Main Cast: Marlon Brando, Anjanette Comer, John Saxon, Emilio Fernández, Alex Montoya
Release Year: 1966
Country: US
Run Time: 99 minutes
Plot
The Appaloosa is one of the more tolerable Marlon Brando westerns, if only because Brando seems to be aspiring to merely entertain rather than offer us a litany of Life Lessons. The title character is a beautiful horse, stolen from buffalo hunter Brando early in the proceedings. The thief is Anjanette Comer, acting on behalf of her nasty boyfriend, Mexican bandit chieftan John Saxon. In his efforts to retrieve his property, Brando is subjected to torture and humiliation by Saxon and his minions. A later foray into Saxon's camp results in a brutal wrestling match between Brando and the bandito. Again left to die, Brando is rescued by Comer, who despises her "lover" and prefers Brando's company. During the violence-laden climax, Brando his forced to choose between Comer and his beloved Appaloosa. Russell Metty's gritty photography does more to sustain the mood of The Appaloosa than Sidney J. Furie's showoffish direction. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Miriam Colon - Ana; Rafael Campos - Paco; Frank Silvera - Ramos; Larry D. Mann - Priest; Argentina Brunetti - Yaqui woman
Credit
Alexander Golitzen - Art Director, Alfred Sweeney - Art Director, Helen Colvig - Costume Designer, Rosemary Odell - Costume Designer, Sidney J. Furie - Director, Ted Kent - Editor, Frank Skinner - Composer (Music Score), Bud Westmore - Makeup, Russell Metty - Cinematographer, Alan Miller - Producer, James Bridges - Screenwriter, Roland Kibbee - Screenwriter, Robert MacLeod - Book Author
The 2008 Appaloosa film (starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen) is not related nor a remake of this film, although it almost has the same movie title.
The title character is a beautiful horse (a breed, the Appaloosa) of Matt Fletcher (Marlon Brando), a Mexican-American buffalo hunter returns home only to have his beloved horse stolen by a powerful bandit, Chuy Medina (John Saxon) with the help of the bandit's girlfriend, Trini (Anjanette Comer) in the border town of Ojo Prieto. Trini was sold to Chuy at the age of 15, but now, is brutalized and soon to be discarded.[1]
Matt begins to hunt down the bandit to recapture the horse, but finds matters more complicated than expected when he meets the girlfriend of the bandit. Fletcher is subjected to torture and humiliation by Chuy and his minions. A later foray into Medina's camp results in a brutal wrestling match between Fletcher and the bandito. Again left to die, Fletcher is rescued by Trini, who despises her "lover", Chuy, and prefers Fletcher's company. During the violence-laden climax, Fletcher is forced to choose between Trini and his beloved Appaloosa. Matt, realizing that Trini means more to him than the horse, sends out the Appaloosa to draw Chuy's fire. As the bandit aims for the horse, Matt fires and kills him. Matt and Trini then cross the border with the Appaloosa to start a new life.[2]
This film has been called "Brando's spaghetti western". It was released as Southwest to Sonora in the United Kingdom.
The rifle Brando uses in the beginning is a Sharps Buffalo Rifle.
