User reviews

This movie won't be for everyone. It's dark, fairly "slow" paced, and at times brutal. But at it's core, this movie is about forgiveness -- and for me, it rang true and was emotionally impactful. Christian Bale is in top form here, and his performance as well as the rest of the cast is great. It's beautifully shot and the score is haunting and harrowing. Well directed and worth watching -- just don't expect this to be a fast paced thrilling Western. It's not heavy on plot -- it's more thematic.

Christian Bale is absolutely tremendous, delivering a quietly intense performance in this brutal revisionist Western that carefully (yet incisively) examines the consequences of a merciless cycle of hatred that only dehumanizes people and turns them into beasts and monsters.

Hostiles is a quite interesting western that convinces with stunning landscapes, intriguing characters and strong acting performances. The movie has a quite slow pace, so don't expect a vivid American or Italian western from the fifties and sixties. This movie is a drama above all, situated in a historically intriguing period between the American Civil War and the emergency of the Industrial Revolution.

The story revolves around Captain Joseph Blocker, who has lost many friends and brothers in arms in battles against Apaches and who openly despises them. He tracks them down pitilessly and tells himself that he is doing his duty while people around him start becoming depressed and disillusioned. One day, a colonel gives him a final order before his retirement,direct from the President. Joseph Blocker must escort a dying Cheyenne Chief, his personal arch enemy, as well as his family back to their tribal lands as a sign of reconciliation with the First Nations. The captain, who has always obeyed orders, is about to refuse but is menaced and forced to cooperate. He gathers a few faithful brothers in arms and must also cooperate with some inexperienced rookies around him to go on this dangerous trip. On the way from New Mexico to Montana, the unusual group faces numerous challenges as they face difficult weather conditions, a hostile Comanche party and racist landowners among others. They are joined by numerous other intriguing characters such as a mentally unstable woman who has lost her entire family to the Apaches and a former brother in arms of the captain who is about to be hanged. However, their biggest challenge is to fight their inner demons and overcome their differences in order to survive in hostile territory.

The movie finds the right balance between violent sequences that focus on the witnesses' reactions rather than graphic elements and clever dialogues between the diversified cast of characters. The most fascinating character is Captain Joseph Blocker, who seems to be a pitiless racist at first sight but who turns out to be a man with a strong moral compass who goes through a coming-of-age on this fateful journey and ends up not only forgiving the Indians for killing his partners but even empathizing and sympathizing with them, ending up defending them beyond duty. His positive development exemplifies the difficult relationship between European settlers and America's First Nations and is ultimately a sign of forgiveness, hope and peace. This positive moral contrasts the quite sinsiter mood of the film with an elevated body count and sensitive topics such as depression, revenge and suicide as many characters shatter under the burden of the challenging order.

Hostiles is a film that needs some patience and time to unfold but ends up being particularly rewarding thanks to the strong moral behind the sinister mask. Christian Bale, one of the world's greatest actors, even delivers the best performance of his career as tough anti-hero with just as many flaws as strengths. Above all, Hostiles is a film that is profoundly human, in all its sickening darkness interrupted by some rays of light. The perfect ending exemplifies this mixture perfectly. Western and drama fans should experience this film at the cinema and fans of Christian Bale just can't get around this movie either. Hollywood should produce more westerns and less superhero movies.

"Sometimes I envy the finality of death. The certainty. And I have to drive those thoughts away when I wake." Rosalie Quaid (Rosamund Pike)

Although Quaid's words might well be the anthem of this brutal, quiet, moving 1892 western, they harbinger the death of the Wild West and the birth of justice and equality as whites and Native Americans abandon slowly the death that brought little peace to either side. Appropriately the tone in unremittingly grave, and rightly so, for the film illustrates the wages of racism as well as any contemporary screed could try to do.

Writer/director Scott Cooper, who knows a thing or two about the passing of time and custom with his poignant Crazy Heart, drives home the loss of the Indian's world, the cost to the US troops, and the bereft families on each side. Captain Joe Blocker (Christian Bale), a legendary anti-Native American fighter, is charged with escorting Cheyenne war chief Yellow Hawk (Wes Studi), also a killer, and his family from New Mexico to his home in Montana, where the government determined he should be allowed to die.

Cooper is at his best filming landscapes occasionally punctuated with John-Ford-like door framed shots and themes of abduction and reconciliation. The threats along the way are external and internal, often soldiers just as culpable as the "savages" they hunt. Joe is a man on a mission to bring justice against the Indians, but like the times he's in, it is time to change to benevolence as the end of the century approaches and a kinder world of connection and cooperation begins, slowly and surely, like the film. The appreciation for a person regardless of race, is Cooper's ultimate aim. In ways, this Western is reminiscent of the revisionist Dances with Wolves, both of whose slow pace, almost at time painful, is reflective change's pace.

Cooper's shots are generous to the beautiful faces, from Mrs. Quaid's lovely and the stoically-contemplative Joe's to the chief's landscaped leather. The ensemble is first rate, especially the feisty Ben Foster as Sgt. Charles Wills. The landscapes? well, look at Ford's and feel his tradition.

Greetings again from the darkness. When a filmmaker is influenced by one of the all-time classics, that filmmaker best deliver a movie that not only stands up to inevitable comparisons, but also one that has its own identity, playing as more than a copy. Writer/director Scott Cooper (from a manuscript by the late Oscar winner Donald E Stewart) succeeds on both counts even as he tips his Stetson to John Ford's western classic THE SEARCHERS.

If you are familiar with Mr. Cooper's CRAZY HEART and OUT OF THE FURNACE, then you know his style is never hurried, and to expect minimal dialogue. You might think of him as the anti-Aaron Sorkin. Cooper's characters tend to only say what must be said, and prefer to communicate through subtle gestures and actions that define their character. In this latest, he re-teams with Oscar winner Christian Bale, who plays the quietly simmering Captain Blocker. It's 1892, and the legendary Army officer/soldier/guide is ordered to escort a Cheyenne Chief and his family through dangerous and unchartered New Mexico territory, so that the Chief may die in peace in his native Valley of the Bears, Montana. During a career of brutal warfare against the Native Americans, Captain Blocker has developed a deep-seeded hatred, and only accepts the assignment after his pension is threatened.

The opening sequence immediately immerses us in the constant danger faced during this era. Rosamund Pike watches as her homesteading family is brutally slaughtered by Comanche warriors. She survives only by escaping into the woods, although it's a bit of stretch to believe that this homemaker marm could outwit the Comanches. Circumstances find Ms. Pike's traumatized character (the actress's go-to wide-eyed look) joining and complicating Captain Blocker's convoy.

Wes Studi plays Chief Yellow Hawk, and the film's only weakness is in his not having a more substantive role, as we are teased a couple of times with nuanced exchanges between he and Bales' Blocker. The stellar supporting cast includes Rory Cochrane, Jonathan Majors, John Benjamin Hickey, Stephen Lang, Bill Camp, Jesse Plemons, Timothy Chalamet, Adam Beach, Peter Mullan, and Scott Wilson. Ben Foster also appears as an Army soldier accused of murder ... another addition to the convoy, as he is to be escorted to prison.

The somber film follows this traveling party as they move slowly and methodically across the open plains and wilderness. There are no moments of levity, as death and danger are constantly hovering. No real reason for optimism exists, and surviving the day is the only goal. Despite the appearance of little happening, there is much going on here for the characters and in commentary on the times. At its core, the story is about Blocker's reclamation of his soul and humanity; although redemption may not be possible as he recalls Julius Caesar and getting used to killing, but not to losing men.

Political correctness is avoided in many scenes, though the message is clear that the hatred between the Native Americans and the mostly Anglo settlers and soldiers stems from the unethical seizure of land by violent force. Amends are not possible even with a change of heart. It's in these moments where we desire a more in-depth look at the various native factions.

Cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi works with some amazing vistas, landscapes and rock formations. He deftly balances the breathtaking beauty of the land with the intimacy of the mission. There is a relentless undercurrent of simmering emotion throughout the film, much of which comes courtesy of Christian Bale. Sporting a mustache to rival Poirot, Bale is remarkably adept at silently expressing disgust, rage, resolve and resignation. His groans and grunts convey as much as soliloquies for many actors. While he feels remorse and seeks redemption, we are left with the not-especially-upbeat message that we are what we are.

I'm disappointed at the low score and wannabe critics tearing this film apart politically, morally and historically.

This is not your typical Hollywood production, but instead, a very touching and beautiful film.

This is Scott Cooper's 4th film he both directed and wrote, and he nailed it. I hope to see much more from him in this caliber, and he is the one to watch as his resume grows.

This film was near perfect in every category. If the pace was a little faster and/or perhaps the 134 min length a little shorter, it would have been a perfect 10/10 from me.

It's been a while since I've seen a film so perfectly cast - all cast, ever single one of them, and they all performed just as great, especially Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike, who both were exceptional in their roles.

If you're expecting a wild west action Western, this isn't it. But if you want to see a near perfect film the way they used to be made, this is a gem. Ignore the negative reviews and just watch it. Would I see it again? Yes. Would I recommend it? Absolutely.

A well deserved 9/10 from me and mad props to Scott Cooper for this beautiful gem of a film.

Deep and long simmering hatred is stirred up when Captain Blocker, an experienced and capable yet bitter western war veteran, is ordered to lead the transfer of a small band of Cheyenne from New Mexico to Montana. Blocker is enraged because the band includes Yellow Hawk, the killer of his friends. Forced to go, Blocker puts Yellow Hawk in chains for the long ride. The unlikely travel companions meet up with a grief-stricken woman in the burnt remains of her home. She cradles a dead baby in her arms and hovers on the brink of insanity. Worse, the unstable and dangerous men who massacred the woman's family are now on their trail. Sympathy for the woman as well as the desire for self-preservation begins to unite the Cheyenne and the soldiers.

There are wonderful film themes to digest including the understanding that hostility can come from anywhere or anyone. We are all potential hostiles. It is a sight for sore eyes to watch the characters travel through beautiful prairies and wildlands. Actors including Chistian Bale, Wes Studi and Rosamund Pike, perform impressively. While the actor chemistry is a bit off and much time is wasted in useless blubbering, there is an uncommon, important and intriguing American history lesson here. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Scott Cooper's 'Hostiles' is a poetic film, that explores life & death with gut-wrenching violence & a hard-hitting narrative. This isn't an easy watch & nor does it want to be. Its a film about hate, divide & circumstances, & Cooper along-with leading-man Christian Bale, deliver a deeply affecting & meditative experience.

'Hostiles' follows a U.S. Cavalry officer (Bale) who must escort a Cheyenne war chief (A Fantastic Wes Studi) and his family back to their home in Montana in 1892.

'Hostiles' is about people haunted by their past & their actions towards one-another. Every character here, be it the protagonist, or the characters around him, are unsettled & victims of hate & hatred. This is a story about people who want to question their hate for one-another, but are unable to, due to their given circumstances. This is a human story & the sheer brutality here depicts a side of humanity we all are aware off. Its told with honesty, albeit, with gut-wrenching aggression.

Scott Cooper is in top-form this time around. 'Hostiles' is a slow-moving, poetic piece, that sees the filmmaker in strong command. Cooper captures the bleakness & conflict, with remarkable understanding. Cooper's Vision is astonishingly captured by Cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi, who paints 'Hostiles' into a visual marvel. Takayanagi's Camerawork is meditative & skillful to the point of perfection. Editing by Tom Cross adapts perfectly to the film's pace & offers sharpness overall. Art & Costume Design are pitch-perfect. Max Richter's Score is beautiful.

Performance-Wise: Christian Bale delivers a knockout performance. As the conflicted & haunted Cavalry officer, Bale portrays the part with rare conviction. Its no new fact that Bale is among our greats, but 'Hostiles' shows us a side of his that may have just put him up there, right next to the all-time screen giants. What a wonderfully nuanced performance by Bale. Of the rest of the cast, Wes Studi portrays his complex part fantastically. Rosamund Pike is restrained. She's controlled & believable all through. Jesse Plemons is solid, as always. Ben Foster plays a yet another unlikable character, with the perfect blend of menace & insanity. Rory Cochrane is first-rate. Timothée Chalamet makes a very brief appearance, yet he does his bit nicely. Stephen Lang, again in a cameo, is outstanding! Others lend good support.

On the whole, 'Hostiles' demands a viewing on the strength of its sheer merits. Don't Miss This One!

If the film Hostiles demonstrates anything, it demonstrates how truly brutal the Indian wars in America were. Set after the Wounded Knee massacre which occured in 1890 that is generally by historians considered to mark the end of said wars apparently there were still hostile Indians to deal with.

In 1892 as a gesture of humanity none other than Benjamin Harrison prsident of the United States of America orders that the terminally ill chief of the Cheyennes who was captured and in prison be returned home to die. Wes Studi is accompanied by his family and accompanying them is an army detail commanded by Captain Christian Bale on the eve of his retirement.

As a given it is established that both these men did some pretty brutal things in the war that could be called atrocities. Studi however with his meeting with his Maker just on the horizon is more mellow. When things start Bale is a hostile as ever.

Along the way the patrol also picks up Rosamund Pike whose family was recently massacred by some final Comanche holdouts. Having recently had to bury four of her family, she's got fresh reasons for her hostility.

It's quite an odyssey that Bale, Studi, and Pike and the rest go on. In fact that choice of words isn't just by chance this is a journey where people's character is tested and not everyone makes it. If you're expecting a treatment of the US Cavalry like a John Ford film, Hostiles is definitely not it.

The pace is slow, almost agonzingly at times and for some reason the director had people mumbling their dialog and it was hard to here. But Hostiles is beautifully photographed and words alone don't tell this story.

Quite the epic western, Hostiles.

You have to be a certain type of person to appreciate this utter masterpiece, the only reason why it's 7.2 on IMDB and the predictable, trendy, masses pleasing big budget films that the big studios spit out are rated higher.

If you are a sheep don't watch it you won't appreciate it, if you have something about you and you are seeking perspective, I'll say again, this film is nothing short of a filmmaking artistic masterpiece..

Now whether you enjoy 'award bait' films like no country for old men or The revenant will impact what you make of this movie. But 2 things are objective facts. The acting is phenomenal and the use of sound and cinematography are exceptional.

Despite the slow 2nd and 3rd act, the film is likely to win most viewers over with the final showdown and closing scenes which lead the viewer too look at the film from a more symbolic perspective.

This is not an action film, nor is it a revenge film. It is a film about the pointlessness of racial tension, grieving and PTSD. But boy is it well done.

Many reviewing Hostiles have chosen to seize upon avenues to criticize the film. Most common is the unfortunate chronological error where the Presidential order directing the mission was signed by Benjamin Harrison. This places the story in the period of 1889 to 1893, years too late to make sense.

Such a mistake is lamentable. The time period of the story would have ideally taken place from 1879 to 1880, when Rutherford Hayes was President, and the United States had largely defeated hostile tribes in the southwest and northern plains, but would be before the establishment of the railroad lines in New Mexico. This would have necessitated the pack mule excursion to Montana. It also would have allowed sufficient time to pass, given the references to Wounded Knee (1873) and Little Big Horn (1876), for the bitter memories to start to recede and allow the reflections shown in the movie to take place.

However, a fair review of this movie must avoid getting bogged down in historical minutia and instead focus on the story, because it is very poignant.

In many ways, this movie is to be congratulated for avoiding the modern day political traps that permeate so much of entertainment today.

The opening scene is brutal and forms the core of the story. A band of renegades attack a settlement home and leave a gash of misery in their wake. But, that is the coda of what the protagonists deal with, past chapters of great violence in a collision of hostile cultures.

The isolated acts of violence that happen later are as much a cleaning up of past deeds and a completion of the catharsis of reconciliation.

This movie is an immersion into the psyche of those who carry out acts of wartime violence, in a fight for survival, and how they try to retain their sanity and civility. As the story shows, some handle it better than others. None escape without deep scars.

There is a second theme that runs throughout the movie, ignorant people at the beginning and the end, attempting to lodge their persuasion onto the protagonists. None of these men suffered the wartime violence, but instead try to insert an empty moralizing, or attempt to enact their selfish will despite the clear Presidential mandate to allow the mission to proceed.

The reporter at the start of the film is silenced through humiliation. The second group at the end of the film meets a more lasting end. And at the end, we are left with shared misery among the few survivors, who try to bravely go on with what is left good to cling to.

Christian Bale is masterful in this movie. It is sad that his performance was not properly recognized.

Ultimately, this is a story of redemption, and in that regard it mirrors what took place over generations in America. A clash of survival ending with one side defeated, while both sides had to reconcile the shared experience of brutality. It avoids political finger-pointing, and in that regard strikes the proper degree of respect for both sides in this American struggle. It is a welcome addition to Hollywood's collection of period movies.

What I liked

Bale, Pike and Studi put in very solid and believeable performances in this grittly realistic western. It started out very well with an intriguing story and I had high hopes it would build into a good story.

What I liked less

About half way through the story rather fizzles out into a damp squib. You have, strong characters (Bale/Pike/Studi) that become lost in search of a credible storyline for them. E.g bad indians/native americans who are out to murder all. They are first a threat, then found dead with no real explanation.

Other white guys come up to similarly to murder based on racism and throw in a military prisoner due for execution just for a bit of random WTF! .

This is where the film goes wrong (in my not humble opinion) in stead of telling a western story, it starts to go off on to some lecture on racism/equality and diversity and mental health - or something, or perhaps it just rambles on !

It's watchable but spoils itself . 6.5/10

Would I watch it again ? No Worth the price of a cinema ticket ? No.

This movie presents such a relentlessly politically correct script, that if you aren't attracted by such scripts, you might want to spend your movie bucks elsewhere.

Basically, the story amounts to a backward projection of 21st century politics and 21st century stereotypes into a late 19th century setting.

There are good things in this movie, to be sure: lovely western depictions, solid cinematography, strong acting performances, and some powerful and tender moments.

But the movie is drenched with such incredible, anachronistic dialog and plot lines that the film's good side is simply overwhelmed by the ham-fisted PC story.

John Ford felt that when you do a Western "the scenery is always your co- star". The size of Masanobu Takayangi's vision really is the star of Hostiles. Such breath taking cinematography puts the butchery going on in proper perspective. You sit there asking yourself one question; "Isn't this country big enough for all those people murdering each other down below?". Hats off to Takayangi's vision...Oscar worthy!

This is a dark moody movie that does an excellent job of capturing a tired soldiers last foray into soldiering. More plot detail is not really necessary and would be a spoiler. Just let this movie unfold and enjoy.

The movie does a great job of portraying both sides of the conflict and making everyone human. If not for a few moments where the characters go off preaching PC politics I'd rated this an 8 or 9. Those moments took me completely out of the movie and it took some time to get back into the story. If I wanted to get preached at I'd turn on CNN or a televangelist.

Outside of that the story unfolds in a captivating way. The characters seem real and are people you generally like or at least can understand. This is a rare hollywood movie where the action is actually exciting instead the so over the top as to be comedic efforts that Hollywood tends to produce over the last decade.

Came here to write a review, then realised that beauty and importance of this movie needs to be experienced.

This is the movie that you feel in your heart and soul. And it stays with you... Christian Bale. What an actor. My intelligence hurts from the fact that this man hasn't won Oscar for this role. That this movie is soo underrated yet deserves so much attention and praise, way more than he got it.

Rosamund Pike. What a woman. What a performance.

Wes Studi. Amazing cast.

To the people who still didn't watch this movie I recommend it highly.

You will find yourself in the exact place that you need to be. The question is are you brave enough to stay there... All my love, admiration and respect to Christian Bale.

When this first released in cinemas, I knew it would either fall in the category of A) amazing film with lots of nuance, or B) utterly forgettable drama which happens to have nice mountains in it. However, you show me Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike in a Western (not forgetting Jesse Plemons and Timothee Chalamet), I will watch it. In hindsight, I should have trusted the critic's reviews over the public, because "Hostiles" ruins a promising beginning with a formulaic story of acceptance.

Joseph Blocker (Christian Bale) is an Army Captain on the verge of retirement, forced to escort a captive Cheyenne chieftain and his family through backcountry USA to his homeland. Blocker is a true believer that Native Americans are a plague on the land, and my god Bale is good at being an intimidating figure when he wants to be. However, you can see early on that Bale's escort party is so rigid in its makeup: one avid racist alongside him, a naive younger soldier, his trusted footman and a self-doubting second-in-command. You can see from a mile off that Blocker's character is going to begin to accept the Cheyenne as the story trundles along, and this is such a disappointing plot device.

The film opens so well - Rosalee Quaid (Rosamund Pike) sees her family gunned down by a ruthless Native American hunting party, and she scrambles through the forest clutching the body of her dead child. For some reason, they put music over this scene (even though the sounds of gunfire and screaming should have been the soundtrack) - this early discrepancy alerted me that some strange decisions may be made in how this film was produced. This was confirmed when, having watched the entire of this 134-minute film, I realised Pike's character was wholly inconsequential to the plot. Any time a film has to use a big name to fill a void, there must be something wrong with the source material.

Director Scott Cooper is someone known for producing big-potential but fairly underwhelming films: "Black Mass" with Johnny Depp was an anonymous piece of cinema, and his previous project with Bale ("Out Of The Furnace") actually made a loss at the box office. "Hostiles" is just a bit predictable, a bit boring, and a bit of a misfire in a genre that so often does well for itself. At least you can say the cast was strong - even if not a lot else was worth watching for.

I really wanted to love this movie: I like the genre, the scenery is beautiful, some of the conversation is interesting and thought-provoking, and Bale gives a really strong performance. Honestly, he carried the movie, I don't think I would have continued on without him.

Which brings me to my complaint...The movie starts off very strong & promising, but, as other reviewers have mentioned, it kind of starts to fizzle out from there. It feels as though it loses its vision/direction and doesn't know what it wants to be or what it wants to do. The end result is that the second half feels like random, disjointed happenings, just kind of put together, and ultimately, in the end, it simply just doesn't deliver thematically.

I'd still say it's worth watching, but it had the potential to be a lot better. 6 out of 10 for me.

Forget the talk of the film being slow, this isn't an action film or an old school shoot 'em up western, anyone looking for that should search elsewhere. Whilst there some great action scenes, where hostiles excels is in setting the tone for an early American world where law and order rest of gun power. The cinematography is exceptional, meanwhile Christian Bale is superb playing a army captain who is seemingly tough and unflinching but shows an undertone of melancholy, Rosamunde Pike pulls of a great performance as a woman thrust into the ugly world of war and anarchy by a brutal attack on her family home, a scene is exceptional and unapologetically shocking. Overall the film is about the futility of trying to civilise a wild land built on violence, and about the tragedy and the sheer pointlessness of conflict against fellow man.

Hostiles opened with a BANG! Or, more accurately, a THWUSH! Early in the first sequence - before I so much as had a chance to rip the cellophane off my Raisinetes box - we were forced to watch as a mother cried over the remains of her barbarically murdered offspring. This was sort of a chickenshit way of getting us to empathize and build a connection to a protagonist (and the second time a movie has pulled that stunt this weekend) but it's certainly effective. It was a great way of catching us up and letting us taste the hatred and pain that rested on the tongues of everyone encompassed in this story.

There was a lot to like about this movie, particularly in the first act: the characterization was riveting, the acting was strong on all fronts, and they did a remarkable job at giving us an honest look at how bigotry and hatred can manifest in people and groups, without judging or excusing either side for their prejudices. While the first act was strong, and the setting of this story was ripe with dramatic potential, the second half of the movie stalled, making the movie, as a whole, OK at best.

Like most road trip movies, this one simply ran out of things to do while on the journey. Partly due to the fact that this film was a good 40 minutes too long - most of which consisted of quiet establishing shots of horseback trotting and sitting outside of makeshift tents in silence. At one point a side character pulls out a mandolin and plays a folk song in its entirety. It was also partly due to the fact that this films idea of conflict and resolution were things like having their greatest external threat eliminated by showing two good guys give each other a covert look and then just cutting to the bad guys hanging from a tree in the next scene.

This film had a great sensibility and it rallied in the closing minutes, but like all of writer/director Scott Cooper's work, there's a much better version of this movie resting on the cutting-room floor.

Prescriptions For another movie about the struggles of staying alive in that time period: Watch The Revenant.

For a movie dealing with the modern day Native American struggle: Watch this years Wind River.

Excellent acting (of course by Bale and Pike and their chemistry; but also by the entire crew), beautiful variety of scenery and smart music score. After reading other reviews, i thought it would not meet expectations; however, Hostiles did not disappoint. It was a well paced journey (left my wife and i wanting more), with authentic fight scenes and sounds; as well as interesting relationships and lessons in duty, sacrifice and care. Suspenseful, adventurous, romantic, emotional and dramatic; better than nearly all of the old 1940s and 1950s westerns; and more classy than the most of the post-Wayne, Stewart, and Scott ones. Unlike many that story line is primarily about revenge or some criminal motive; Hostiles is about a mission and survival.

This film is well written, exceptionally acted, yet somewhat boring. It is also a little gory BUT the gore is rooted in historical accuracy. It wasn't gore just for the sake of gore. It was gore for the sake of portraying true history versus glorifying it or glossing over it.

I support Hollywood's attempts to portray natives of this land in a respectful and authentic manner, but I try not to allow that to influence my rating of the film itself. Additionally, I have never been a big fan of the female lead in this film as she always seems wooden and expressionless to me. She did better in this film than others but her facial expression still looks a bit frozen to me. This may sound like a joke but could it be Botox?

The pace of this film is painfully and unnecessarily slow. I understand the concept of the painfully slow pace is to allow the scene you just witnessed or are witnessing to penetrate. It gets to the point where I grew impatient for the scene to finally end so I started fast-forwarding through some parts. This cadence replays itself through most of the film.

Some reviewers attempt to compare Hostiles to Dances With Wolves for some strange reason. Other than having a Union Soldier and Native Americans share the same screen, these movies have absolutely nothing in common save the following: Dances With Wolves is 3 hours long. Hostiles feels 3 hours long, but it is actually 2 hours and 14 minutes.

Hostiles is a fairly solid film mainly due to the actors. However it missed the mark. I think it is worth watching when you want to fill a gap in your schedule. Just be prepared to wait for some scenes to go by in what feels like slow motion. They also went over board with the guilt a particular soldier displays over the things he has done. Moreover, his apology scene seemed pretentious and inauthentic (not the acting, the scene). It was actually Hollywood trying to inject a 2017 apology to Native Americans to make some people feel better about themselves and their pretentious sense of guilt. Yet these same people with their pretentious sense of guilt don't lift a finger to actually help the people they pretend to feel so guilty about (Oops. Was that my loud type?).

As I stated in another review, if you choose to watch this film fast forward is your friend.