HOSTILES; A review from Cyprus

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

My wife was borne in Cyprus but raised in The Good Ol' USA. I get an English language online paper from Cyprus and was surprised to see this movie review.

http://cyprus-mail.com/2018/02/27/film-review-hostiles/

[PJ Hardtack]

Like most critics, he values his opinion highly.

I thought the film was better than a lot of other westerns, notably "The Unforgiven" which I thought was a real disappointment, along with a host of other flicks.

"Hostiles" touched on a lot of things, but it showed that redemption is possible through forgiveness and walking a mile in someone else's moccasins. Who doesn't need redemption and forgiveness?

The other lesson was that "doing the right thing" takes guts and there is a cost for doing it only the honourable are willing to pay.

When I was undergoing my own treatment for the 'Big C', I didn't harbour a grudge against anyone. For once in my life I had my priorities in order.

[nagantino]

To be fair, "The Unforgiven" was made in 1960 when a whole different set of values applied. I still like that movie though, because it has a raw set of emotions on display. Unfortunately I still have not managed to see Hostiles. I did manage to get a copy downloaded but it was one recorded in a cinema. I didn't watch it because I want see the movie properly. The review is kinda harsh but offers good stuff at the same time.

If you want a harsh review of Hostiles go to Slant Magazine film review: Hostiles

[Advertising]

[PJ Hardtack]

There is a pretty good review of "Hostiles" in the current issue of "Cowboys & Indians" magazine.

[Jeremiah Jones]

I finally watched Hostiles.  I do not understand why so many people here, liked it.

It had too many Hollywood-isms:
The “hero” was plagued with introspected, self-doubt.
The in your face moral equivalence between Americans and Indians.
The integrated Cavalry Troop.
Settler left a log cabin to stand in the open to fight Indians.
When the Indians attacked, the Captain’s first command was RETREAT!
The Cavalry always fought with revolvers, even though they had lever action rifles.
The Captain seemed determined to get all of his men killed
Way more talk than action.  When you could understand the talk.  A lot sounded like Gabby Johnson in Blazing Saddles.
The final gunfight had a Captain, ready to retire, practically buffaloed by rancher.

I'm glad I watched it on TV instead of paying theater prices.

[Dave T]

Wow, I don't think I saw the same movie JJ saw.

I thought the movie had some very real messages, like what 20-25 years of war does to people: like the Major (not Captain), the Sergeant, and the prisoner, and even those un-American Indians. And what seeing your family wiped out could do to a woman, even a pioneer woman.

And the other message was the healing power of forgiveness. Of course we manly men wouldn't want to watch a movie about that now would we.

Dave

[Jubal Starbuck]

 I watched it with my wife on a Friday night, then as we had a 48 hr. rental, we watched it again on Sat. night.  We enjoyed it both times. Guess it had a couple of incongruities, but nothing's perfect.  At least I didn't growl and grumble about the weaponry in this one!
   I'd have to say its the best western I've seen in quite a spell.

[Jeremiah Jones]

Wow, I don't think I saw the same movie JJ saw.

I thought the movie had some very real messages, like what 20-25 years of war does to people: like the Major (not Captain), the Sergeant, and the prisoner, and even those un-American Indians. And what seeing your family wiped out could do to a woman, even a pioneer woman.

And the other message was the healing power of forgiveness. Of course we manly men wouldn't want to watch a movie about that now would we.
Dave

Thanks, I missed the promotion ceremony. It must have been near the end, when my eyes were glazing over and I was mainly hoping it would end soon.  Rotten Tomatoes and Wiki seem to have missed it also.  Christian Bale (Captain Joseph J. Blocke) gained redemption from hating Indians (oooh, ah, how touching ) while proving to be the most incompetent Cavalry Captain since Captain Wilton Parmenter, in F Troop.  He got every one of his Troopers, several women and children killed.  Not to mention the women that were raped under his nose.  I wonder if they will have a sequel when he is tortured by all the Troopers that were killed through his incompetence?

[nagantino]

Finally got to see Hostiles. Hmmmmmm. So much to say about that movie. It was handsome to look at that's for sure, with crisp, bright camera work and the landscape exploited to show the frontier at it best. I had real trouble understanding the dialogue, hearing it I mean. Here in the UK, the number of complaints about mumbled lines in television programmes skyrocketed for a while untill the production companies had to listen. The problem has gone away. The hardware is authentic also so no complaints there either. 

The movie caught the huge distances involved in living then, I liked that, but the slowness of the film began to wear me down after a while. The sentiments involved in the movie are, of course, what it's all about, and in that I think it failed. I would love to think that cavalry officers and enlisted men of the time would have had an epiphany about their actions in their treatment of the " natives". It just felt so correct and it undermined the thrust of the movie. I could forgive most of that if the action and gunplay compensated but it didn't. What was the point of the fur hunters interlude? Who killed the Comanche band? Too bad, because it had the potential to be good. Oh well. We await the next one.

I did get one laugh, unintentional though. Did you see Christian Bales suit at the end? He reminded me of Victor McLagan at the end of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.......now there's a Cavalry movie.

[Abilene]

... When you could understand the talk.  A lot sounded like Gabby Johnson in Blazing Saddles...

That was my main complaint.  I had to plug in headphones to understand the dialog.  Otherwise, I liked the movie but didn't love it.

[Mogorilla]

Watched it over the weekend. I could understand the dialog, but the subtitles for the native language were poorly placed and backlit to be nearly unreadable.   Film was too long, like a Kevin Costner film, needed better editing.   That said, the varying opinions on it are interesting.   I had the opportunity to discuss it with two older combat veterans of the Vietnam era.  Both described it as the best western they have ever seen, and both are really fond of westerns.   Others I have spoken to did not like it one bit.   My major complaint was the time frame and the events, just not the reality of 1892 as to my understanding.

[Tornado]

Who killed the Comanche band?

It was implied that the Indians escaped, when the guard fell asleep, and hunted them down. 

[Baltimore Ed]

Just watched it, I also had trouble hearing the dialogue and reading the subs. Well photographed but so slow. Do horses really move that slow? And soldiers shoot that badly? I really hate when directors drop the ball, get lazy and have action happen offscreen too. My big complaint of the original Magnificent 7. Hostiles would have made a better Japaese tragic medieval era samurai film with all the conflicts between honor, duty, revenge, forgiveness and death. And I like samauri films. And almost everyone died! I’m thinking the Major was the guy they sent on Custers burial detail? He sure liked to plant ‘em.  Initially I thought that I’d get a copy for my dvd collection but I don’t think I’ll bother. Just my 2 cents.

[PJ Hardtack]

Boy, you guys are a tough audience.

With all the compromises we make as "Cowboy" shooters in our game, you'd think we'd be willing to cut movie makers a little slack.

Recently in the SASS magazine, there was an article on jazzing up the Colt '60 Army with a Ruger low hammer spurs and a host of other non-historic mods Sam Colt never heard of. Nice guns, but anything but authentic.

Same could be said of all the SAA's we see at matches as well, transported there in RV's that cost a small fortune.

Likely the '60 Army shooter loads his pistols on a modern, expensive "Tower of Power" as well, shooting them out of metal bucket lined holsters. But, boy - do we want authenticity in our western movies!

[Jake C]

Do horses really move that slow? And soldiers shoot that badly?

Can't speak on the horses, except in that I'm sure you wouldn't want to push them too hard on a long journey, but I could easily believe soldiers from that time period being poor marksmen. I can't imagine troopers were given much time on the shooting range, and most of the combat in the film didn't seem conducive to accurate shooting.

[Coal Creek Griff]

Boy, you guys are a tough audience.

Well, I thought that the movie was "OK".  I was hoping for "really good", but this wasn't it.  I don't get too wrapped up in the details of the props, although it would be easy for the film makers to do a better job in that regard.

What bugged me about this one were several things that didn't make sense.  The big one for me was the final shootout.  Everyone there knew that if shooting started, people were going to get badly hurt or killed.  The rancher's issue was with the natives being buried on his land, but it's hard to imagine that he'd be willing to die right now to prevent it.  I've studied a lot of shootings from all time periods and I know that they don't always make sense and can go from calm to violent in an instant.  On the other hand, most  people don't take their own deaths lightly and will generally go to great lengths to avoid it.  The first shot is fired by the civilian woman.  Why? It didn't make sense and it was hard to believe.  That, tied with other things, like the hate-filled army officer changing his mind so quickly without very many intermediate stages (going from "I hate you" to "I think you're wonderful" seemingly overnight), made it hard for me to believe.

All of that being said, I bought the DVD and intend to watch it periodically.  I liked portions of it and there just aren't enough westerns out there (and none that I would call perfect).  I'd rate this at 2 1/2 stars out of 5.

CC Griff

[Kit Peak]

Just saw it on Netflix. Thought it was laughable, so cliche. Couldn't Christian Bale handle more dialogue than "hmm"? The guy comes out of his cabin to confront the hostiles and sends his family out the back door, seriously? He should of been able to pick them off from inside the cabin. The widow cuddles up with Bale in his tent. The pillow fight in the tents and the trooper gets killed. Why not shoot all three of the fur trappers when they are standing in camp and prevent the women from being beaten? The seasoned trooper gets killed by the ranchers and then they manage to kill all the natives but the kid and then Bale has to knife the wounded rancher? Guy gets girl in the end. Poor acting and dialogue. Don't waste your time watching it.

[Crow Choker]

My son lent it to me one weekend and I watched it a couple of months ago, rate it a 5 out of ten. Not the best western movie to come down the pike, nor the worst. Too much 'dead space' IMO and actions by some that didn't make sense, ie the rancher going to protect his family by going out in the open to protect his family when they couldn't have been 25 yds from the cabin-bunch of other not make any sense actions/scenes. As far as Mogorilla's comment about being to long like a Kevin Costner film, well I think that idea is blown out of proportion by Hollyweird critics/other film makers that have been envious of Costner's success and just don't have any other thing to flap their jaws about. I like Costner's films, the longer the better, more bang for the buck. IMO a movie should be at least 2 hrs minimum, anything 1 1/2 hrs or less is just a overrated TV special without the adverts.

 I've always like Christian Bale's movies going way back to Treasure Island with Charlton Heston, but a lot of his seemly liberal outbursts reference America and its values is starting to wear on me. Same goes for Danny Glover who I loved his character in Lonesome Dove-evidently he drank the Kool-Aid and slipped to the darkside advocating socialism of the type ya see in Venezuela. Then there is the actor who always portrayed himself to love America and its historical values, military might and such since becoming a US citizen, ie Arnold "I'll be back" Scharzenegger. His con job of trying to convince of who he is, is evident in his recent comments of support for leftist liberal causes. That's the guy some wanted to change the Constitution for so a nonborn US citizen could be POTUS. Naming them all would cause this post to rival the 'War and Peace' novel in length. Just have a hard time watching some of these actors/actresses any more, refrain from shelling out greenbacks to support them and the movie industry due to their support for what I consider un-American activity and support for socialistic, leftist, communistic programs. Refrain from going to the theatre's and buying the DVD's. Some of these Hollyweird hero's you see on the screen in military, western, police theme'd movies are some of the biggest anti-2nd Amendment supporters on the planet. Check out their support for anti-gun politicians and groups. It's not just the AR's they want, they'd take your single action Colt and 73 Winchesters in a second, some have expressed publicly so. "They" claim their use of firearms in a movie is just a job related situation but express the belief that American citizens should not have the right to own any firearms.  Same goes for music industry, refuse to buy any CD's of the same ilk.

 Just my opinion, the Constitution still says I have the right to express it, if ever the mob rule that wants to take away that right ever does (God forbid), I'm going to continue to do so and will do so until their black boots come in the dark of night to try to stop me. I'm getting a little worn also by some of these actors, actresses, musicians, and others, coming to America, maybe becoming US citizens, and then speaking out against our government, history, Constitution, way of life, etc wanting to let it become the cesspool of the country they may have left. Millions of Americans fought, some died to protect their home countries and families from despots, then they come to America and tell we Americans how to be ruled and live. Doesn't cut it with me. Enough said (for now)!   

[Dave T]

Son, you need to learn to speak you mind and not hold back so much. (smile)

Dave

[Crow Choker]

Get on my soapbox once in a while  Thanks fer calling me son, makes me feel a young and spry 69 yr old!