Review of Appaloosa (2008) by Mike S — 09 Oct 2013

This Western is somehow less than the sum of its parts. It looks truly authentic to the period. The acting is good. But the characters seem to be either stereotypes or anachronisms. The plot is mostly formulaic.

Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch (Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen) are itinerant gunslingers, wandering the territories taking jobs as temporary lawmen in towns like Appaloosa, where the local marshal was recently gunned down by Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons, who's American accent was decidedly odd). Cole's and Hitch's efforts to bring Bragg to justice are complicated when Cole falls for newly arrived widow Allison French (Renee Zellweger), a character who is very hard to like and who's presence in Appaloosa is entirely unexplained. Nevertheless, Cole's affection for Allison give Bragg leverage to negotiate his way out of being hanged.

Cole and Everett are admirable for their lawfulness, but only in the final few scenes do we really learn anything about the depth of their friendship. Until then, their motives and histories are mysteries. We don't know what drives any of the characters, which makes it difficult to care about what they do or what happens to them.