Hostiles (2017) Review

Hostiles (2017)

Hostiles follows Captain Joe Blocker, who reluctantly agrees to escort a dying Cheyenne war chief and his family back to their tribal land, encountering a savage journey that changes his views on the dying chief. 

At it’s core, Hostiles is a film about savages in a savage land, and how, depending on perspective, such savagery is a necessary evil in the course of survival. Enter Captain Blocker, a man hardened by the trials of war and Western settlement, having likely killed just about everything that moves at one point or another, carrying a particular disdain for natives, who, despite their similarities, he deems savages, despite his own untamed fury. As he, and the rest of his crew discover however, the West is a land filled with such barbarism, in a raw, emotional journey, whose death and sacrifice know no bounds, as enemies are revealed to be allies and allies turn to enemies. 

Now, what could’ve been a major distraction from the main story, which in itself is very heartfelt and never lost, even with everything else potentially threatening to, is actually what provides the film's heart and vulnerability, in Rosalie. Her plight and tragic start provides a moving parallel for Blocker, for if she can forgive and understand, anyone can.

We also get a hell of a cast, starring Timothée Chalamet, Ben Foster, Jesse Plemmons, Adam Beach, Jonathon Majors, Rory Cochrane, Wes Studi, Rosamund Pike, and Christian Bale. Bale presents a hardened coldness that allows for a moving amount of room to grow, without compromising who Blocker is in the process, pairing so well against Pike and Studi, who bring out a side to him that previously seemed impossible. 

Hostiles, directed by Scott Cooper, is a gripping, often uncompromising picture about survival and growth in a lawless land, that while a slow burn, is one with purpose and meaning as we discover the true nature of men when pushed to the limit of time and circumstance. 

9.5/10