Hidalgo
Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: March 5, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
54
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 36 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
16
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
It's mostly quite enjoyable. Director Joe Johnson's many action sequences are lively and engaging, the location photography (mostly Morocco) is breathtaking, and both the horse and Sharif (in his biggest Hollywood role in years) are adorable. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
But if you do not have some secret place in your soul that still responds even a little to brave cowboys, beautiful princesses and noble horses, then you are way too grown up and need to cut back on cable news. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie Punter
The beautifully photographed film is quite stylized at times...But it manages to steer clear of the stereotypes one might expect of a movie set in this time and place, thanks in part to the underlying and, mostly, underplayed themes of spirituality and the search for identity. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
The movie's a veritable Viggo-a-go-go. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
After a slow start, it moves. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
There is enough compelling adventure, awesome cinematography and dynamic stunt work involving horses to keep one entertained by Hidalgo. Read full review
70
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Tells an old-fashioned boys' adventure yarn in an equally old-fashioned way. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyScott Foundas
Hidalgo can still be a wonder to behold, especially in its dynamic racing sequences, but the movie bogs down in its midsection with a needless kidnapping subplot that ultimately becomes quite tedious. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Hokey though it is, with a horse-hugger ending thrown in to boot, Hidalgo has a sweet-natured appeal that welcomes sentiment without overdoing it. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
This big-budget western bears a striking resemblance to the recent Tom Cruise vehicle "The Last Samurai," though it's more fun and less pretentious. Read full review
70
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
One rousing, if rote, adventure. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
A family film (albeit a mediocre one). Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
A sometimes stirring, sometimes preposterous movie. Read full review
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Performances are simple and complementary, and Hidalgo's potential death scene sustains suspense as much as is equinely possible. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Hidalgo is the first Middle East western. Read full review
63
PremiereSara Brady
Mortensen proves once again that he’s an able, even intuitive performer, more compelling speaking Lakota Sioux than many others in plain English. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Like most movies about men and horses, Hidalgo spares no expense in matters of corniness. Set in the 1890s, it's sort of a throwback movie, executed with the boyish kick of dusty old cowboy matinees. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
There is some lovely cinematography by Shelly Johnson in the classic David Lean style and plenty of excitement. Taken just for that, Hidalgo delivers. Read full review
60
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Mortensen nicely underplays his role, offhandedly tossing off one-liners and making the script's sometimes purple dialogue sound a little less cheesy, but the rest of the film often lurches into hammy overdrive. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
Fortunately, most of the malarkey in this movie seems intentional in the same Sunday-afternoon-serial way as the Indiana Jones movies (some of which Johnston worked on). Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Simplest of its charms is the opportunity to watch Mortensen adapt his charismatic demeanor of wary, taciturn soulfulness from that of a Middle-earth king-in-waiting to one fitting a half-Lakota horseman in 1890. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
Yet another version of the conscience-stricken white soldier Kevin Costner played in "Dances With Wolves" and the Indian killer-turned-noble warrior Tom Cruise gave us in "The Last Samurai." Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
You might expect "Seabiscuit" meets "Lawrence of Arabia," but overall, it's a big, beautiful bore. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
It's a bit of an oddball story, but surely there was a less plodding way to elaborate on it. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
While often diverting and physically impressive in an old-fashioned way, Hidalgo suffers from weird shifts in tone, offensively outdated stereotypes, a cumbersome subplot - and a supposedly fact-based story that bears only a nodding acquaintance with reality. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
The racing itself is entertaining enough, though it's not so mesmerizing as the shorter, more focused competition in the far-superior "Seabiscuit." Read full review
50
SalonCharles Taylor
The lost opportunity of Hidalgo isn't that it fails to live up to its potential for romantic adventure, but that it fails to dig into the romance between man and horse that's at the heart of the story. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The supporting cast is a riot of stock exotic characters, verging on the offensively stereotypical. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
An adventure that never met a cliche it couldn't saddle, mount and ride for a butt-numbing two hours and sixteen minutes. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Ultimately, Hidalgo won't win any movie races, but I'd definitely bet on the movie to show. Read full review
50
Village VoiceBenjamin Strong
The screwball antics recall "Cannonball Run" more than David Lean. Read full review
40
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
The much too long, primitively plotted family action adventure Hidalgo, directed by Joe Johnston, has a handful of well-handled sequences but, given the young audience the film is intended for, the picture may be like having to finish an entire pot of broccoli to get a couple of jelly beans for dessert. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
This movie needs a star performance at its center, and the director, Joe Johnston, doesn't seem to know it. His closeups dote on Mr. Mortensen's striking face, and on the actor's interesting inwardness, but he doesn't ask for, or find, the sort of zest that could turn laconic into romantic.
40
EmpireOlly Richards
Ultimately, Hidalgo falls down due to a neglect of basic story elements -- anonymous villains, a hero with no clear goal other than money, love interests who sound alternately gin-sodden and lobotomised -- and after a brief burst of energy staggers home at a mild limp. Read full review
30
Washington PostDesson Thomson
If it weren't for Sharif's extraordinary presence, there wouldn't be a cherishable moment in the movie. Read full review
30
Film ThreatPhil Hall
Nothing more than a big old chunk of horse poop. Read full review
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