Hostiles

Parental Rating: R

Contains: Language    Violence    Adult Content    

Jill's Review

Opens December 22, 2017 (limited)

Runs 133 minutes

Captain Joseph "Joe" Blocker (Christian Bale) has spent his military career fighting and killing Indians. By 1892, he is ready to retire and take a break from all of the violence. As his final duty before his retirement, he is ordered to escort an old nemesis, Cheyenne Chief Yellow Hawk (Wes Studi) and his family back to Montana. It seems that Chief Yellow Hawk is dying and wants to be buried on his native land. Joe tries to refuse but has no other options, so he gathers a team and they set out for Montana. Early into their trek, they run across Rosalie Quaid (Rosamund Pike), a widow who has lost her entire family to an Indian attack. She joins their caravan. Before they can reach the Winslow outpost and drop off Rosalie, they are attacked by Apache and suffer some casualties. In Winslow, they take on a prisoner (Ben Foster) who will be dropped off to face trial along the way to Montana. He turns out to be as much of a problem as the marauding Apache out to kill them. Joe and his ragtag group must band with Chief Yellow Hawk and his family to ensure that they make it to Montana alive. It seems that the white man and the "Red" Man have more in common than they had originally thought.

I have to say that I LOVED this movie. It is raw and gorgeous. It brings the Indians and the white man into focus, along with the issues of the time. It was a difficult era. The Indians were mad at the white man for taking their land and the white men were mad at the Indians for their extreme violence. Women had no real standing at all. The acting is terrific in this film. Reviews claim that the film is slow, but I found it deep and thought-provoking, with plenty of action. I thought Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike and Wes Studi were perfect for their roles. Each was sympathetic for different reasons. I was afraid that the movie would end on a hopeless note. But, I was wrong. There was a ray of hope at the end. Just enough to make you believe in the possibility of love. If you are a fan of Westerns and/or historical dramas, then this might be for you. Go see it.

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