Appaloosa is set in the 1880s and follows the story of 'peacekeepers' Virgil Cole (Harris) and Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) as they are hired by the leading citizens of the eponymous town to protect their interests from Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons), whose men more or less bully the townspeople at will. Virgil and Everett have worked together for years and know each other very well; they're a very effective team, but they are thrown off-balance by the arrival of Allison French (Renee Zellweger), who takes an immediate liking to Virgil.
At first look the movie seems like a straightforward western – good guys have to find a way to restore law and order and capture the bad guy – but I realized, when the 'story' climaxed somewhere in the middle of the film, that I had been fooled (or that I fooled myself); Appaloosa is really about the friendship between Virgil and Everett. There's an external plot, of course, and it is important, but it takes a back seat – not obviously, mind you – to the larger picture of the two men. In lesser hands I think this could have been a major backfire, but here, it makes the movie special.
Harris is very sharp as Virgil, a man who understands his shortcomings and flaws as well as his strengths. But the movie really belongs to Viggo Mortensen, who is so good here he should have been nominated for an Oscar. Viggo plays Everett with such subtlety and intelligence that he steals the spotlight, and the sidekick ends up seeming like the main character – and possibly he is, by design. The craft that these two display – aided by a crafty, witty, smart script – is impressive; the rest of the cast is very good too (Irons is thankfully restrained), but none of them can compete with the two leads.
Appaloosa is a smart, well-done movie. It's not a standard western, but it's far better because of it. It was obviously a labor of love for Harris, and that shows through in every scene. I was deeply impressed with and pleased by this movie; unless you just can't abide westerns (or one of the leads), do yourself a favor and check out this unfairly overlooked film.
At first look the movie seems like a straightforward western – good guys have to find a way to restore law and order and capture the bad guy – but I realized, when the 'story' climaxed somewhere in the middle of the film, that I had been fooled (or that I fooled myself); Appaloosa is really about the friendship between Virgil and Everett. There's an external plot, of course, and it is important, but it takes a back seat – not obviously, mind you – to the larger picture of the two men. In lesser hands I think this could have been a major backfire, but here, it makes the movie special.
Harris is very sharp as Virgil, a man who understands his shortcomings and flaws as well as his strengths. But the movie really belongs to Viggo Mortensen, who is so good here he should have been nominated for an Oscar. Viggo plays Everett with such subtlety and intelligence that he steals the spotlight, and the sidekick ends up seeming like the main character – and possibly he is, by design. The craft that these two display – aided by a crafty, witty, smart script – is impressive; the rest of the cast is very good too (Irons is thankfully restrained), but none of them can compete with the two leads.
Appaloosa is a smart, well-done movie. It's not a standard western, but it's far better because of it. It was obviously a labor of love for Harris, and that shows through in every scene. I was deeply impressed with and pleased by this movie; unless you just can't abide westerns (or one of the leads), do yourself a favor and check out this unfairly overlooked film.