Film Reviews: Hostiles ***
I teach a class on the western, focusing on the works of Cormac McCarthy, but, I admit growing up… I hated Westerns. They are one of my father’s favorite genres and he forced me to watch them growing up. Their stories were simple morality tales where the good guy (often the Sheriff, almost always white male) was the good guy, who even wore a white hat. Thankfully, in many westerns, the bad guy (outlaw, criminal, mastermind) was also a white male, but, one of my major issues with westerns is the stereotyping and stigmatizing of Native Americans. “Stagecoach”, a great film by John Ford introducing John Wayne, is problematic for presenting the Natives not as characters, but as a mindless and savage collective.
The first scene in “Hostiles” opens on a perfect family. The daughters being schooled by their mother, Rosalie (an incredible Rosamund Pike), smiles, a perfect set of white teeth, as her daughters learn adverbs. Even the youngest when having trouble, continues to smile. Everyone is all smiles and things are picturesque. Then, the Natives arrive… commit a massacre, scalping the husband and killing the children. And my reaction in the theater… here we go again…
However, I was shocked at the scene following it, showing Captain Joseph Blocker, eating an apple, watching his men lasso a Native American, treating him like an animal, while his wife and children scream for mercy. It is here by juxtaposing both sides that the movie stakes its claim. We are all “hostiles”.
Captain Joseph Blocker has certainly suffered losses at the hands of various Native American tribes, but he also has committed crimes against humanity. These are brought up time and time again. In a twist of ironic fate, his commanding officer decides to assign him, because of his knowledge of the terrain, to escort Chief Yellow Hawk (an incredible Wes Studi) back to his homeland to allow him to die there. At first, Blocker refuses, but he eventually agrees, handpicking his team for what he believes is going to be a dangerous mission.
As soon as they leave town, after having their photo taken and receiving a letter from the President ordering Yellow Hawk’s escort, he confronts the Chief whom he has fought in battle. He demands he get off his horse and offers him a knife to fight to the death. The Chief refuses and he’s put in irons for the journey.
After the first story line, dealing with Rosalie losing her family, merges with the second, the two main characters meet. There is a brilliant visual of Blocker running out into the desert and clawing the sand in rage at being ordered to escort Yellow Hawk. Rosalie demands to dig the graves for her family and drops to her knees, clawing the dirt, in the same manner Blocker did. We understand that they are connected. Perhaps his salvation will come in helping her deal with her loss and anger.
In the end, the film seems to be daring to climax not with a fight, but a much more beautiful concept of each person learning to overcome the hostile nature of man and come to terms with how violence has changed each of us… but then… it retreat into a final battle.
The battle occurs without Yellow Hawk, who is the true heart of this film. Wes Studi learning Cheyenne because he is Cherokee, uses the language brilliantly. There are long conversations in the language of the Cheyenne people, paying respect to the Native American characters, rather than having them speak in broken English.
“Hostiles” is an outstanding addition to the traditional western that seeks to push some of the boundaries of the genre. I do wish it could have been a little more courageous. Chief Yellow Hawk is the only member of the Native Americans who is given a character. His son, daughter, and even grandson are just props for the film and provide closure to other characters at the end. But… imagine if Chief Black Hawk had been the protagonist of the story… To have a western from the prospective of the Natives rather than a story about Caucasian American officers coming to terms with their own crimes.
One thing is true… one character says despite everything he’s done, he’s asking for mercy. We all need mercy.
