The HAFist Hostility Over "Hostiles"

February 1, 2018
   For the record, I am a Historical Accuracy Fanatic—a HAFist. I have cleared more than one movie theater by yelling out, "They didn't have saddles like that in 1876!"

My hatred of roll back saddles


   Not really. That's just a joke.

   What I actually yelled out is, "They didn't have that model Winchester in 1876!"

Groovy little rifle unless you are portraying events before 1892.

   So here, in a nutshell, are the main, ahem, hostile dings against the new movie "Hostiles" by members of my tribe:

• By 1892 the Comanches were on a reservation and didn't raid anymore, especially in New Mexico ("The PC joker who wrote 'Hostiles' actually has a Comanche raid on a homestead happening in the 1890s. What an imbecile!")

• A black trooper would not have been assigned to a white platoon in this period.

• The Captain would have shaved his beard when he got to civilization (although Crook never shaved off his beard). 

   All true, but I still liked the movie. I gave my reasons the other day. Here are two people, who I think have nailed the essence of the reason the movie works in spite of some of the historical innaccuracy:

"Hostiles is, like all great westerns, a quest story--but this time the journey is both physical and spiritual. The film is action packed, but the greatest impact is emotional. Beautifully filmed, brilliantly acted by all involved, and insightfully written, Scott Cooper's film is the best western of the last twenty years. That is was not nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award is a shame."

—Paul Andrew Hutton

   And, to put a final point on everything:

"There are no good guys or bad guys in the West, everyone was a victim, everyone was guilty. It's a movie about transformation and the power of forgiveness!"

—Amy Wilmoth Watts