Themes: Men's Friendship, Hired Killers, One Against the Mob
Main Cast: Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger, Jeremy Irons, Timothy Spall, Lance Henriksen
Release Year: 2008
Run Time: 115 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Upon drifting into a troubled Western outpost and discovering that the helpless locals are being terrorized by a ruthless rancher and his brutish hired hands, two rugged, straight-shooting peacemakers decide to stick around and put things right in this Western adapted from the novel by Robert B. Parker and directed by Ed Harris. Bragg (Jeremy Irons) is a rancher who believes himself to be above the law, a stance that's forever cemented when he guns down the town sheriff and his deputy in cold blood. Horrified, the defenseless townspeople pray for the day a savior will arrive in town to free them from Bragg's suffocating grasp. Soon thereafter, Virgil (Harris) and Everett (Viggo Mortensen) stride into town atop two mighty steeds, their confident presence signaling the beginning of a new era if the locals will only grant Virgil the complete power he needs to bring Bragg to justice. After pinning on his new badge, Virgil appoints Everett his deputy and ushers in an era of uneasy peace. Later, a woman named Allison (Renée Zellweger) arrives in town and catches Virgil's eye, prompting a die-hard renegade to consider a calm life of domestication. As Virgil's feelings for Allison grow, both begin to wonder if a life together is truly in the cards. Meanwhile, a temporarily subdued Bragg begins to display signs that he may not be finished with this town just yet. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Review
Buried at the center of many classic Westerns is a love story between grown men. My Darling Clementine, Rio Bravo, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are just some of the beloved oaters that are as much about men's loyalty and companionship as they are about gunslinging. Appaloosa fits snugly into that venerable tradition.
Director and co-screenwriter Ed Harris plays Virgil Cole, a lawman for hire who travels the Wild West with his longtime deputy, the eight-gauge-toting Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen). The title town hires the duo after politically connected rancher Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) guns down the local sheriff. The situations and the settings of Appaloosa might be very familiar, but the close relationship between the two leads is uncommonly specific. Their friendship, formed by years of surviving potentially fatal battles together, runs deep. This bond is expressed through sly grins, kidding words, and their mutual sense of professionalism. Let's be clear, Ed Harris has not remade Brokeback Mountain -- this is a buddy film -- but he is unafraid to examine the complicated inner lives of two very manly men. Harris and Mortensen have a genuine chemistry together -- they get laughs out of throwaway bits of business because you can tell how much the two characters mean to each other. Complicating their showdown with the bad guy, as well as their relationship to each other, is Renée Zellweger as Allison French, the town's newest citizen. When both men take a shine to her, audiences are prepped for a traditional love triangle, but Harris has thankfully cooked up something rather more unconventional.
Because the machinations of catching the bad guy take a back seat to the motivations and emotions of the two leads, the second half of Appaloosa doesn't have the narrative rush that the first half does. However, this shouldn't scare off genre enthusiasts, as Harris more than satisfies the traditions of the genre -- especially in three realistically quick and explosive gunfights (one of them the classic quick-draw, showdown on Main Street variety). The achievement of Appaloosa, for all of the movie's familiar qualities, is that the characters are so specific that they reinvigorate the conventions. Thanks to the fine acting, the solid direction, and the first-rate screenplay, the highly entertaining Appaloosa is simultaneously a traditional Western, a buddy comedy, and a love story. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Tom Bower - Abner Raines; Bobby Jauregui - Marshall Jack Bell; James Gammon - Earl May; Ariadna Gil - Katie; Luce Rains - Dean; Jim Tarwater - Chalk; Timothy V. Murphy - Vince; Boyd Kestner - Bronc; Gabriel Marantz - Joe Whitfield; Robert Harris - Judge Elias Callison; Benjamin Rosenshein - Town Boy; Cerris Morgan-Moyer - Tilda; Erik J. Bockemeier - Fat Wallis; Fred Hice - Bragg's Third Man; Neil Summers - Bragg's Fourth Man; Tim Carroll - Wagon Driver; Bounthanh Xaynhachack - Chin; Art Usher - Clerk; Cliff Gravel - Barber; Mike Watson - Night Rider; Rex Linn - Clyde Stringer; Corby Griesenbeck - Charlie Tewksbury; Adam Nelson - Mackie Shelton; Daniel Parker - Mueller; Ed Pennybacker - Conductor; Alvin Lunak - Sharps; Martin Connelly - Apache Elder; Danny Edmo - Young Brave; Argos Maccallum - Beauville Sheriff Russell; Cynthia Huerta - Mexican Woman; Charlene Adams - Citizen of Appaloosa; David Bard - Citizen of Appaloosa; Maria Bethke - Citizen of Appaloosa; Scott Brooks - Citizen of Appaloosa; Stephen Chomko - Citizen of Appaloosa; Robert Colby - Citizen of Appaloosa; Charles Culberson - Citizen of Appaloosa; Robert Down - Citizen of Appaloosa; Jackie Fleming - Citizen of Appaloosa; Jim Granger - Citizen of Appaloosa; Nancy Ann Hibbs - Citizen of Appaloosa; Nick Johnson - Citizen of Appaloosa; Glen Kappy - Citizen of Appaloosa; Kevin Kinsner - Citizen of Appaloosa; Norm Lee - Citizen of Appaloosa; Loretta Lewis - Citizen of Appaloosa; Skip Long - Citizen of Appaloosa; Tom McFarlane - Citizen of Appaloosa; Dani McNutt - Citizen of Appaloosa; Sylvie Mortenson - Citizen of Appaloosa; Sandy Nickal - Citizen of Appaloosa; Kyle Osborn - Citizen of Appaloosa; Hunter Lee Pimparapana - Citizen of Appaloosa; Marvin Rath - Citizen of Appaloosa; Randall Sauls - Citizen of Appaloosa; Claire Schwebke - Citizen of Appaloosa; Nathan Simmons - Citizen of Appaloosa; Chloe Slator - Citizen of Appaloosa; John Turner - Citizen of Appaloosa; Bailey Walter - Citizen of Appaloosa; Ernest Andreas - Citizen of Appaloosa; Ian Bell - Citizen of Appaloosa; Todd Bethke - Citizen of Appaloosa; Martin Callahan - Citizen of Appaloosa; Cynthia Clark - Citizen of Appaloosa; Lowell Crawford - Citizen of Appaloosa; Timothy David - Citizen of Appaloosa; Flynn-Bella Ericson - Citizen of Appaloosa; Dennis Foulkrod - Citizen of Appaloosa; Ruben Haddix - Citizen of Appaloosa; Jerrall Hinds - Citizen of Appaloosa; Taryn Johnson - Citizen of Appaloosa; Jeff Kimerling - Citizen of Appaloosa; Daniel Krieger - Citizen of Appaloosa; Kerry Lee - Citizen of Appaloosa; Isabelle Leustig - Citizen of Appaloosa; Denise Lynch - Citizen of Appaloosa; Diana McGuerty - Citizen of Appaloosa; Diana Minfa - Citizen of Appaloosa; Ernest Moya - Citizen of Appaloosa; Michael Max Norris - Citizen of Appaloosa; Trevor Osborn - Citizen of Appaloosa; Michael Neal Powell - Citizen of Appaloosa; L.C. Read - Citizen of Appaloosa; Daphne D. Ross - Citizen of Appaloosa; Darrell Schmidt - Citizen of Appaloosa; Cecily Kuehl Shank - Citizen of Appaloosa; Frankey Singzilay - Citizen of Appaloosa; Isabel Slator - Citizen of Appaloosa; Elizabeth Ann Tuttle - Citizen of Appaloosa; Kristin Walter - Citizen of Appaloosa; Dave Jensen - Bragg's Man; Tom Larson - Bragg's Man; Matthew Montoya - Apache; Michael Clark - Bragg's Man; Jerry Fuentes - Bragg's Man; Tom Johnson - Bragg's Man; Alex Edmo - Apache; Girard Swan - Bragg's Man; Herman Endito - Bragg's Man; Alicia Williams - Citizen of Appaloosa; Heather Antonio - Citizen of Appaloosa; Daniel Jon Bergman - Citizen of Appaloosa; Miles Blackman - Citizen of Appaloosa; Mabel Jin Chin - Citizen of Appaloosa; Leonaldan Codanti - Citizen of Appaloosa; Jake Crellin - Citizen of Appaloosa; Rachel De la Torre - Citizen of Appaloosa; Chuck Ferran - Citizen of Appaloosa; Christopher Frechette - Citizen of Appaloosa; Bruce Harders - Citizen of Appaloosa; Perry Jasper - Citizen of Appaloosa; Dale Kappy - Citizen of Appaloosa; Kim Kimerling - Citizen of Appaloosa; Xander Laird - Citizen of Appaloosa; Michael Lente - Citizen of Appaloosa; Jennae Linnell - Citizen of Appaloosa; Lynn Macri - Citizen of Appaloosa; Henry McKeighen - Citizen of Appaloosa; Kim Montoya - Citizen of Appaloosa; Kevin New - Citizen of Appaloosa; Frank Nunn - Citizen of Appaloosa; Dara Osborne - Citizen of Appaloosa; Kristine Rael - Citizen of Appaloosa; Steve Rick - Citizen of Appaloosa; Tom E. Rostkowski - Citizen of Appaloosa; Yvonne Schmidt - Citizen of Appaloosa; Carol Sieber - Citizen of Appaloosa; Edward Sipler - Citizen of Appaloosa; Fionn Thelen - Citizen of Appaloosa; Madeline Walter - Citizen of Appaloosa; J.C. Augare - Apache; Anderson Chee - Apache; Wes Trudell - Apache; Kiela Bird - Apache; Bud Connley - Apache; Jery Hardy - Bragg's Man; Les Schesser - Bragg's Man; Larry Hinsley - Bragg's Man; Frank Spencer - Bragg's Man; Adam Honeyfield - Bragg's Man; Greg Stevenson - Bragg's Man
Credit
Steve Arnold - Art Director, Candy Trabucco - Associate Producer, Kathryn Himoff - Associate Producer, Janice Williams - Associate Producer, Jeanne McCarthy - Casting, Nicole Abellera - Casting, Elizabeth Gabel - Casting, David C. Robinson - Costume Designer, Lahly Poore - Costume Designer, Deborah Cha Blevins - Costume Designer, Aleah Ames - Costume Designer, Maureen O'Heron - Costume Designer, Shannon Montoya - Costume Designer, Kaaren F. Ochoa - First Assistant Director, Ed Harris - Director, Kathryn Himoff - Editor, Caldecot "Cotty" Chubb - Executive Producer, Michael London - Executive Producer, Toby Emmerich - Executive Producer, Sam Brown - Executive Producer, Jeff Beal - Composer (Music Score), Dondi Bastone - Musical Direction/Supervision, Waldemar Kalinowski - Production Designer, Dean Semler - Cinematographer, Ed Harris - Producer, Michael London - Producer, Robert Knott - Producer, Ginger Sledge - Producer, Thomas Betts - Set Designer, Mike Watson - Stunts Coordinator, Ed Harris - Screenwriter, Robert Knott - Screenwriter, Mark Freund - Visual Effects Supervisor, Robert B. Parker - Book Author
The small western town of Appaloosa is being terrorized by local rancher Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons), who killed Marshall Jack Bell (Robert Jauregui), and two of his deputies, in cold blood. The town decides to hire lawman Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) and his deputy, Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen), to protect the town. They agree to give complete control to Cole and Hitch, who begin killing any of Bragg's men who are in the town. Cole meets a new arrival to the town, recently widowed Allie French (Renée Zellweger), and starts a relationship with her. When one of Bragg's men tells Virgil and Everett he will testify that his boss killed the marshall, Bragg is tried and found guilty. En route to his execution, Bragg is rescued by Ring and Mackie Shelton (Lance Henriksen and Adam Nelson), who also capture Allie and bring her along for insurance.
Cole and Hitch catch up with the outlaws, and, after a brief fight with Indians, they turn Bragg in to the sheriff of Beauville, the nearest town. Unbeknownst to Cole, Sheriff Russell (Argos MacCallum) is a cousin of the Shelton brothers. With the sheriff's help, Ring and Mackie free Bragg and challenge Cole and Hitch to a gunfight. The two lawmen are wounded, but they manage to kill Ring, Mackie, and Sheriff Russell. Unfortunately, Bragg escapes, so Cole and Hitch head back to Appaloosa with Allie.
Some time later, Bragg is granted a full pardon by President Chester A. Arthur and returns to Appaloosa in an attempt to publicly reform himself. He buys the hotel and ingratiates himself with the locals, though Virgil and Everett suspect he is using his claims of a silver strike to cover up illegal gains. Hitch also discovers that Bragg is in a relationship with Allie. Unable to arrest Bragg, and wanting Allie to be with Cole, Hitch challenges Bragg to a duel and guns him down in front of Virgil. Everett decides to leave town, and his parting words express his hope that Virgil can find happiness with Allie.
Bob Harris, Ed Harris's father, has a small role as Judge Callison.
Production
Appaloosa marks Ed Harris's second outing as director, following the 2000 biopic Pollock, which he also starred in; Harris co-wrote and co-produced Appaloosa with Robert Knott.[1] The budget for Appaloosa was $20 million[2] and filming took place from October 1, 2007 to November 24, 2007 around Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico and Austin, Texas.[3] Harris was drawn to Robert B. Parker's bestselling novel because it was constructed like a classic Western, but included crime themes still relevant to contemporary society. He purchased the rights to the novel and hired Parker to adapt his book into a screenplay.[4] Harris, who also stars as Virgil Cole, wanted to make the film in the old-fashioned style of such films as 3:10 to Yuma, My Darling Clementine and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, rather than a revisionist approach. Harris also acknowledged the challenge of making a successful Western movie, saying, "You can count on one hand, or maybe half a hand, the number of Westerns that were box office successes in the recent past."[5] Production of Appaloosa slowed when New Line Cinema and producers became concerned with the box office prospects of a Western during a season with such anticipated blockbusters as The Dark Knight. Diane Lane originally signed on to play Allie French, but left the project when the film stalled. The movie got back on track due to the success of the Deadwood series on HBO and the film remake of 3:10 to Yuma. Renée Zellweger was signed to replace Lane.[4]
Harris enjoyed working with Viggo Mortensen in A History of Violence and had him in mind for the part of Everett Hitch. While publicizing A History of Violence at the Toronto Film Festival, Harris handed Mortensen a copy of the novel and asked him to read it and consider playing the part. Harris said it was "a totally awkward proposition, handing another actor a book like that,"[5] but Mortensen agreed to take the part after responding well to the character and the relationship dynamic between the two characters.[5] Harris said he wanted to make the film because he was drawn to the "unspoken comradeship"[5] of Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. "Though they've been hanging out for years, they're not too intimate, but they know each other. Aside from in sports, or being a cop, I can't think of any other situation where a friendship like that is called for."[5] Mortensen felt similarly, saying, "I like to ride horses, and I like Westerns, but there are a lot of bad ones. What set this one apart is just how the characters are a little more guarded."[5] Mortensen studied Frederic Remington drawings and other images of the American Old West to get into character and master the proper way to stand during a gunfight.[6]
The DVD includes a number of bonus extra featurettes, including "Dean Semler's Return to the Western." Although cinematographer Semler has been a pioneer in shooting digital movies, he was glad for this special opportunity to shoot a traditional old-fashioned Western using classic film stock technology. [7]
Reception
Early reviews of Appaloosa from the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival were lukewarm. Brad Frenette of the National Post said "the film feels double its 114-minute running time, but Appaloosa redeems itself through unexpected moments of levity, Harris's steady direction and the god amongst men, Lance Henriksen."[8] Frenette also said Renee Zellweger is "mostly a bust"[8] and Viggo Mortensen "oozes cool."[8]Popjournalism reviewer Sarah Gopaul said Harris and Mortensen spend too much time talking and discussing their feelings, which she said made the film too light for the gritty Western genre. Gopaul said Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen delivered decent performances and that Renee Zellweger's character has more depth than the traditional romantic interest in a Western.[9] The New Yorker’sDavid Denby called it “a well-made, satisfying, traditionalist Western with some odd quirks and turns.” [10]
On Rotten Tomatoes, Appaloosa is currently rated at 76% on the Tomatometer, based on 149 reviews.[11]
The film appeared on some critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. Ray Bennett of The Hollywood Reporter named it the 8th best film of 2008[12], and Mike Russell of The Oregonian named it the 10th best film of 2008.[12]
