"HOSTILES" WELL EXECUTED

Strong performances and excellent photography highlight this interesting Western.

          

Set in 1892, Hostiles is the story of Captain Joe Blocker (Bale) tasked with escorting Cheyenne war chief Yellow Hawk (Studi), now riddled with cancer after seven years behind bars, from incarceration in New Mexico to his sacred homeland in Montana. 

          

Like the John Wayne character in John Ford's The Searchers (1956) whom Martin Scorsese calls a "poet of hate," Blocker blindly hates Indians. His mind seems unable to comprehend the bigger picture. He sees European invaders as victims of the indigenous invaded. To illustrate this comparison, the filmmakers include a shot of Blocker framed by a cabin doorway just as Ford does with Wayne.

          

To put us in the narrow mindset of the lead character, who would probably be entirely unlikable if he weren't played by the great actor Christian Bale, the filmmakers begin the story with dastardly Indians doing mean, terrible things. To preserve the experience, suffice to say a blonde woman is endangered. NO! But yes.

          

Meanwhile, back at the fort, Blocker resists his orders. Tries to, anyway. But Stephen Lang (the ripped gung-ho dude with the silver crew cut in Avatar) is just the actor with the proper mental attitude to put Blocker in his place and see that Chief Yellow Hawk plus a few family members get safely escorted back to the Valley of the Bears.

          

What detracts from the film is its slow pace and the scant attention given to the Indian point of view.

          

Lots of whispery, emotional dialogue between Blocker and a couple buddies isn't by itself much of a movie. It's hard to like Blocker because it seems like half the time he's about ready to cry wistfully recalling something corny, and then the rest of the time hating Indians. But a few skirmishes here and there help maintain interest. 

          

Along the way Blocker meets the aforementioned blonde woman (Pike). The filmmakers take a page from The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and have her act all crazied-out with shock at first. Her trauma is mirrored by one of Blocker's buddies who's killed many men and feels bad about feeling nothing.

          

Also along the way Blocker takes a shady guy in chains he's required to escort--played by Ben Foster, who starred with Bale in the Western re-make 3:10 to Yuma (2007). So between him on the inside of the escorted group and various other belligerents--including pointy-headed fur trappers--on the outside, in theory at least there's plenty of conflict. 

          

As Yellow Hawk, Wes Studi exudes noble stoicism and the camera loves the lines of his face, but the comparatively few lines he's given are not in keeping with the promise of the poster wherein he is prominently figured. 

          

Shortcomings aside, Hostiles showcases yet another incredible performance by Bale. He's certainly the Robert De Niro of his generation, always investing himself in every role to an astounding degree. Like Wes Studi's Magua in The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Blocker is obsessed with hate. But unlike Magua, he doesn't have a real reason.

HOSTILES

Starring Christian Bale,

Wes Studi,

Rosamund Pike,

Bill Camp,

Adam Beach,

Tanaya Beatty,

Q'orianka Kilcher,

Ben Foster,

Stephen Lang

Written and directed by Scott Cooper

Runtime 134 minutes

Rated R

Stewart Kirby writes for

THE INDEPENDENT

and

TWO RIVERS TRIBUNE