"Hidalgo" is a great man and horse film, which tells the true story of endurance rider Frank T. Hopkins, played by Viggo Mortensen, fresh from his stint as Aragorn in Lord Of The Rings. Hopkins was an endurance racer, a pony express rider and a performer in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. It was at this show when he was approached to enter the longest and hardest endurance race of all, "The Ocean Of Fire", which is 3000 miles long and traverses desert sand and extreme heat. Hopkins accepts the challenge to race and he and his trusty mustang horse of many races, "Hidalgo", set off to race against some of the best breed horses in the world.

The plot is a classic underdog story of the small horse up against mighty opponents, some of which will do anything to win, and of a man's faith in his horses ability to win against difficult odds. Mortensen is joined by veteran actor Omar Sharif, who plays the Arab sheik who is sponsoring the race and develops a unique relationship with the rider.

This blu-ray release has excellent picture and sound, as is the usual case with Disney/Buena Vista releases. Colors are strong but not over saturated.  Details, such as the rock formations in the desert are clearly and distinctly defined in the picture. Effects, such as the approaching sand storm scene and the locust swarm look far more realistic. Audio is 5.1 lossless Dolby and takes full advantage of all the speakers in your system, with lots of uses for the surround speakers. When the sand storm hits, you experience the sound envelop you from front to rear speakers for a powerful effect.

Extras included on this release deal with the making of the film but mostly on the harsh Morrocan environment in making the film. Mortensen and director Joe Johnstone are the principle speakers in this segment. The other, longer feature involves the horsebreed featured in the film, the American Mustang. Its long history in America is told by Mortensen, screenplay writers and horse experts and Mustang breeders.These features are interesting and are not your typical features fare. They're worth watching but I was disappointed over the lack of film commentary.

A great entertainment package, "Hidalgo" on Blu-Ray is another outstanding release from Disney, with excellent picture and audio quality, an interesting story, and fascinating extras. I was disappointed by no commentary track on the disc. However, this is still an excellent disc for your high definition collection.

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