Directed by:
Scott CooperCinematography:
Masanobu TakayanagiComposer:
Max RichterCast:
Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Ben Foster, Stephen Lang, Jesse Plemons, Adam Beach, Paul Anderson, Scott Shepherd, Bill Camp, Rory Cochrane (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Written and directed by Scott Cooper, Hostiles takes place in 1892 and tells the story of an Army Captain (Christian Bale) who reluctantly agrees to escort a dying Cheyenne chief (Wes Studi) and his family back to tribal lands. On the journey, they meet a widow (Rosamund Pike) whose family was murdered on the plains and offer their help. As the former rivals make their way from an isolated Army outpost in New Mexico to the grasslands of Montana, their relationship moves from antagonism to compassion, demonstrating humans’ capacity for change. (Entertainment in Video)
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Christian Bale is a sure bet for me, which was confirmed to me yet again. I had trouble sympathizing with the rancher family from the opening scene. If a bunch of people settled on my land and declared it their property, I wouldn't be open to discussion either, but Bale's racist Captain Blocker was excellent. The whole trip to Montana would have been mind-numbingly boring, but fortunately for the viewer and, unfortunately for those involved, it was disrupted by occasional violent events. The atmosphere was properly dismal, and the guardians of world democracy once again showed themselves in their true light, so I was almost completely satisfied. The only thing that spoiled my overall impression a little was the ending.
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Given how thoroughly this film analyzes the feelings of all of its characters, it quite underestimated the importance of the portrayal of Bale’s character and the chief becoming friends, which is a key element in the story exposition. That may be due to the final cut, which was supposed to make the film more accessible to a broader audience by shortening its runtime. I would stretch the first third into the first half and extend the runtime to 150 minutes. Hostiles is so captivating, emotional, and psychologically and intellectually engaging that it could have become the (anti-)western of the decade, depicting the fucked-up period of American history in question most aptly among all of its genre cousins. Each minute is an intense testament of loss, torment and sadness.
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Nontraditional western with almost philosophical contemplations about death. Mainly about the death of loved ones. In his role of a mumbling captain, Bale caught the right wave again, his torn soul shining in his eyes. In her supporting role, Rosamund Pike skillfully steals the strongest scenes for herself e.g. with the sleeping children and shooting the corpse. A story wrapped inside an almost ironical pilgrimage towards death also boasts amazing visuals. There could be more of Foster, he makes just a fleeting appearance. I was just doing my job.
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Hostiles is a harsh Western that relates the quest for mutual respect between two fighters on a politically oriented path (akin to Saving Private Ryan). Surprisingly, there are many parallels with another modern Western, 3:10 to Yuma, be it for the story structure, the similar atmosphere, or the starring of Christian Bale and Ben Foster. Otherwise, Hostiles follows its own slow-paced route and skilfully draws the audience in. Scott Cooper’s direction is flawless. The scene where Metz (Rory Cochrane) kneels in front of the chief’s tent would be incredibly clichéd if presented differently, but, thanks to the brilliant acting performance and the way Cooper directed, is, to my eyes, the highlight of the film. [KVIFF 2018]
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The first cinema experience of the year. Scott Cooper serves up a gritty adventure western with the Apache! Starring a solid Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike and Ben Foster. The film has a slower pace, but a very tense atmosphere, beautiful scenery, lots of disgusting maniacal Apaches who have no problem murdering an entire family and their children (the opening scene is very intense) and a great soundtrack. There are only four action scenes, but they are authentically filmed, with excellent sound design and very tense to the point of being breathless. This dead genre has been slowly reviving and gaining momentum for the last two years and that's only a good thing. 75%
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Photo © Waypoint Entertainment
![Hostiles - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/162/361/162361928_8291c0.jpg)
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