Ed Harris is bringing the Western back. Or atleast he's trying to. In Appaloosa, his second crack at directing and starring in a film since 2000's Pollock, Harris has made a concerted effort to recapture the glory of the old style western. The most recent attempts at this genre such as The Proposition, Seraphim Falls, and even as far back as Unforgiven have mostly been in the revisionist category, using that time period to poke a sharp stick at the ideals of the time. Not so with Appaloosa, which is all machismo, all the time, and for the most part it works.
Harris plays Virgil Cole, a travelling lawman alongside his best friend and deputy, Everett Hitch, played perfectly by Viggo Mortensen. Cole and Hitch have just accepted a new job as protectors of the city of Appaloosa, an eyeblink of a town with roughly more tumbleweeds than actual citizens. They just found out that the previous sheriff, an old friend, had been gunned down by a local band of thugs led by Randall Bragg(Jeremy Irons). Obviously, revenge must be sought, otherwise what kinda film would this be?
Cole and Hitch have been friends and partners for so long, they've formed a unique bond that is simulatenously fulfilling and symbiotic. Without Cole, Hitch has no direction. Without Hitch, Cole wouldn't have anybody to pull his feet from the fire, also nobody to help him finish those big four syllable words he has such trouble with. Their gunplay as a tandem is beyond reproach. Matters of love are another thing entirely. When an "attractive" lady, Allie French(Renee Zellwegger) shows up in town and immediately takes an interest in Cole, the two must decide if there's room enough in the saloon for three.
Cole is a straight forward lawman with a honor code as long as the barrel of his gun. Cole isn't overly bright. He knows his law; he knows loyalty; and that's about it. He's disturbingly naive in matters of love, almost a virgin in that sense. Hitch is a smoother ladies man. As played by Mortensen he absolutely drips with coolness. Viggo completely steals away every scene of this film. It's Hitch who is by far the most interesting character here. He's intelligent, clearly as able with a gun as Cole, yet he's content to play 2nd fiddle to his best friend. I'm much more interested in seeing a continuation of his story after this film....that is if he survives it. The aptly named Bragg is your typical boastful villain of these types of films. Good with a gun, but even better with his eloquent words. Bragg proves to be a more devious and formidable opponent than Cole and Hitch have ever encountered.
I like Harris's minimalist approach to the shooting of the film. This is standard meat 'n potatoes stuff, very similar in approach to an Eastwood film. There are some good turns here, particularly by Viggo Mortensen but also by Lance Henrikksen who always seems to pop up out of nowhere and steal scenes in every movie he's in. I recall his brilliant turn in the remake of The Quick and the Dead. I could've done with a bit less of Zellwegger, though. She's never been a favorite of mine, and here she continues on her way to looking more like a puffer fish than an actual human female. She's terrible in this, and it makes me wonder how much better her part could've been if Diane Lane had stayed on the project. The story itself lags a bit in the middle as we get a little too much time devoted to Cole and French's budding relationship. That stuff doesn't work for the most part, and none of the fault lies with Harris as an actor. Also, the end comes straight out of nowhere. It's not a bad ending by any means, but I guess the fanboy in me always expects long drawn out clashes between good and evil to culminate into something epic. The ending here is cold, swift, and appropriate if not a bit disappointing.
Chances are the western will never regain it's title as the most popular film genre, no doubt giving way to the talking chihuahua genre, but as long as quality films like this come out every couple of years it'll never truly fade away.
6/10
