Friday
03Oct2008
Movie Review - 'Appaloosa'
Friday, October 3, 2008 at 12:31AM AppaloosaStarring Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Jeremy Irons, and Renee Zellweger
Directed by Ed Harris
Rated R
What’s left for the western? Hollywood has had an
on-again, off-again relationship with the genre for over a century, technically
longer than the American West itself existed in the format depicted so often on
screen, and seen again in
Ed Harris’ new film,
Appaloosa.The good guys wear white era has forever shattered by John Ford’s The Searchers, which perfected the art of the morally ambiguous hero in the cowboy movie. More important modifications were made in the 1960s with the Sergio Leone movies, The Wild Bunch, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Clint Eastwood’s westerns have their own distinct arc, running from High Plains Drifter to the savagery of Josey Wales to the ultimate redemption in The Unforgiven of both the western hero and the western in general.
For years after that film, Hollywood didn’t know where to take the western. It was as if Eastwood had closed the book on it, just Saving Private Ryan redefined war movies. Though there have been attempts to tell those same stories in new ways over the previous 15 years, it wasn’t until 2006 and 2007 that the western regained its swagger.
Movies like Australia’s The Proposition and the very strange but effective Seraphim Falls played on the perimeter of our experience with the genre, while 3:10 to Yuma masterfully polished and old gem an The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford gave an almost lyrical and elegiac quality to the western, raising it again to an art form. It could even be argued that two Best Picture nominees, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, are at worst first cousins of the western.
Though it does not look to radically alter our perspective on one of the most familiar genres of American movies, there is a place for Appaloosa in this new renaissance. The plot is overwhelmingly simple: A traveling and just lawman named Virgil Cole (Harris) has come to the town of Appaloosa to protect it from Bragg (Jeremy Irons), a cold outlaw who killed the previous sheriff. Cole always travels with Evertt Hitch (Viggo Mortensen), who maybe a better shot than his friend, but would never admit it.
The communication between Cole and Hitch underscores how long these two men have been traveling the west, finding themselves in these exact situations. There’s also a refreshing sardonic tone to a lot of their dialogue. After a quick shootout leaves Cole, Hitch, and their opponents clutching at various injuries, Hitch remarks, "That didn’t take long," to which Cole says, without missing a beat, "Yeah, well, we were all good shots." Cole even looks for and finds love with the rather untrustworthy Allison French (Renee Zellweger). Perhaps he’s just at the age when settling down sounds better than the alternative, or perhaps he really loves her. Then again, perhaps he just needs to love for once.
Virgil Cole won’t tell you exactly what the reason is. He’s a man of few words. That’s something that’s been as tried and true as tumbleweeds in western movies for over a century.
Reader Comments (5)
I'm looking forward to this. I've read the Parker book this is based on and enjoyed it quite a bit. From the review, it seems to have captured the dialogue & machismo that was so good in the book.
Saw it this weekend. Great movie. You absolutely get the sense that Cole and Hitch have been friends/partners a long time. You really get the sense of history between them without having to really show-tell that history.
And without spoiling....I'm so glad the movie didn't take the turn it could have with Zellwegers character.
This Western felt like no other I had seen bfore. It wasn't filled with constant action, leaving you exhausted by the end, and that was fine by me. I found it revolved a little more around the relationships between the lead characters. Viggo and Ed work quite well together, and you do get the sense that Hitch and Cole have been partners/friends for ages.
Viggo does an amazing job as Hitch. I found his character to be the true hero of the movie.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
There simply aren't enough movies in this genre, nor those as good as Appaloosa. Nothing since "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly or the early Clint Eastwood 60's & 70's films.
I Hyped Appaloosa on Everhype and gave it 93% which I think is fairly accurate.
I wouldn’t mind getting some opinions on it . If you get on there, rate me a 5 & request friendship.
"Appaloosa" is a great western, and Viggo Mortensen should receive an Oscar nomination for "Best Supporting Actor" for a tremendously authentic, engaging character performance. It doesn't appear that the studio had enough faith in the picture for a long theater run though, so chances for Viggo are slim. Good job by Ed Harris in the leading role and taking the helm for this picture. I wasn't impressed with Renee Z. but expect to find more from her performance upon seeing the picture again.