Appaloosa

By Captain Cumquat

You would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful depiction of the western landscape. If you long for a traditional western tale, this movie was made for you. Based on Robert Parker’s book of the same name, ”Appaloosa” has every device that made the cowboy of lore legendary – stoicism, loyalty, fast draws, bad guys, pretty whores, and lots of dust. However, I personally find that strength is also the film’s only weakness. That predictable style of storytelling that once drew in audiences of yesteryear is categorically shunned by the more sophisticated moviegoers of today. The western as a genre has struggled to survive, held back by a simplistic and predictable story: [spoiler] Bad guy does bad thing in the lawless west. Good guy(s) then come to this one horse town and, after some difficulty, beat bad guy. Pretty girl messes things up a bit.

The western is still alive and well though in the rich relationships and dialogue between the characters. No other genre says so much with so few words. Bravo to director/star(Cole) Ed Harris for so elegantly executing the delicate and complex nuances of this tale where a look, a raised eyebrow, or a cup of coffee could mean so many things all at once. Viggo Mortensen (Hitch), a renowned master of the stoic and laconic, is a virtuoso as Cole’s honorable and soft spoken right-hand man. The fact that he carries an 8 gauge shotgun betrays his true hero status. The relationship between Cole and Hitch is reminiscent of that between Call and McCrae in ”Lonesome Dove”, which alone is reason enough to see this movie. Jeremy Irons, cast once again as the perennial bad guy, is Randall Bragg. His name says it all – he’s everything a good cowboy denounces.

The cinematography is breathtaking. The locations are stunningly authentic – simultaneously rich and desolate. The comic moments are quiet and witty. The horse riding is exceptional. And if, like me, you feel like a fugitive from an earlier era, you’ll definitely want to see this movie.