It seems the genre of the Western is slowly being brought back to life. Last year saw the release of the remake of 3:10 to Yuma, and now we have Appaloosa, another great addition to the ranks of those horse-ridin’ and gun-slingin’ movie heroes. “Yuma” had two great stars headlining it, and the same goes for Appaloosa; Ed Harris stars, directs, co-writes and produces while Viggo Mortensen co-stars along with Jeremy Irons. The cast could not be better, and each actor pours every ounce of effort they have into the roles. One might be compelled to compare this film with last year’s “3:10 to Yuma”, but that wouldn’t be fair considering that each movie represents the opposite ends of the Western spectrum. Appaloosa may not be as trigger-happy as “Yuma”, but it’s just as strong, maybe even stronger.
Appaloosa, based on a novel of the same name scribed by Robert B. Parker, hearkens back to the quieter, more character-driven types of Westerns. It’s paced in such a way that it never feels rushed when telling its story, sort of mirroring the fact that the lifestyle of a gun-slinger in those times wasn’t as exciting and dangerous as most other films might lead you to believe. Ranchers and City Marshalls normally spent their days sipping whiskey, sitting outside in the blazing sun whilst dust swirled in the air before them and spoke in gravelly monotones that suggested these guys were content without violence. And whenever the occasional problem pops up, the shooting is over just as quickly as it started. Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) supplies the answer, “That’s because we’re good shots,” when his partner Everret Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) asks about it.
When the film starts, the town of Appaloosa is in complete disarray. An immoral rancher named Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) has brought a wave of blood and death over the town, thereby establishing himself as the head honcho, with most people afraid to even make a stand against him. That is, until Appaloosa hires Virgil and Everret, who are basically hired guns, to clean up the streets. Immediately, the duo elect themselves as the heads of the town so that they can make the rules and once they make their first stand against Bragg’s men, the outlaws become hesitant in their actions. However, things get complicated when a beautiful woman rides into town, a woman named Allison French (Renee Zellweger) who just wants to play the piano and contribute to the community. But when both Virgil and Everret find themselves attracted to Allison simultaneously whilst they begin to bring down Bragg, everything immediately becomes more complicated.
I think the main strength of Appaloosa lies within its characterizations of the people involved in the story. Yes, this is a more character-driven Western than one would expect, but that’s what makes it all the more compelling. The team of Virgil and Everret seems to already have been a very strong element, but it’s Harris and Mortensen who inject grizzled yet cool and confident personalities into the characters that ends up being the real meat of the film. Harris and Mortensen have great chemistry together, and that chemistry lends itself easily to the relationship their characters have with one another; we are able to believe that these guys have years of history between them. They’ve seen countless shootouts and could probably predict each other’s next move. The cruel and callous heart of Randall Bragg presents a worthy challenge for them, a challenge that causes them to question their moral ethics at times and consider if being on the other side of the law might not be such a bad thing once in a while. Jeremy Irons obviously does fantastic work as Bragg, sporting a Western accent that only enhances his gravelly voice, a voice that clearly shows why he makes a good bad guy.
Zellweger also does some fine work as the woman who causes Virgil, who harbors a relative indifference toward women, to become intrigued by her. Virgil actually tells Everret that Allison is a special woman because he can’t recall being so interested in a woman before. But we can occasionally see traces of what appears to be jealousy in Everret, mostly by the way he eyes Allison.
Ed Harris directs Appaloosa with what feels like self-certainty. It’s as if Harris has analyzed each component of the story and assembled the puzzle with as little effort as possible, providing for a rich and linear storytelling experience. Harris wisely puts more focus on the characters, their relationships and the plot rather than the action when he could have just as easily made the film more violent. This decision, in my opinion, only enhances Harris’s image as a storyteller, in addition to being a great actor. I want to see more from Ed Harris as a director after this film.
Appaloosa is one of the best films of the year so far. With superb acting, writing and direction, I think it’s safe to say we’re kicking off the slew of Oscar nominees this Fall right here.
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Written by: Michael on Mon, Oct 6, 2008