Appaloosa

Now, I'll start out by saying I'm not typically a fan of westerns. Most feel and sound the same, and rarely do they draw me in. If I'm going to watch a western, it usually is the darker, more existential western with brutal violence and sad, lonely characters. It just makes for a good watch. So, is Appaloosa one of these? Not entirely. But Appaloosa is a bit grim, so it gets points for that. Ed Harris, the man behind the script and the camera, brings us conflicted, complicated city marshal Virgil Cole. He is man lost in his work, his only friend found in Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen). The duo work well together, enforce their own laws in order to keep peace. But when Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) and Allison French (Renee Zellweger) get into the mix, the duo become fragmented. Appaloosa is filled with interesting characters and moments of thrilling violence. Which is everything a good western needs, right? The only thing I found myself hoping for was more on the quiet, quick draw Everett Hitch. Mortensen played him perfectly, and he stole every scene he was in.

Genre - Western (3.25)

Screenplay (3)
Acting (4)
Production (3)
Directing (3)