Hidalgo (2004)

Do you ever find yourself starting up a movie only to realize that you have already seen it? Almost always when I do this, I stop the movie once I recall how it goes, for it turns out I have not remembered seeing it because it is not worth watching. But, on a few occassions, I let it continue to play, saying to myself, "I don't remember this being a horrible movie, and since I've already seen it, I will only watch until I can't bear it any longer." Each time this happens, I end up watching the whole movie and thoroughly enjoy myself. Hidalgo is one of those movies.
I guess I should not have been too surprised as I am a big fan of Viggo Mortenson. Combined with the fact that I really appreciate movies where non-English speakers use their own languages as appropriate. The Sioux speak Sioux and the Bedouins speak Arabic and the movie is much better for it. Oh, and it doesn't hurt when one of those Bedouins is Omar Freakin' Sharif.
Misters Mortenson and Sharif aside, the real star of this movie is the horse. The filmmakers did an excellent job of giving him scenes where he appears to be thinking human thoughts and shows us this through human-like expressions and that knowing look.
Lest you think I'm all about the hunks and horses, Zuleikha Robinson who plays Sharif's daughter is outstanding playing the outspoken princess who disagrees with many of the customs of her people, but will not outright break them. Louise Lombard who I am quite fond of from her days on CSI and that one episode of NCIS, where they were launching NCIS: LA. Hmm, maybe that was a two-parter. It's nice to see Lombard actually get to act using her real accent and to play such a deliciously evil character to boot.
Sure, this movie is predictable and I don't just mean because I had already seen it. But, that's okay. It's a well-made movie, that tells a good story and does it in a manner that will not offend your sensibilities or your sense of decorum.

Hidalgo on IMDB