Hostiles (2017), directed by Scott Cooper, is a slow-burning, deeply contemplative Western that explores themes of violence, forgiveness, and survival against the backdrop of America’s bloody frontier history. Set in 1892, the film is both brutal and poetic, blending gritty realism with profound moral questions.
Detailed Summary
The Premise
The story begins in New Mexico in 1892, where Captain Joseph J. Blocker (Christian Bale), a seasoned and battle-hardened Army officer, is ordered against his will to escort a dying Cheyenne war chief, Yellow Hawk (Wes Studi), and his family back to their ancestral lands in Montana. Blocker has spent decades fighting Native Americans and has lost countless comrades to raids, including some by Yellow Hawk himself. The mission forces him to confront his deep-seated hatred.
The Widow in the Ashes
Early in the journey, Blocker’s group encounters Rosalie Quaid (Rosamund Pike), a traumatized woman whose family has been slaughtered by a Comanche raiding party. Shell-shocked and devastated, she clings to the soldiers for protection. Her presence adds emotional weight to the group, and her growing relationship with Blocker becomes one of the movie’s most poignant threads.
The Brutal Road North
The journey through dangerous terrain is filled with constant threats. The group faces Comanche attacks, treacherous landscapes, and human cruelty. Along the way, they take on additional prisoners, including a volatile soldier turned murderer (Ben Foster), whose presence tests Blocker’s discipline and moral boundaries. Every step of the trek is soaked in tension, making survival feel uncertain.
Bonds Across Enemy Lines
Despite years of hatred, Blocker slowly begins to see Yellow Hawk and his family not as enemies but as human beings who share the same pain and loss. This evolving respect forms the film’s central emotional arc. Rosalie, too, finds healing in her growing connection to both Blocker and Yellow Hawk’s family. The film carefully depicts this gradual transformation, never rushing the process.
⇢ VIRAL RIGHT NOW
Movie Ending
In the powerful finale, the group finally reaches Montana, but the journey has taken a terrible toll. Several of Blocker’s soldiers have been killed, and Rosalie has lost everything but her will to survive. Yellow Hawk, weakened by illness, dies just as they reach his homeland, fulfilling his last wish to be buried with his ancestors.
The tragedy does not end there. At Yellow Hawk’s burial site, a white ranching family attempts to drive the Native Americans off their land, claiming ownership. A violent shootout erupts, and most of Yellow Hawk’s family is killed. In a gut-wrenching sequence, Captain Blocker, exhausted and disillusioned, fights to defend them, but by the end only Little Bear, Yellow Hawk’s grandson, survives.
Blocker buries his fallen comrades and prepares to part ways. Rosalie decides to take Little Bear with her on a train to Chicago, determined to give him a chance at a better future. In the final scene, Blocker, initially hesitant, boards the train at the last moment, choosing to leave behind a lifetime of violence and begin anew with Rosalie and Little Bear. This ending symbolizes redemption, reconciliation, and the possibility of a new life beyond war and hatred.
Are There Post-Credits Scenes?
No, Hostiles does not have a post-credits scene. Once the final train sequence fades out, the story concludes definitively, leaving the audience to reflect on its themes rather than teasing a sequel or extended storyline.
Type of Movie
Hostiles is a revisionist Western drama. It strips away romanticized visions of the Old West and instead presents the frontier as a harsh, unforgiving place where survival comes at immense moral and emotional cost.
Cast
- Christian Bale as Captain Joseph J. Blocker
- Rosamund Pike as Rosalie Quaid
- Wes Studi as Yellow Hawk
- Ben Foster as Philip Wills
- Rory Cochrane as Master Sergeant Thomas Metz
- Adam Beach as Black Hawk
- Stephen Lang as Colonel Abraham Biggs
- Timothée Chalamet as Private Philippe DeJardin
Film Music and Composer
The haunting and melancholic score was composed by Max Richter, whose music adds layers of emotional depth. The soundtrack relies on somber strings and minimalist themes that perfectly echo the movie’s mood of grief, survival, and quiet moments of hope.
Filming Locations
The movie was filmed across several states, including New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. The sweeping landscapes—desolate deserts, harsh mountain terrain, and wide open plains—play a vital role in the film. They are not just a backdrop but a character in themselves, reflecting the hostility and harshness of the era while also offering moments of beauty and serenity.
⇢ KEEP UP WITH THE TREND
Awards and Nominations
While not a massive awards contender, Hostiles received critical praise for its performances, cinematography, and score. Christian Bale was particularly lauded, and the film earned recognition from critics’ associations. Max Richter’s score also appeared in several “best of the year” lists.
Behind the Scenes Insights
- Christian Bale immersed himself in historical research on frontier soldiers to ground his performance.
- Scott Cooper wanted the film to feel like a “funeral march,” hence the somber pacing and tone.
- Rosamund Pike’s emotionally raw performance was influenced by reading real accounts of women who lost families during Native raids.
- Max Richter composed the score before shooting began, allowing Cooper to film certain sequences to the music’s rhythm.
Inspirations and References
The film is loosely inspired by the manuscripts of historian Theodore Roosevelt and other accounts of frontier warfare. Scott Cooper also drew inspiration from classic revisionist Westerns like The Searchers and Unforgiven.
Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes
There are no major alternate endings publicly confirmed, though early drafts reportedly leaned toward a darker ending where Blocker did not survive. Several smaller dialogue-driven scenes were trimmed for pacing, but the overall narrative remained intact.
Book Adaptations and Differences
The film is not directly based on a novel, but rather on an unpublished manuscript by screenwriter Donald E. Stewart (Missing, The Hunt for Red October). Scott Cooper adapted the story into its final cinematic form.
⇢ MOST SHARED RIGHT NOW
Memorable Scenes and Quotes
Key Scenes
- Rosalie’s heartbreaking discovery of her slaughtered family.
- The tense sequence where Blocker must choose whether to free Ben Foster’s character.
- The burial of Yellow Hawk, blending dignity with tragedy.
- The final train boarding scene, symbolizing a step toward redemption.
Iconic Quotes
- Blocker: “I’ve killed everything that’s walked or crawled. If you do it enough, you get used to it.”
- Yellow Hawk: “We are all hostiles.”
- Rosalie: “Sometimes I envy the finality of death.”
Easter Eggs and Hidden Details
- The title Hostiles is intentionally ambiguous, referring not only to Native Americans (as was common military jargon) but also to soldiers, settlers, and the violence in everyone.
- Subtle visual parallels exist between the opening massacre and later military ambushes, highlighting the cycle of violence.
- The train at the end serves as a metaphor for progress and escape from the past.
Trivia
- Timothée Chalamet appears in a small supporting role, just before his breakout in Call Me by Your Name.
- Christian Bale and Wes Studi spent time together off-set, discussing cultural perspectives to ensure authenticity in their performances.
- Scott Cooper deliberately shot the film with natural light in many scenes, giving it a painterly quality reminiscent of 19th-century American art.
Why Watch?
Watch Hostiles if you want a Western that doesn’t romanticize the frontier but instead dives into the moral cost of survival. It is a thoughtful, powerful, and at times harrowing meditation on violence, forgiveness, and the slim possibility of redemption.
Director’s Other Movies
- Crazy Heart (2009)
- Out of the Furnace (2013)
- Black Mass (2015)
- Antlers (2021)