bestowed a perfect score upon controversial 1970 Western "El Topo," was extremely impressed with "Hidalgo." The critic described Joe Johnston's film as "Bold, exuberant and swashbuckling," remarking that "it has the purity and simplicity of something Douglas Fairbanks or Errol Flynn might have bounded through."

Then, there's the issue of whether any of it is actually true. Everyone from the Council on American-Islamic Relations to academics, and even a specially assembled group of horse riders called the Long Riders' Guild, spoke out against the movie. Meanwhile, in his review, Ebert urged readers to "please ignore any tiresome scolds who complain that the movie is not really based on fact," adding, "Duh." The only way you'll know where you stand on that surprisingly contentious issue is to stream "Hidalgo" on Prime Video.