Coming to Terms with Hostiles

For soldiers, it’s sometimes tough to put aside old grudges in peace-time. When many of one’s friends died fighting an enemy who’s no longer the enemy, it’s understandably an uneasy adjustment. This is one of the central theses of Scott Cooper’s Hostiles, which puts that theme in the context of the late nineteenth century American West and adds the tension of racism. It’s a generally well-received movie that’s notably been short-changed by the awards circuit -does it deserve more or less acclaim?

Joe Blocker (Christian Bale) is a Cavalry Captain notorious for his exploits fighting and killing Native Americans. At a prison fort in New Mexico, he’s ordered, much to his dismay, to escort the dying Cheyenne Chief Yellow Hawk (Wes Studi) and his family back to their ancestral home in Montana. Blocker has a particular grudge against Yellow Hawk, but reluctantly agrees under threat of court martial. Along the way, they pick up Rosalie Quaid (Rosamund Pike), traumatized by a recent Comanche attack.

Forgiveness and understanding are the main themes of Hostiles, as Blocker is forced by circumstance to put aside his prejudice and work together with Yellow Hawk’s family to overcome mutual antagonists. At various points their foes are Indigenous and white, adding to the break-down of barriers: both are disgusted by the barbarism of their people. Likewise, they’ve both experienced severe loss and regret, and Blocker particularly is set on the path to reconciling his violent actions of the past and moving on. This is a very fine if expected character arc, but it’s development where his attitude to Natives is concerned is too subtle; in that it’s not entirely believable ultimately. I think this owes to the fact that Blocker and Yellow Hawk don’t interact as much as they should. There aren’t the ethical conversations or major confrontations you’d expect out of a film like this, that may not be essential but they do help. Blocker begins the journey by insisting that the family be treated like captives, handcuffed as they ride, while at a later point he’s friendly with Yellow Hawk’s grandchild -and it’s easy to miss where his attitude shifts. There are moments where it is evident he’s re-evaluating his choices, and I understand that Blocker’s supposed to be reserved in his feelings, but it still doesn’t quite work. Quaid’s growth is much more palpable, and she had more reason to fear the Natives initially.

The problems with his character being firmly planted in the writing, Christian Bale is actually really decent in the leading role. He definitely feels like a wounded and wearied soldier, one who doesn’t talk much of what he’s witnessed and been through. Also, especially early on, he’s frightening, keeping the audience on their toes about his intentions for the Cheyenne. Rosamund Pike is good, showing again like in Gone Girl, her ability to play hysteria terrifically. And as usual, Wes Studi is pretty great as the ageing warrior with a formidable presence -though he and his family definitely deserved more screen-time. Rory Cochrane and Jesse Plemons from Cooper’s last film Black Mass play members of Blocker’s detail, Cochrane in particular standing out with his own fascinating character journey; the youngest member of their team is Timothée Chalamet from Call Me By Your Name, showing his ability to speak French as well as Italian. Adam Beach and Q’orianka Kilcher are good as Yellow Hawk’s son Black Hawk and his wife Elk Woman. The cast also includes Stephen Lang as Blocker’s commanding superior, a surprising Peter Mullan, and Ben Foster as a disgraced soldier, who in one subplot Blocker agrees to convey to the next town for his execution. Indeed another shortcoming of this movie, is how it sometimes meanders from the main focus -Foster’s character doesn’t contribute a lot to the ‘hostiles’ narrative.

This film is shot and scored really well, and the mood reminds me of John Huston films -particularly a movie called The Unforgiven which dealt with a similar theme on the tensions between whites and Native Americans; though obviously with some revisionist traits mixed in. This is a movie that has both great instances of silence allowing the audience to take in a moment, and scenes of heavy brutality. Make no mistake, this is a depressing and grisly movie. The opening scene is especially violent and sets the threatening atmosphere for the rest of the story.

Hostiles is a movie that I think will gauge very different reactions. It’s slow but purposeful, interesting and even provocative, and has a number of good performances and memorable sequences to boast. The compelling message is undone a little by Blocker’s subdued major character arc, and the story sometimes loses focus, but this is still a movie with significant things to say and a really capable team assembled to say them.