Appaloosa Reviewed on Blu-ray
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Two years ago, the remake of "3:10 to Yuma" did very well; in 2008, so did "Appaloosa." It seems that the movie business can handle one or two well-made Westerns a year, great news for those of us who grew up on them. "Appaloosa" isn't a great Western, but it's a good one, and particularly well acted. Based on the novel by Robert B. Parker (and having nothing to do with the Marlon Brando Western, "The Appaloosa"), the new movie is organized a little peculiarly, with two big climaxes. Parker's always great with dialogue; screenwriters Ed Harris (who also stars and directed) and Robert Knott point out (in the commentary track) that most of the dialogue in the movie is Parker's. Since Parker's books usually feature a lot of talk, so does the movie, but it's good talk. Some of the best scenes are merely Harris and co-star Viggo Mortensen sitting around on the porch at the jail, and trading quips.
Ed Harris stars as Virgil Cole, a traveling gun for hire; he directed, co-wrote the movie and wrote one of the end-credit songs (which he sings); his father Bob turns up as a judge. Viggo Mortensen is cool, amusing and tough as Cole's partner, Everett Hitch, and he always lugs around an enormous 8-gauge shotgun (so big they were usually mounted on a swivel); he's adept with using it, too. They're a pair of traveling lawmen for hire, having teamed up 12 years before, not long after the end of the Civil War. They always work on the side of the law, even though they sometimes have to make up the laws themselves (as they do here). They carry with them a list of just such laws, just in case the town they're cleaning up doesn't have existing laws that put the power into the hands of the itinerant pair.
This Western isn't revisionist, but instead features a standard, familiar story with standard, familiar characters (including some hostile Indians)--here, those are virtues. You could easily imagine Henry Fonda as Hitch and Gary Cooper as Virgil Cole, although he talks a little more than Cooper's reputation has it that he did. These are steely-eyed, straight-talking lawmen, very good at what they do, very much disinclined to become involved in the daily life of the towns they straighten out. They're similar to Robert B. Parker's most familiar characters, Spenser and Hawk--strong men with their own code of ethics, extremely proficient in the skills their profession requires, and who trade wry jokes. These two vary a bit from Spenser and Hawk; here, Cole has a quick, violent temper (which we see demonstrated just once), and he's a shade pretentious. He's constantly trying to improve his word power--he's a bit pretentious--but often has to ask bystanders (usually Hitch) for the word he's groping for. He also reads Emerson in his off hours, nodding sagely when he agrees with what he's reading.
As the movie begins, they reach the (fictional) Southwestern town of Appaloosa. (It's never explained why the town is named for a breed of horse.) The local lawman and a couple of deputies just rode out to arrest two of the men working for big landowner Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons)--who promptly shoots them dead, right in front of his men. We quickly learn that the Bragg men are running roughshod over the townsfolk of Appaloosa. Bragg and his men are why the town aldermen, Raines (Tom Bower), May (James Gammon) and Olson (Timothy Spall) have sent for Cole and Hitch. The aldermen are powerless, and cowed by Braggs' claim to be a pal of U.S. President Chester A. Arthur (an odd but amusing touch).
Cole becomes town marshal and Hitch his deputy, and they soon post their standard laws. Cole carries a well-used Colt .45 and Hitch that enormous eight-gage shotgun; both employ other weapons as needed. They quickly establish their presence and power by blasting away a couple of Bragg's men who were pissing on the floor of the local saloon. The survivor rushes back to tell his boss all about it. Bragg soon shows up with a lot of help, but Cole and Hitch's cool confidence and obvious deadly skills make him back down--for now.
In the long pause that follows while Bragg mulls things over, Mrs. Allie Finch (Renée Zellweger) arrives by train. She catches Hitch's eye almost immediately, but he's cautious about approaching her, but Cole isn't. In fact, he's a little bashful and goofy around her, amusing Hitch, who has sized her up better than Cole ever does. She's not a bad person, but as a single woman out west (and who isn't a whore), she is opportunistic; she's attracted to Cole's power as much as to the man himself. Her tendency to drift to the power figure eventually causes problems.
Cole and Hitch efficiently take Bragg as their prisoner and lock him up in the local jail. For a while, it looks like the movie is shaping up as a rerun of Howard Hawks' "Rio Bravo," but it goes a different direction. After Bragg is in jail, not too much happens for a while, though the Shelton Brothers, Ring (Lance Henriksen) and Mackie (Adam Nelson), old associates of Cole's, arrive in Appaloosa just before Bragg's trial. They're also hired guns, but this time, they've been hired by Bragg.
It's fun for a while watching Cole and Hitch lounging about on the wooden sidewalks, trading amusing lines while their steely eyes miss nothing. But there's a bit too much of this, and the movie drags a little. Hitch has found his own (temporary) woman, Katie (Ariadna Gil in the Katy Jurado role); they're frequently in bed together, giving Hitch the opportunity to express his doubts about Allie. Cole is confused by his feelings for Allie; he's only been with whores and the like, has never thought about settlin' down, but Allie makes him see things differently. Perhaps incorrectly. She does seem a bit too interested in Bragg to suit Hitch.
"Appaloosa" develops its familiar story slowly but carefully; the commentary track and the deleted scenes, all of which are interesting, show how hard it was for Harris to cut it down to this running time, even though it is a shade too long. Although this is only his second movie as director (200's "Pollock" was the first), he's obviously skilled in the job, and here has material that's nearly director-proof, at least with this cast, including Harris himself, of course. When they were filming "A History of Violence," Harris had just finished reading Parker's novel, and offered Mortensen the co-starring role. He couldn't have found a more appropriate choice.
Cole is less complicated than West Point graduate Hitch, but doesn't really know that. More could have been done with his quick temper, but that's a side issue; Harris is completely believable and--this is crucial--likeable as the tough Virgil Cole. As a director, he tells the story straightforwardly, he allows the actors to "breathe," including the enjoyably hammy Timothy Spall. Everyone, including a relaxed and flinty Jeremy Irons, is clearly having a great time playing cowboy. And it's great to see Lance Henriksen, Harris's costar from "The Right Stuff," back in a solid, interesting role in a major movie. He looks like he was chipped out of the same granite as Harris and Mortensen.
Cinematographer Dean Semler ("Get Smart," "Dances with Wolves," "The Road Warrior" etc.) fills the wide screen with the dry, dusty landscape of New Mexico; this is a great-looking movie that, even so, never indulges in "beautiful" shots. It's as tough and hardy a landscape as the tough, hardy men at the center of the story, and the movie looks sensational in Blu-ray high definition. You can practically sense the dust in the windy air, can feel the textures of the rough (and sometimes stylish) clothing. The movie takes place almost entirely during the day, so the brown, beige and yellow sandstone bluffs and scrubby deserts practically sing. It's one of the best-looking recent Blu-ray releases.
The extras are well-made though they don't offer very much. The commentary track is mostly by Ed Harris, though he's eventually joined by Robert Knott. Most of their soft-spoken, almost whispered, chat is uninspired and a little tedious, but it's clear that Harris loved making the movie, and that he carefully hand-picked his cast, usually choosing people he'd worked with before.
There are several featurettes that constitute a lengthy making-of, with almost all the leads being interviewed, as well as some of the supporting players (such as Henriksen). Cinematographer Dean Hemler was clearly happy to get back to shooting with film--his previous four films had used digital cameras--and loves the wide-open spaces. Also heard from are costume designer David Robinson, property master Keith Walters, wrangler Rex Peterson, stunt coordinator Mike Watson and skilled production designer Waldimar Kalinowski. There's an optional commentary track for the deleted scenes (all in high definition); it's clear that up until the disc was released, Harris hoped that his longer cut would be included.
The movie is thoroughly honest in its treatment of all its characters; Cole and Hitch are admirable, a little scary, and sometimes a shade ridiculous. There's even some sympathy available for Bragg, as brutal and self-centered as he is.
Despite its weaknesses, there's something very satisfying about "Appaloosa." Ed Harris, as director and co-writer, was not out to tell us the truth about the Old West; he was out to make an entertaining Western of the old school--at the end, one of the heroes even rides off into the sunset (and tells us he's doing so)--and he has done that. If you didn't see this movie on the big screen, it's your loss, because that's how a movie with the sweep of this one should be seen. But this Blu-ray disc is successful in its own right.
