Appaloosa
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Movie Reviews of Appaloosa
Movie Review: They do what they do
Summary: 5 Stars
Virgil Cole (Harris) and Everett Hitch (Mortensen) are a pair of traveling lawmen for hire. When they arrive at the town of Appaloosa, the town fathers are more than willing to pay the price and accept that Cole IS the law. They're under the thumb of rich rancher, Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) who shot their former sheriff in cold blood.
They get a break in the case when a young former hand of Bragg's agrees to testify. That happens about the time when the widow, Allie French (Renee Zellweger) comes in on the train.
Allie complicates matters a lot. As Hitch so eloquently puts it, "she wants to be with the herd stallion and there can only be one of those at a time." Cole, who claims to not have feelings, actually does care for French. She's not like any woman he's ever been with, she's clean, she's got good manners, etc.
"Appaloosa" has all the elements of a great Western, a little romance, some realistic gun play, excellent characterization, great scenery (principal film site Austin, Texas) and the typical western sense of humor. For example, when a gun battle gets both men injured, Hitch says, "That was quick." Cole's response, "Yeah, everybody could shoot."
Clearly, Harris and Mortensen had a lot of fun making this film. These two are friends in real life and this project was a labor of love for Harris who said in an interview that he's a fan of the author of "Appaloosa," Robert Parker. He usually reads the detective novels, but picked up the Western because he liked the cover and that's how the movie came to be.
If you enjoyed "Pale Rider" and "Unforgiven," this is a film you'll probably want to see. The "R" rating is for a little language, small nudity, and violence, but both my husband and I have seen a lot worse on broadcast television.
Rebecca Kyle, October 2008
Movie Review: John Ford and John Wayne would have approved.
Summary: 5 Stars
Ed Harris does excellent work behind and in front of the camera in "Appaloosa", a film that is comfortably old-fashioned, but also deliberately not like most of the Westerns of the past. As a viewer I was much obliged that Mr. Harris also does not make the film anything like most of the movies of today.
The story is decidedly nothing new: a pair of mercenary lawmen have been summoned to the frontier town of Appaloosa. Harris plays Virgil Cole, who even villains know is both deadly with a gun and a man of his word. Viggo Mortensen plays Virgil's partner of a dozen years, Everette Fitch, not as famous as Cole, but never without his 8-gauge shotgun.
Virgil and Everette are not men of words, and one of the strengths of this film is the ability of the actors to show you what these powerful men are feeling without resorting to vocabulary that neither possesses. (One of the running jokes of the film is that Virgil WANTS to use "big words", but in almost every scene he comes to a sentence where he wants to use a word that he can't quite find.)
Appaloosa is being menaced by Rancher Randall Bragg, played by Jeremy Irons. Mr. Bragg is the kind of man who employs a gang of roughnecks to threaten the town and enforce his will. Bragg's men harass women, kill men, steal and plunder, then celebrate with too much whiskey down at the saloon.
Enter Virgil and Everette.
Complicating things are the mysterious Mrs. French, a fetching widow played by Renee Zellweger. Mrs. French has a thing for alpha males, and when he's around, Virgil Cole is always top dog.
The movie has a few tricks and surprises up its sleeve, but it also stays squarely in the lines of the most classic of westerns. I believe the Duke would have approved.
Movie Review: The Wild West: You Could Ride a Horse to Work
Summary: 5 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It introduced three themes and developed each one well: a long-standing friendship that abides in crises, the battle between good and evil, and betrayal.
Ed Harris co-writes, directs and stars. He is Virgil Cole. Viggo Mortensen portrays Everett Hitch. Cole and Hitch hire themselves out to restore order in lawless communities. They are something like (a slow motion) Batman and Robin in western garb. Hitch would be Robin armed with a bazooka-like shotgun and always coming up with the erudite vocabulary that Cole can't quite recall. The Cole-Hitch relationship is the friendship theme, done brilliantly.
A reptilian rancher, Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) resides outside of town. He murders three lawmen in the film's opening scenes and leads a gang of cowboy thugs who terrorize Appaloosa, a thirty-horse town in New Mexico Territory--1882. Cole and Hitch are determined to bring Bragg to justice for the murders. This is the good versus evil part.
The betrayal part features Renee Zellweger as Allison French. French gets off the train at Appaloosa armed with a lot of charm and a single dollar. She quickly captures Cole's heart. She, however, likes to share her affections with the multitude. But, as Cole puts it, she bathes every evening and can play the piano. Enough said.
The cinematography is spectacular. This is big sky country, New Mexico style. The sets have a most authentic feel. Every actor performs with great skill. Even a mountain lion manages to capture a sense of wonder.
I feel that any criticism (yes, the pace is sometimes slow) is nitpicking. This is a great movie.
Movie Review: Action, suspense and great characterization. I really enjoyed it.
Summary: 5 Stars
This 2008 Western has all the classic elements - good guys vs. bad guys, lots of gunfights, action, suspense and a beautiful woman. But under the fine direction of Ed Harris, who also worked on the screenplay and stars in the film, it is not just formulaic.
The plot seems simple. Harris and Viggo Mortensen are two gunfighters who are hired by the town merchants to clean up the town and go after the bad guy played by Jeremy Irons. Harris and Mortensen are more than just partners though; they are true friends who have been together a long time. And even though Harris is supposed to be the leader, it is obvious that he depends on Mortenson, especially when he gropes for words to express his thoughts and lets his friend finish his sentences for him.
All goes well. Some bad guys are justly murdered. But Jeremy Irons has still not been brought down. We all know he's a cold blooded murderer because we've seen that in the first scene. He's even in jail awaiting trial. But we also know it's too early in the film for justice to be done yet. Enter another character - Renee Zellweger. She's a widow who has come to town looking for a man. Harris is immediately smitten. But there are certain aspects of Zellweger's character that show that all is not what it seems.
How it all plays out is full of surprises. And there is more to the characterization of the main characters than meets the eye. The story moves quickly and kept my attention throughout as the plot twists and turns and sometimes made me just laugh out loud because of its outrageousness.
I really enjoyed this film. And give it a high recommendation.
Movie Review: . . . INTERESTING
Summary: 5 Stars
It's good to use 'interesting' as a title for a western review. There have been too-few westerns about which one could say 'interesting'. McCabe & Mrs. Miller, High Noon, Unforgiven and Once Upon a Time in the West are a few which come to mind just now. 'Interesting' as in many-faceted, multi-leveled, complex, conflicting and challenging.
Most westerns go for all-out action, supported with maybe some character development. Dandy; that's what most audiences want. In APPALOOSA, character is key; the people, their motivations, natures, complexities and cut-to-the-bone human nature drive all the action. The fast, realistic action makes the points in this fine motion picture so memorable, so impressive.
APPALOOSA's not a psychological thriller, nuanced and sophisticated. It's about simple people living in a time of absolutes and place without precedents. Do or die, black/white, live or die. No spin, no hype, no equivocation. No how-to manual. As such, it comes across as a pretty-sophisticated motion picture.
I collect movies. In the western genre, this fine film is a stand-out, a stand-alone. It is, thankfully, very well done. Understatement everywhere, awkwardness, figgering thangs out and doing what needs be done, direct and fast or else. I look forward to seeing it again. It sure proves Mies van der Rohe's famous line (referring to architecture) "Less is More."
( And if you like for-real westerns, read Annie Proulix's book of short stories, CLOSE RANGE/WYOMING STORIES. If you can get an Amazon look-inside on it, just read page 253. Can't get much plainer/real/essential as that. This movie sorta feels like that. )