Christian Bale (Image © Entertainment Studios)
HOSTILES B+
Unconcerned with genre, Hostiles instead grapples with the enormity of Western Expansion. Scott Cooper’s methodical character study finds Captain Joseph Blocker (Christian Bale) tasked with returning a cancer-ridden Cheyenne Chief (Wes Studi) back to his people’s valley in Montana. Along the way, his escort rescues Rosalie Quaid (Rosamund Pike), whose family was massacred. Although beautifully lensed and expertly acted, Hostiles’ second act meanders and features a contrived final confrontation. Yet, the sum of its parts proves the Western’s heart still beats, even as it goes out in a good way as Blocker wishes for Yellow Hawk as he nears death.
Sean Woodard
Hostiles
Starring Christian Bale, Wes Studi, Rosamund Pike, Jesse Plemons, and Adam Beach
Written by Scott Cooper and Donald E. Stewart
Directed by Scott Cooper
In Theaters Now