Hostiles

Right now you can watch Hostiles in the US on Philo and Starz Apple TV Channel, and in the UK on Amazon Prime Video — and it moves faster than most of the genre's competition. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Christian Bale's performance is the throughline that holds the set pieces together. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Philo.

There is a reason Hostiles keeps coming up in conversation. The choreography in Hostiles serves the story instead of interrupting it. A legendary Native American-hating Army captain nearing retirement in 1892 is given one last assignment: to escort a Cheyenne chief and his family through dangerous territory back to his Montana reservation. The physicality Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike bring elevates every sequence. It was released in 2017. Hostiles earns its bigger moments by making you care about the outcome before it happens. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

The genre has a long history of front-loading its best moments — Hostiles is not one of those. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Christian Bale anchors the chaos with real screen presence. Every set piece here is doing more than one job at once.