Hostiles

Rated: R

135 minutes

Starring: Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Ben Foster

I told my husband “no” when he wanted to go see this in the theatres but I begrudgingly watched it with him when it came out on DVD.  To my surprise, I was all in with this movie.  Set in 1892, Christian Bale plays a legendary Army captain who has been in many conflicts with the Indians.  He has been asked to give safe passage to a dying Cheyenne War Chief, played by Wes Studi, and his family, back to their tribal land.  This is no easy request for him because of the hatred that resides in his heart for all he has seen in the battles with the natives.  Along the journey, he runs across a young widow, played by Rosamund Pike, who saw her family slaughtered by the blood thirsty Comanches.  It’s a very harsh movie as they don’t pull any punches as to what the climate was like back in the 1800s.  The very first scene where we see the family getting slaughtered – was tough.  There’s a lot of tough scenes in this film and its heart wrenching to watch at times.  But the story is excellent!  The way Christian Bale plays his hardened character and how he interacts with Wes Studi is superb.  But then we are presented with moments of grace and forgiveness in this violent stretch of wilderness, too.  There’s a lot of chemistry between the characters and a lot of sadness as you watch the film play out.  The movie speaks volumes of man’s heart and the chains we place upon it. And how freeing it is when we free ourselves from the shackles.

Library Link: Hostiles (DVD)