Appaloosa

J: I tried very hard to like “Appaloosa” – VERY hard. It seemed to have everything going for it, from a well-respected actor/director in Ed Harris to my personal favorite actor – Viggo Mortensen. Thank God for the eye candy factor because that, as well as the overall authentic look, ended up being the only redeeming qualities for this picture.

I am a fan of westerns and believe that little beats the sight of John Wayne loping down a dusty street or a steely-eyed Gary Cooper staring down a bad guy. Heck, I don’t even mind that “Eldorado” and “Rio Bravo” are essentially the same movie because both deliver exactly what the viewer expects. Unfortunately, “Appaloosa” gets lost somewhere between “The Searchers” and “Unforgiven”. I had read some comparisons between “Unforgiven” and “Appaloosa” prior to seeing the later, so I was expecting something really special. But I soon realized the only comparison one could make might be along the lines of the understated type of acting and directing that Clint Eastwood is known for. Sadly, Mr. Harris is no Clint Eastwood and managed only boredom instead of understated drama. Watching tumble weeds would provide more drama than this movie. There were a couple of hints at something interesting, notably a scene where Viggo’s character had to restrain Ed Harris’ marshal as he brutally beat a stranger while bordering on madness, but they lead nowhere. Why did he get so wild-eyed? What happened that would precipitate that kind of reaction? Surely there must have been something in his past to explain this, but it just died with the end of the scene. I would love to know why. There were also hints at the kind of humor the two characters, who were presented as having ridden together for MANY years, could have shared with each other and, by extension, us. But the effort to remain stoically underplayed killed anything that would tell us of the true nature of this friendship.

Enter Renee Zelleweger, who both K and I agree is a less than satisfying actor. She might have been just the right face for her character but nothing lurked beneath that would hint at why she was capable of her actions in the movie. And that speaks to the real issue with this movie; ultimately there is nothing in any of these characters that makes us care about them. There is precious little to suggest any kind of background for these characters, we literally have to take them at face value and so feel nothing for them as they go through the motions. The only legitimately interesting character is the villain, Jeremy Irons. He has a nice twist in the end that could have really rounded out the movie and provide an opportunity to make a point but, again, it was squandered. I felt as though I was just plopped down into a two dimensional picture of flat characters – a very pretty picture but not terribly interesting.

A lot of work obviously went into this movie. Someone actually took the trouble to make the glass in the buildings the way it must have been done in that time period. The costumes were also very authentic looking. But if a director takes the time and trouble to film on location, why not use some of the breathtaking and spectacular western landscapes I’ve seen in the past? The land around the town of Appaloosa was often as flat as the people that inhabited it. Perhaps some of that authenticity could have been channeled into the development of the characters.

But it wasn’t a total loss – I got to spend some quality time with Viggo! I will have to do a make-up movie trip for K, though. Tumblin’ along with the tumblin’ tumble weeds wasn’t exactly her thing! If it isn’t yours either, you should definitely skip this movie.

K: I was really bored. I started thinking about that Oregon Trail computer game from way back in the early '80s. I think my main problem was that this was more of a character study than a plot-driven movie. I kind of like plots in my movies, unless it's absolutely spectacular like Let There Be Blood with Daniel Day Lewis. And I'm not big on westerns or Renee Zelleweger, who I didn't realize was in this movie until her round, scrunched up face popped up on the screen. I recommend you skip this and play Oregon Trail instead.