Hidalgo

"Unbridled. Unbroken. Unbeaten."

2004 2h 16m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

🥫

46%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 1,406🥫46%Rotten Tomatoes●54Metacritic★6.7IMDB · 88,472

WesternAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Set in 1890, this is the story of a Pony Express courier who travels to Arabia to compete with his horse, Hidalgo, in a dangerous race for a massive contest prize, in an adventure that sends the pair around the world...

“Unbridled. Unbroken. Unbeaten.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Viggo Mortensen
Frank Hopkins
Zuleikha Robinson
Jazira
Omar Sharif
Sheikh Riyadh
Louise Lombard
Lady Anne Davenport
J.K. Simmons
Buffalo Bill Cody
Adoni Maropis
Sakr
Silas Carson
Katib
C. Thomas Howell
Preston Webb

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joe Johnston
Writers: John Fusco
Languages: Arabic, English
Countries: United States of America, Morocco

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

$100M budget — tentpole studio territory.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Morocco.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

201+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joe Johnston, shot by Shelly Johnson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Newton Howard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Dalva shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joe Johnston directs. Shelly Johnson behind the camera. James Newton Howard scores. Robert Dalva cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America, Morocco. Dialogue in Arabic, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1$100M budget — tentpole studio territory.
2Released 22 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, English.
4International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Morocco.
5201+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Joe Johnston, shot by Shelly Johnson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by James Newton Howard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Robert Dalva shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Viggo Mortensen and Zuleikha Robinson and Omar Sharif carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Unbridled. Unbroken. Unbeaten.".
11IMDB entry: tt0317648 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 12 themes, including "middle east", "horse race", "horse", "racehorse".
13Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Shelly Johnson
Original score: James Newton Howard
Editing: Robert Dalva
Production design: Barry Robison
Costume design: Jeffrey Kurland
Makeup / hair: Bunny Parker
VFX supervisor: Tim Alexander
Sound: David Parker
Stunt coordinator: Pat Romano
Runtime: 136 min · 2h 16m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $100,000,000
Box office: $108,103,450
Return: 108% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Hidalgo (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes: 46% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 54/100
IMDB rating: 6.7/10 · 88,472 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

1 win & 2 nominations total

Also by

Joe Johnston

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Reno2017-02-14
★ 7/10
In an unfamiliar territory, everything's a big challenge. The film was inspired by the American legend Frank Hopkins and his horse Hidalgo. They sail across the oceans to the Arabian desert to take part in a race. This adventure tells their new experience in an unknown territory competing with the greatest riders of the region. Alongside a misunderstanding leads to an unexpected confrontation. From there, how they escape and make back to home halfway across the world is the remaining film to disclose. A different kind of western that takes place in the original timeline of the cowboy culture which is the late 19th century. But the film has only one cowboy, because of where the story sets in. This film came straight after LOTR. Viggo Mortensen was good and his stunts were excellent. The initial parts that commence in America was heartbreaking and I liked the conclusion as well. It reminded me the animation film 'Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron'. Though the film was more about Frank Hopkins and the horse had a good influence on the story as the film title suggests. Long film, but worth it. Surely won't be a waste of time to give it a try. 7/10

Production companies