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}Hidalgo is a 2004 film based on the life and tales of former horse rider Frank Hopkins and his endurance horse Hidalgo, a mustang. Held yearly for centuries, the Ocean of Firewas a challenge restricted to the finest Arabian horses ever bred, the purest and noblest lines, owned by the greatest royal families. In 1890, a wealthy sheik invited an American, Frank T. Hopkins, and his horse to enter the race for the first time. During the course of his career, Hopkins was a cowboy and dispatch rider for the U.S. cavalry--and had once been billed as the greatest rider the West had ever known. The Sheik puts his claim to the test, pitting the American cowboy and his mustang, Hidalgo, against the world's greatest Arabian horses and Bedouin riders, some of whom are determined to prevent a foreigner - and especially an "impure" horse - from finishing the race. For Frank, the Ocean of Fire becomes not only a matter of pride and honor, but a race for his very survival as he and his horse attempt the impossible.
The movie was written by John Fusco and directed by Joe Johnston. It stars Viggo Mortensen, Zuleikha Robinson and Omar Sharif. Mortensen later bought the mustang which played Hidalgo (the mustang resembles a Medicine Hat stallion).
The events on which the movie were based are disputed by some as nothing more than tall tales. Others view them to be slightly exaggerated true stories [1]. In either case, Roger Ebert offers a positive review of the film, saying it's the kind of fun, rip-snorting adventure film Hollywood rarely makes anymore, adding, "please ignore any tiresome scolds who complain that the movie is not really based on fact. Duh."[2]US Gross Domestic Takings: US$ 67,303,450 :+ Other International Takings: $40,800,000 = Gross Worldwide Takings: $108,103,450
*Boxoffice information
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