HOSTILES Galas

Captain Joseph Blocker (a stellar Christian Bale) is nearing the end of a respected military career when he’s given an assignment he can’t refuse: Escort an ailing Native prisoner, Chief Yellowhawk (Wes Studi), up to his Montana homeland to die. Bearing deep-simmering resentments against Natives, Blocker detests the idea of providing safe passage to a man he views as a cold-blooded murderer. But as the men’s journey into the 1890s American West becomes more perilous, and as they’re joined by a flinty woman (Rosamund Pike) who’s endured untold grief, ideas about who are the aggressors and who are the victims come into question. Scott Cooper deftly mounts this Western masterpiece, with a knockout supporting cast that includes Ben Foster, Q’orianka Kilcher, Jesse Plemons, Peter Mullan and Rory Cochrane.