Review of Hostiles (2017) by Thomas D — 28 Jan 2018

I've never quite been able to grasp what it is about Scott Cooper's films that make them very good but not great. With all 4 of his feature films (Crazy Heart, Out of the Furnace, Black Mass, and now Hostiles) he has great scripts, talented actors, and a knack for directing hard hitting drama. But it's difficult to put my finger on what's missing from them. All of the aforementioned films I have given solid reviews too, but I've never been blown away by anything Cooper does. It could very well just be that he hasn't had his Oscar caliber film yet. But it also could be that his movies tend to lack one particularly important aspect, heart.

Hostiles is a harsh take on the mostly dead genre of western filmmaking. I myself love a good western, as they often exemplify a good vs evil story that can rival the best that storytelling has to offer. And they're even better when the lines of good and evil are blurred entirely. When Hostiles shines most, is when its characters are forced to make decisions that go against everything and anything you thought they stood for, making for impressively effective character beats.

Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Ben Foster, Stephen Lang, and Jesse Plemons are among this tremendously well-rounded cast. And clearly, the highlight of the film is the acting, particularly, Studi and Bale. It's not necessarily a story you haven't seen - a man going against his world beliefs to help the very people he has sworn for years to go against/kill - but it's never a story I'm going to deny seeing. Bale plays the conflicted Army Captain, Joseph Blocker, forced to escort a Cheyenne Chief (Studi) and his family to their home. The Dynamic gets more complicated when we find out there's a history between the two (not seen on camera) that gives them both reason to want to kill each other. It's that very dynamic that carries the movie from beginning to end.

It's a similar plot to 3:10 to Yuma, also a Bale led Western about a man escorting a criminal to a certain place, but Hostiles is a far more brutal affair of violence, betrayal, and other things that are often found in this bloody genre. Even if there could be a helluva lot more heart and weight to the turning points or big moments, I was enthralled with Hostiles because of its unforgettable visuals and breathtaking performances.

8.5/10.