| Most critics have panned this film and I really think it�s a bit unfair. Okay the story isn�t that wonderful and bits of it are quite clich� but it remains enjoyable. It also has one of my favourite people in it (though with blond hair and not good in smart clothes at the end) namely Viggo Mortensen. He plays a pony express rider called Frank Hopkins who is challenged to ride in the gruelling 3,000 mile horse race across the Arab world on his mustang horse, considered by the Arab horse breeders to be inferior with its mixed blood. Hopkins agrees and the race begins, all the adventures of sand storms and locusts, people trying to kill you and having to rescue the daughter of the race organiser included. In some respects, I was quite surprised at the portrayal of the Arab characters in the film. In the current world climate, politically speaking, it didn�t really seem to me to be that intelligent to have a film where the American character is seen as the hero, the Arabs as the cruel enemy. This was true for some of the characters undoubtedly, but the overall message at the end showed how both Hopkins and the Sheikh (race organiser) came to respect each other.
I enjoyed this film. It may not be everyone�s cup of tea and it�s not the best I�ve seen recently, but it�s not that bad. Whilst I wouldn�t say it�s necessarily worth going out to the cinema to see, when it comes on TV in a few years time, give it a look and see what you think.
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