Appaloosa (2008)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Ed Harris

Writers (WGA):

Robert Knott (screenplay) &
Ed Harris (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 October 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Western

Tagline:

Feelings get you killed.

Plot:

Two friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow. |

Plot Keywords:

Law Enforcement | Jail | Eye Witness | Shootout | Murder Witness

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Robert Jauregui	...	Marshall Jack Bell (as Bobby Jauregui)
Jeremy Irons	...	Randall Bragg
Timothy V. Murphy	...	Vince
Luce Rains	...	Dean
James Tarwater	...	Chalk (as Jim Tarwater)
Boyd Kestner	...	Bronc
Gabriel Marantz	...	Joe Whittfield
Ed Harris	...	Virgil Cole
Viggo Mortensen	...	Everett Hitch
Benjamin Rosenshein	...	Town Boy
Cerris Morgan-Moyer	...	Tilda
James Gammon	...	Earl May
Timothy Spall	...	Phil Olson
Tom Bower	...	Abner Raines
Erik J. Bockemeier	...	Fat Wallis

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence and language.

Runtime:

Canada:114 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | USA:114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:15 | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | France:U | USA:R (certificate #44389) | Argentina:Atp | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB)

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

Ed Harris originally intended his character to have hair. He selected a wig and screen tested it before eventually deciding to play the part bald.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Both the words "Marshal" and "millinery" are misspelled in the movie on signs in the town. They are incorrectly spelled as "Marshall" and "millinary".

Quotes:

[after a shoot-out]
Everett Hitch: That was quick.
Virgil Cole: Yeah, everybody could shoot.

Good old fashioned entertainment

The western is not an under populated genre, in fact, back in its heyday, the western was one of –and still remains- one of the most popular forms of the medium. Yet here in 2008, the output of western titles, although growing again, has been small; the western it seems has become a rare treat for those reminiscent of cinemas earlier years. Appaloosa, along with the recent 5:10 to Yuma and vaguely in There Will Be Blood, is a strong sign that not only is the western earning its place back onto the big screen, but there's reason to look forward to such a movement also. This latest offering from director Ed Harris features a terrific cast who play out a fairly familiar old west story filled with all the usual characters, but they do so with enough conviction to avoid feeling like a mere throwback to other movies. Appaloosa is a slow moving, detailed look at early civilisation in America, and while there are certain elements which can remain tiresome because of their obvious familiarity, the majority of the production tells a solid story that grows on you as it goes along.

Following two deputies and close friends as they travel to a new town in desperate need of some lawful officials, the screenplay here takes time to both tell a long, detailed character story whilst at the same time crafting a world that feels coherent and just as raw and dirty as it should be. Appaloosa is the town, and it's not a pretty one by any means. Overrun by a corrupt rancher and his troublemaking companions, Appaloosa is the perfect backdrop in which the writers manage to delve into the two friends' minds and hearts as they struggle to keep both the law and their emotions in place. The catalyst for the men's fluctuating sense of reason does not come from those who oppose them however, but from a woman who loves them, one at a time that is. Yes, it's the classic love triangle in full form here, and while the outline of this relationship never strays from the norm, it is the chemistry and dynamism of the two friends whilst they try and work out the alluring quality of their damsel that makes the triangle somewhat amusing.

Although the script's ability to tell two fully realised and coherent stories simultaneously does well to keep the attention of the viewer over the course of its two hour runtime, the trade-off for this is that each story never quite gets the treatment that it begs for. Crammed together, the story of crime and power, mixed with the much warmer one of love, creates a formidable story as a whole, but is also one that feels lacking in each department; loose ends are abundant and characters seem developed to the point that we believe in them, but not necessarily to where we feel for them. As a result, Appaloosa often fails to reach out as much it tries to do, despite the moments that do work. Nevertheless, with plenty of touching sentiment and bone-dry humour scattered throughout the bare western playground, there's still a lot to soak in here, and it's a fun and interesting ride at that.

Being written (partly) and directed by lead star Ed Harris, it would be hard to find moments of inconsistency within his performance, and although there are a few missteps here and there, his portrayal of callous Virgil Cole is spot on and always engaging to watch. His partner Everett Hitch played by Viggo Mortensen is Virgil's complement, being almost as convincingly cold as Cole, but with enough heart there to keep the movie from being emotionally defunct. As a pair Mortensen and Harris play together nicely, creating a believable amount of chemistry between the two characters whilst at the same time avoiding being overly sentimental about their co-existence. Sentimentality instead is left to lead woman Allison French (Renée Zellweger) as she plays the femme fatal role with enough mystique to convey her importance in the script. Zellweger again proves she is more than capable of conveying a wide array of characters, following up her strong performance in Leatherheads with yet another unfamiliar role. Too often she is cast into the shadow of her male companions, but on her own, she does well enough.

To say that Appaloosa is a return to form for the genre would be a small overstatement, but there's certainly no denying that Ed Harris knew what he was doing here. Morally objective, raw, unpolished and always interesting to watch, Appaloosa is a reminder of why the western was once the most popular genre in cinema, and while this outing takes time to avoid the sometimes hammy nature of the classics, there's plenty here for veterans to love. Definitely for fans of the genre and for those looking for something a little bit different, Appaloosa has action, romance, comedy and a classically derived western story to tell; that's good old fashioned entertainment.

- A movie review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)