Hostiles

Apocalypse Now of the American West. A completely different western, and gorgeous. A structure based on Coppola's legend that takes you through a thematic landscape in search of epiphany and awareness, with great performances, a tender yet unsettling minimalist soundtrack and unprecedented spiritual depth, and an ending that will make you want to cry together with the protagonists. The filmmaking is deliberately austere, but Cooper scores again with a sensitive narrative that, while slow, can hardly be faulted in terms of the key emphasis on the interactions between the characters and the overall critical portrayal of America's ugly phase at the time. Perhaps there could have been fewer of those puzzling scenes by the fire and the development of the relationship between the captain and the chief is too fast, but this has no effect on the overall emotional and mental catharsis. How the hell didn't this have any Oscar nominations?!! (2018-10-01)

Scott Cooper has gone beyond me so far, but this was exactly what one imagines quality filmmaking to be. Already the uncompromisingly raw and brutal opening, into which they throw us without warning, managed to set the whole direction of the film and indicated quite clearly that nobody was going to pull any punches. Violence is expressed explicitly and with no regard for children or women, but at the same time casually and skillfully enough not to make weaker viewers uncomfortable, as well as the excellent camera work and exposures of landscapes, the western touch that is felt from the first minutes, and the excellent musical score. The chemistry between Christian Bale and Wes Studi as the Indian chief is excellent, and the gradual development of their characters is straight out of a written drama. The action scenes are realistic, the Indians are brutal to the point of blood and whenever they appear on the scene, you know it's bad. Few films can be so engrossing every second and for someone who doesn’t like westerns, this one sucked me in brilliantly. Hostiles is simply a well-delivered drama portraying the strained relationship between two parties where you never know who will live to see tomorrow, and a quality western that is very confident in its action and combines both of the aforementioned aspects together in the finale – the final carnage and the palpable catharsis of the main characters. I have absolutely no reservations, this is a gem and I would watch it again in a heartbeat. (2021-10-11)

Fortunately, Scott Cooper understood that Black Mass was a failed test of a new course for his directing career and that the ideal thing to do was to return to what he does best. Hostiles copies the signature of Out of the Furnace, it’s slow, full of violence and raw emotions. Instead of a purely masculine take, this time he incorporates a strong feminine element as well, and he has succeeded to perfection. It dilutes the macho western, giving it a dramatic dimension and a strong emotional arc, for it is the scenes with Rosamund Pike that are often chilling, sometimes at least very compelling and understandable to the viewer. Christian Bale plays a similar role to his present-day brother, a few years older, he doesn’t say much, but does a lot. On the one hand, this is a gritty, absolutely classically conveyed story (the clash of whites and native savages) of a typical western, and at the same time they subliminally play an interesting game of hatred and reconciliation, where the characters are neither clearly good nor clearly bad and it is often just a matter of point of view and understanding. The great cinematography and the unique scenery of Wyoming and Montana add to the wistful atmosphere, supported by Max Richter's soaring violin. A Western without unnecessary experiments, solid in the basics, a successful return to the roots. (2018-04-15)

A purebred, rough western with an engaging and well-written plot, fantastic directing and brilliant actors - rumors about Christian Bale's best performance of his life did not lie, although it is debatable whether it is in fact his best performance (but it is definitely in the top 3 and it is amazing to see how great Bale acts using his eyes, eyebrows, the wrinkles on his forehead and mustache). However, there is no doubt about this being the best performance of Rosamund Pike’s career. Her tragic character combines female fragility with strength and determination, while Bale's protagonist is no less of a tragic warrior, who gradually runs out of comrades-in-arms in the ruthless environment. This is a film brimming with strong and serious themes, from controversy about violence, human nature, and morality and the burden of conscience, to the differences between murder ordered by someone, and murder in general. A majestic atmosphere, emotions, brilliantly written characters and perfect work with motifs. The last four minutes may be too sweet, but they are actually logical. The Indians may not be what they seem. Amazing film. (2018-07-02)

The first cinema experience of the year. Scott Cooper serves up a gritty adventure western with the Apache! Starring a solid Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike and Ben Foster. The film has a slower pace, but a very tense atmosphere, beautiful scenery, lots of disgusting maniacal Apaches who have no problem murdering an entire family and their children (the opening scene is very intense) and a great soundtrack. There are only four action scenes, but they are authentically filmed, with excellent sound design and very tense to the point of being breathless. This dead genre has been slowly reviving and gaining momentum for the last two years and that's only a good thing. 75% (2018-01-16)