Movie Review: Appaloosa

6/10

This is a not at all revisionist western directed by its star, Ed Harris (of all people).

It follows the tale of two peace marshals played by Harris and the ever enjoyable Viggo Mortensen who are hired by a small town (the titular Appaloosa) to overcome the local rent-a-baddie who has been causing no end of trouble in a sort of predictable outlaw fashion, mainly disrespecting the law etc.

Our villain is played by Jeremy Irons, who from his accent appears to be from everywhere. We are intrduced to him as he shoots dead a marshal and his men in cold blood.

In fact, all of Appaloosa is populated by people of no fixed accent - notably the ever present town elders, including a notably mercurial vocal styling from Timothy Spall. It's the most jarring part of the movie, as all these noted and finer actors wrestle with their casting and in the case of the town elders, appear to be from a totally different film, a broad comedy perhaps, in which the gritty scenes are punctuated by pratfalls and song and dance numbers.

Appaloosa is not that film - it's a very much sub Unforgiven effort, where no cliche is left unturned - the outlaws holding someone hostage, the woman who breaks a hero's heart, the unspoken vaguely homoerotic relationship between male leads as well as a couple of gunfights.

There's plenty to enjoy, though, since with familiarity comes a certain warm sense of appreciation for the few moments we genuinely transcend the tired clichés of the genre - a gunfight that is over so quick one of theparticipants is himself surprised; at least one relationship that's genuinely affectionate and satisfyingly little depressing soul searching from the, for the most part, very quiet and almost monosyllabic leads.

While Harris looks like he's played this character many times before and doubtless has, he brings an easy charm and almost feline calm to his experienced and tired Virgil Cole.

Mortensen, seems to be viewing this tale as a competition in silence with Harris, almost apologetically interrupting the silence at times seems to be a major loss for their team. But as with all Mortensen performances he is never less than compelling, and easily, as in their previous outing together (History Of Violence, since you ask), Harris' equal if not his better.

The rest of the cast is less good - Lance Henriksen plays a blinder as a rival gunslinger but as the villain Jeremy Irons has too little authority or menace to impress. Renee Zellwegger too, never one of my favourite screen companions, has a slightly interesting part considering the history of women in Westerns, but again just doesn't convince as someone to utterly and immediately fall in love with, to the point of rethinking your whole life - and her chemistry with Harris is non existent.

That the film is still enjoyable is entirely thanks to the efforts of the lead duo of Harris and Mortensen, and I reckon if you're a fan of Westerns this will do you nicely. It's not Unforgiven, but it isn't Back To The Future III either.

A decent effort.

A