John's Movie Musings

What makes a good Western? If I had to narrow it down to three things, I'd say a good gunfight, a train/stagecoach robbery, and Clint Eastwood. Since Mr. Eastwood has gone behind the camera these days, it's up to others to fill his saddle. In Appaloosa, Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen take the reigns.

As a genre, Westerns rarely drift from the Lone Ranger type of hero. In many of Clint Eastwood's movies, he rarely had a name. This all helped define the cowboy archetype - rugged, stoic, and alone. The tagline in Appaloosa's poster even says, "Feelings get you killed." As you can tell, we're in familiar territory here.

And this is where Appaloosa shines. With Ed and Viggo playing typical cowboys, Renee Zellweger comes along and turns this into a character study. Where most Westerns take the Cowboy as a given and go forth on a good vs. evil story, Appaloosa actually examines the psyche of the Cowboy...in the middle of a good vs. sort of gray story. This all results in a slower paced movie, but I enjoyed the ride.

Like always, Jeremy Irons plays the villian. But he does a great job giving his character a personality without slipping into Jeremy Irons. I wish all actors were that good.

If you're in the mood for a Western, this one's solid. Not perfect, but certainly worth your two hours. Ed Harris directed and there are some shots that are simply brilliant. Definitely watch this if you love great cinematography.


Grade: B+