Appaloosa – 2008

Appaloosa is a western that did just enough to capture the imagination and honesty of what the wild west is all about. Ed Harris directed and starred in this adaption of the novel by Robert B. Parker, but it is not going to be up there with some of the other classics such as Unforgiven, 3:10 to Yuma and perhaps Wyatt Earp.

Tormented by the evil Randall Bragg (Irons), Appaloosa’s higher powers turn to hired lawmen Virgil Cole (Harris) and Everett Hitch (Mortensen) to bring justice to their streets. However when they encounter wily widow Allison French (Zellwegger) the pairs long standing bond is tested.

The film goes from action to romance with a dash of humour thrown in but gets mixed up through out. The action sequences are small and could have been a lot better, the afternoon shoot out was a big disappointment. That said the relationship between Harris and Mortensen was finely tuned by their expert performances throughout.

The camera shots are simplistic and the town has that iconic western edge about it, as the pair ride in they are greeted cautiously by the townsfolk. Little is said between the two men except maybe a raised eyebrow or the tilt of the hat and that goes a long way.

It’s a solid effort from Harris who has only ever directed one other film but it is assured and will do well to stand alone in its own right.

View the trailer

Rating: (3/5)

Visit the IMDb page for Appaloosa

DVD Extras: Audio commentaries, featurettes including Bringing the Characters of Appaloosa to Life which reveals how Ed Harris became aware of the novel and quickly chose to work on the project. And deleted scenes.

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