AT THE MOVIES WITH JUSTIN SIMS
Appaloosa
Over half a dozen films opened this past weekend, most of which people have heard little about or nothing at all. They range from the kid’s movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua to the teen movie Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist to smaller sleepers such as Rachel Getting Married and Flash of Genius with many others in between. Many also haven’t heard of last week’s Appaloosa, which I am reviewing this week. There are a number of reasons I believe people have not heard of these films whether it’s not in their demographic; it wasn’t advertised much; it was more of an independent film, etc. I believe Appaloosa is rarely heard simply because it’s a western. Westerns have faded away the last few years. It’s easy to name a few, I will admit that, but they are a dying breed of genre. Westerns were very generational, and with the younger generation they have died out. Many even my age find it rather boring to watch a western whether it’s a classic John Wayne or newer release, such as Appaloosa or 3:10 to Yuma.
Either way that discussion is for another time, but it goes to show how even a film with a strong cast can be hidden within the release dates just waiting to be passed by. The cast includes Ed Harris, Viggo Mortenson, Renee Zellwegger, and Jeremy Irons. It was also written by Ed Harris, along with Robert Knott, and directed by Ed Harris. Appaloosa is about two veteran gunmen (Harris and Mortenson) who are hired by the small town of Appaloosa, NM to make their streets safe from Randall Bragg (Irons) and his gang, who do whatever they please. The tactics by Cole (Harris) and Hitch (Mortenson) are not always legal, but it’s for the good of the city, or so they believe. That’s a big part of the film, trying to figure out what is right or the best thing to do. That’s what we are all trying to figure out in life.
The listed cast does a great job in all their roles, but Mortenson stands out the most among them. He really fits the aging, gunslinging, sidekick Hitch, who has battles with what he should do. The only person he truly understands in the world is Cole, but eve there are difficulties with that relationship. Although all of them hold their own, the film doesn’t fully work coherently. Cole plays as a man who is on his own as is thrown off by a woman (Zellwegger), but I’m not exactly sure why he continues to have an interest in her through the on again-off again relationship. Overall, the film is a very good watch and acted out nicely. The cinematography uses the whole horizontal space of the frame, but most of the time I stared at the top of the frame because little was happening anywhere else. It’s bloody, it’s brutal, but it’s a fun time. 3½ Stars
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