"A must-see for Western genre lovers"
Anyone who loves to see a good western will enjoy this movie. Though it's not action packed like, lets say the movie Tombstone, it has a great story that you WILL enjoy. Even the parts where you would think the movie would drag and bore you... doesn't. The story is very well told and moves along at a very good pace.
The western genre is not as popular as it was in the '60s and '70s, but every now and then we get a little gem like a Tombstone or an Unforgiven. Lately, however, it seems that the genre is finding a place in today's cinema. Appaloosa, along with last year's 3:10 to Yuma, is a strong sign that not only is the western genre earning its place back onto the big screen, but there's reason to look forward to such a movement.
We begin our story in the town of Apaloosa where the town marshall is about to arrest a couple of ranch hands that work for Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) for committing a crime. Bragg tells the marshall he can't take them because he needs all the help he can with his ranch. Nice excuse, huh? Notice my sarcasm? I don't want to finish describing the scene because it's the first scene of the movie and it's a great attention getter... as well as setting the tone for our villain. Let's just say that shortly after, the town is in need of a new marshall. Enter our two heroes... Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch.
Virgil (Ed Harris) and Everett (Viggo Mortensen) come into town and, for a price, promise to bring law and order to Apaloosa. While doing this, a young woman named Allison French (Renee Zellweger) also moves into town and catches Cole's eye. And this is where I feared the movie would go wrong. I thought it would concentrate on a love story too much and forget about the actual story we were interested in... the fight between good and evil. But it doesn't. The script's ability to tell two fully realized and coherent stories simultaneously does well to keep our attention over the course of two hours. Crammed together, the story of crime and power, mixed with the much warmer one of love, creates a formidable story as a whole. By doing so, it really humanizes our heroes, and we actually feel for them.
The interaction between Cole and Everett shows a great friendship between the two that one rarely ever sees in a lifetime. Each man trusts the other whole heartedly and without a single ray of doubt. This friendship reminds me of the one that Gus and Call had in the movie Lonesome Dove. Everett looks up to Cole like a big brother and is always protecting him and backing him up not only against gunslingers but when people judge him for his tactics as well. While Cole sees Everett as an intelligent man he can always ask advice from. This relationship is actually what makes the movie work.
Ed Harris gave himself quadruple duty in this movie as he plays actor, director, producer and writer. That's right people... Apaloosa is Harris' baby. Don't be surprised if he wins an Oscar this year for one of these jobs he partook. Most likely, the acting or directing. Harris turns in an Oscar worthy performance as the steadfast and unwavering commander of the town. Harris is subtle and never out of control. He commands the screen every time he's on it without asking for it. His portrayal of Cole is spot on and always engaging to watch. Viggo Mortensen is Cole's complement, being almost as convincingly cold as Cole, but with enough heart there to keep the movie from being totally without emotion. The emotion part of the movie is actually left to Renee Zellweger who actually does a good enough job making the audience like her... but then.. sometimes hate her. And finally, there is Jeremy Irons. He plays the villain rather well, as he usually does in other films, with his raspy voice and cold stares. A fine ensemble for this movie.
As I said before, Ed Harris also directed this movie and he did an amazing job with the pace of it. Its as if he knew the appropriate amount of time needed for the love portion of the film and was aware of how long the audience was willing to tolerate it. Although there is not a huge amount of action and gun play, Harris also knew what to do to keep the audience intrigued with the story (besides the love story). He places enough intense and confrontational scenes in the movie that will keep us interested in what is going on. As far as visuals... there really isn't much to see except a couple of western towns and a dust storm or two, but they did an exceptional job with that.
Appaloosa is an old school western that has everything a fan of the genre could want. Ed Harris knew what he was doing here. Morally objective and always interesting to watch, Appaloosa is a reminder of why the western was once the most popular genre in cinema. It's definitely one of the most complete westerns films this year and should be in contention for a few awards come Oscar season. If you're a fan of the western genre or if you're looking for something a little different than what you're used to, Apaloosa is your film. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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Godfather... yes I did.
TDK... its a keeper on dvd if you like westerns.