Hidalgo (2004) - More respectable than rousing

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Stars, swordplay and horseback riding allures from this sand-colored poster for Joe Johnston's Hidalgo

The true story of a mixed-race American master horseman's participation in a race through the Arabian desert.

 

Hidalgo is written by John Fusco (Crossroads (1986)) and directed by Joe Johnston (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)).

It is a handsomely produced major picture with skillful production design and good-looking pictures (cinematography by Shelly Johnson (Captain America: The First Avenger (2011))). But alas, no-one stands particularly out from the cast, and neither romance, the horses nor the race are extremely beguiling.

 

Related posts:

  

Joe Johnston: 2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

The Wolfman (2010) - Johnston's luxurious, effects-driven remake 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 100 mil. $

Box office: 108 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 1.08 times its cost)

[Hidalgo premiered 17 February (Texas Film Festival) and runs 136 minutes. Viggo Mortensen (Daylight (1996)) was paid 2 mil. $ for his performance. Shooting took place from August 2002 - ? in Morocco, Montana, South Dakota, Oklahoma and in California. Mortensen bought one of the horses in the film after shooting, and Fusco bought the main stunt horse. The film opened #3, behind holdover hit The Passion of the Christ and fellow new release Starsky & Hutch, to a 18.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#4) and grossed 67.3 mil. $ (62.3 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Spain with 7.5 mil. $ (6.9 %) and Germany with 4.2 mil. $ (3.9 %). Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. The film's claim to a true story is debated. Johnston returned with The Wolfman (2010). Mortensen returned in A History of Violence (2005). Hidalgo is rotten at 46 % with a 5.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Hidalgo? 

The 13th Warrior (1999) - McTiernan and Co. sink with oversized Muslim hero adventure

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+ Biggest Career-Killer of the Year: John McTiernan + Costliest Flop of the Year: 95.36 mil. $ range

Star Antonio Banderas look hostile under an iron shirt on this menacing poster for John McTiernan's The 13th Warrior

An 11th century Arab becomes the 13th warrior in a Viking's raid North, where among other things they are faced with a man-eating tribe...

 

The 13th Warrior is written by William Wisher (Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)) and Warren Lewis (Black Rain (1989)), adapting the novel Eaters of the Dead (1976) by Michael Crichton (Prey (2002)), and directed by New-Yorker master filmmaker John McTiernan (Nomads (1985)), whose 9th feature it is, with Crichton directing uncredited re-shoots.

The film features impressive sets and props and good practical effects, but they cannot salvage a fundamentally unexciting film. Antonio Banderas' (Of Love and Shadows (1994)) lead character never means a thing to us as audiences, - and one wonders how on earth the executives backing the film could bet this big on an Arab hero, who time and again praises Allah and the prophet Muhammed?

The Vikings never become more than raw, granite-cut he-men, who often laugh good-spiritedly together without apparent reason. The 13th Warrior is a sad chapter in McTiernan's career.

 
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John McTiernan: 1999 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) - McTiernan gives the third Die Hard a shot of New York-set adrenaline

Top 10: Best cop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Top 10: The best adaptations reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Top 10: The best action movies reviewed by Film Excess to date

Die Hard (1988) - McTiernan's action masterpiece 

Watch a 2-minute clip from the film here

 

Cost: Reported 160 mil. $ - including marketing however

Box office: 61.6 mil. $

= Some uncertainty; at least a huge flop and possibly even a mega-flop (returned between 0.38 - 0.56 times its cost)

[The 13th Warrior was released 13 August (Portugal) and runs 103 minutes. Shooting took place from June - November 1997 in British Columbia, including Vancouver, with re-shoots in 1998. Test screenings were disastrous, and the film was deemed 'unwatchable'. A new score and new shoots were planned. The budget had gone from 85 mil. $ to 100 mil. during principal photography and would now rocket up to 160 mil. $. - Though this is a figure that reportedly includes the film's unknown marketing budget, normally not included in a film's cost figure. The final cost for the film could very well be 'just' 110-120 mil. $. The film opened #2, behind holdover hit The Sixth Sense, to a 10.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weekends in the top 3 (#3-#3) and grossed 32.6 mil. $ (52.9 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert gave the film a 1.5/4 star review, translating to a notch under this one. Financially it was the biggest flop of 1999, losing upwards of 129 mil. $. Veteran star Omar Sharif, who plays a part in the film, in 2003 called the experience "humiliating" and called the final film "so bad that it is not even worth exploring." McTiernan returned with Rollerball (2002). Banderas returned in The White River Kid (1999). The 13th Warrior is rotten at 33 % with a 4.70/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The 13th Warrior?

Monsieur Ibrahim/Monsieur Ibrahim et les Fleurs du Coran (2003) - Actors shine in Dupeyron's sincere coming-of-age drama

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+ Best Adaptation of the Year + Best Coming-of-age Movie of the Year + Best Paris Movie of the Year

A teenage boy and veteran star Omar Sharif walk in a street on this poster for François Dupeyron's Monsieur Ibrahim

Momo is a Jewish teenage boy in 1960s Paris, where he lives with his depression-plagued father in a prostitution street, as he develops a strong bond to the local shopkeeper, the Muslim monsieur Ibrahim.

Monsieur Ibrahim is written and directed by great French filmmaker François Dupeyron (Drôle d'Endroit pour une Rencontre (1988)), based on the same-titled novel by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt (The Sect of the Egoists/La Secte des Égoïstes (1994)) and his screenplay based on it, entitled Coran.
It is an erotic coming-of-age drama with distinguished acting from Pierre Boulanger (Road Games (2015)) portraying the lovely boy Momo and from Omar Sharif (Mother/588 rue Paradi (1991)), who gives life to the wise, vivacious title character, which would have served as an exceptional end, had Sharif chosen to retire after it. (He instead had another 17 acting credits left in him.) Gilbert Melki (Mr. Average/Comme Tout le Monde (2006)) is also good as the reserved father.
There's much more to the film here than one thinks upon first sight. It has handsome, sensual photography (by Rémy Chevrin (Delicacy/La Délicatesse (2011))) and lots of wonderful music. 
Monsieur Ibrahim is truly touching, a film with (almost) everything, and surely among the year's best.

 

Related posts:

 

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch a trailer for the film here - regrettably without subtitles

Cost: 5.3 mil. €, approximately 6.31 mil. $
Box office: 12.3 mil. $
= Big flop (returned 1.94 times its cost)
[Monsieur Ibrahim premiered 29 August (Venice Film Festival) and runs 95 minutes. Shooting took place in Turkey. The film opened #50 to a 53k $ first weekend in North America, where it peaked at #24 and in 92 theaters (different weeks), grossing 2.8 mil. $ (22.8 % of the total gross). The film's biggest market was Germany with 3.5 mil. $ (28.5 %). North America was the 2nd biggest, and Italy was 3rd biggest with 2.2 mil. $ (17.9 %). The film was nominated for a Golden Globe, won a César award, was nominated for a Goya, won a National Board of Review award and a prize in Venice, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch harder than this one. Dupeyron returned with Inguélézi (2004). Sharif returned in Hidalgo (2004). Monsieur Ibrahim is certified fresh at 85 % with a 7.02/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Monsieur Ibrahim?