Rameshwar IN
Reviewed October 2011I was surprised to see in the titles that Ed Harris has directed this movie. Anyways, it resembles a bit of 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' for the portrayal of the lead characters and it is a template western with all it's stereotypes used to it's advantage. All I can say about this one is, it has nothing not to like and nothing too much to like too. Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) and Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) are reputed gunslinging partners and are hired by a town for a price to protect them from an unruly rancher, Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons). The famed duo start off in their style and stays a step ahead of the bandits by controlling their movement in the town. Then arrives a 'young' widow Allison French (Renee Zellweger) which changes the equation a bit as both Everett and Virgil fall for her. Later with a few incidents they come to know that Allison is a a woman who likes to be with the head of the pack. So it is just a competition from here to be the head of the pack as more people join the competition adding more duels, putting in loyalty in the mixture and what not. It is a western that could've had an edge, but the safe directing approach by the inexperienced Ed Harris sucks the joy out of it. In my opinion, James Mangold would've done a terrific job the same way he did with '3:10 to Yuma'. I haven't seen a lot of Viggo Mortensen apart from the LOTR series, History of Violence and Eastern Promises. In all these movie he plays a man of control and does a terrific job. He plays the same here too, but somehow feels extremely inadequate mostly I suspect because of his look here. Never been fond of Renee Zellweger and she does not raise any bars here though she lands a terrific character. The role is of a sultry seductress and Zellweger puts no effort to back it. I enjoy subtlety, but to be too subtle to even make it's point is pointless. Best watched when you are too lazy to change the movie midway and has nothing else to do.
bjlaleman
This is an excellent movie. I liked that it was done on film instead of digital. It gives a different feel to the movie. I also liked that the filming was done as a vintage western would have been done. The movie unfolds at a pace that draws the viewer into the plot and is not rushed and cluttered with too much action. All the scenes advance the plot. There is no gratuitous violence, just what is needed to tell the story. The costuming is great, lots of attention was given to make everyone look authentic to 1882, including the Indians. The sets were like real places with small touches to make each set personal and accurate to the times. The weapons and gear for the horses were authentic and period as well. And I loved the train! The movie was very well cast, all the characters were convincing and real to me. When I saw the top 3 male names in the cast, I knew it was going to be good. And it didn't disappoint.
Dave Nielsen
This movie is quite slow, but hey, its a western after all. My favorite part is when the whore tries to split up Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris' bromance and fails miserably. Also, that 10 gauge shotgun is a metaphor for his dong. The bad dude in the movie is also very well acted. The whole movie you're just begging for revenge on the guy (I won't spoil the ending for you though) The only reason I took off a star is because Renee Zelwigger is freakin weird looking and her character drives me nuts, which makes her numerous spankings (both verbal and physical) from Ed Harris all the more satisfying. Overall a great blend of a traditional western with the building vengeance and methodical pace, mixed with elements of the modern. I give the bromantic part 10/10, 9/10 overall
Wuchak
In 2008's "Appaloosa" two itinerate lawmen -- Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) and Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) -- are hired to protect the New Mexican town of Appaloosa from Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons), a newly-arrived rancher with money and a gang of thugs who arrogantly murdered three local lawmen. Virgil and Everett are seasoned professionals and have no fear. Meanwhile, a cute and seemingly refined widow comes to town, Allison French (Renée Zellweger), and Virgil falls hard for her, but is she worthy of his (or any man's) devotion? Harris and Mortensen were born to play Westerners and Zellweger is exquisite as the insecure babe who always needs to be desired. Moreover, Irons makes for a first-rate Western villain."Appaloosa" is a really good modern Western featuring the typical Western staples, but with great actors, mature themes and a totally realistic tone. When the action comes it's swift and brutal, but there's a lot of slow (albeit interesting) drama, so stay away if you have ADHD and require an explosion every five minutes to maintain your limited attention span.The film runs 115 minutes and was shot in New Mexico.GRADE: A-
AD
