Yes, it was long; my estimation was at least a million hours. At a few points during the film, I thought, "This movie is still going!" Which is very different than and preferable to, "Why is this movie still going! End it now!"

I maintain that movies crafted to be award-winning can still be good movies. I will concede that they aren't visionary like Big Fish… which was totally snubbed and didn't even receive Oscar nominations. Bastards.

Hidalgo has an interesting story, with only fleeting moments of predictability and poignant cliche. It's not the mindless action film the trailer advertises. Sure, there's sword-fighting and gun-play and fist-fights, but it's also quite funny—there are brushes with Skoda and narrowly-avoided castration.

Just ignore the sunstroke-induced hallucinations of Sioux spirits and the sappy conclusion. Move along. </mind trick>