Review of Hostiles (2017) by Tvjerry — 01 Feb 2018

As I watched these actors slowly plodding through their perilous journey on horseback, I pondered the tedium of travelling at that pace. Ironically, it became an analogy for the movie, which moves very slowly, with generous pauses and lovely scenery.

Christian Bale plays a rugged, closed-down Army Captain in the Wild West of the late 1800s. He's assigned to escort a Cheyenne chief to his family home. Along the way, he encounters a woman, who's alone after her family was slaughtered by Comanches.

Their trek not only presents numerous challenges, but engenders discussion from several angles about race and humankind's cruelty. The performances are earnest, esp. Bale's stolid soldier. There are compelling moments of emotional impact and philosophical contemplation, but it requires patience to appreciate the film's complex moral arguments and quiet revelations.