Appaloosa (2008)

 

The Plot: When a crazy ass, land-hungry rancher (Jeremy Irons) puts the marshal and deputies of Appaloosa six feet under, two bad mother fuckers (Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris, who also directs) arrive and bring law and order back to the shit hole town no nonsense style. But when a proper yet slightly slutty widow of uncertain convictions (Renée Zellweger) enters the picture, shit gets all fucked up and soon the lead flies. Lance Henriksen co-stars in this Western based on the novel by Robert B. Parker.

 

The music was your standard western flare, and by no means was it even close to something that one would hear if it was done by Ennio Morricone. Perhaps that’s a hard level to live up to, but watching so many spaghetti westerns growing up it’s just something I’ve come to expect in this type of film. Or maybe it’s just because the reoccurring music that they play throughout the film sounds just a tad upbeat for this type of theme.

 

The cinematography was excellent. Lots of wide shots, sprawling landscapes, and great angles used in the show down scenes. Vivid colors showing the red rock landscape as it should be. Everything was edited very well keeping the flow moving and showing the acting in its very best light.

 

The acting was hard edged and very believable. Everyone shows all the various sides of there characters making them 3 dimensional. This is so refreshing when 95% of all movies today only show the characters as black and white. This movie is pretty long, and takes its time to grow. I attribute the excellent acting within it as the very thing that draws you into the story. If you really pay attention to the characters then you can’t help but start caring for them.

 

The effects were very simplistic and not exaggerated. I admit that first seeing the 8 gauge shotgun that Viggo Mortensen is carrying around, I was really curious about how they were going to show the damage that it can do. I mean…this gun is made to take down the largest game, animals four times the size of a man. But if you are looking for gore, look elsewhere. The gun fights were really not stylized at all. There were no slow motion scenes with everyone yelling and diving while shooting. This movie will show you exactly how quick and sober the act of shooting someone really is.

 

Overall this movie was long but well worth it. The characters and storyline drew me in, and kept me interested in what was going to happen next. Each character had there own style and there interactions created great drama. If your looking for a shoot ‘em up movie, this is probably not going to quench that thirst. But if you are into great acting, story, and cinematography then just give it a chance.

 

4 Out of 5 Crom’s