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Appaloosa

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Appaloosa (2008)

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Reviews Counted:152

Fresh:116

Rotten:36

Average Rating:6.6/10

Consensus: A traditional genre western, Appaloosa sets itself apart with smart psychology, an intriguing love triangle, and good chemistry between the leads.

Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins

Genre: Westerns

Theatrical Release:Sep 19, 2008 Limited

Box Office: $20,157,730

Synopsis: Actor Ed Harris takes only his second stab at directing, following the Oscar-winning feature POLLOCK (2000) with this spirited western. Harris draws on a strong cast, many of whom have acted with... Actor Ed Harris takes only his second stab at directing, following the Oscar-winning feature POLLOCK (2000) with this spirited western. Harris draws on a strong cast, many of whom have acted with him in previous films, to tell the story of two gunfighters attempting to bring peace to the small town of Appaloosa in the late 1800s. Virgil Cole (Harris) and Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) ride into the windswept New Mexico town and are hired to bring vigilante entrepreneur Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) to justice. Bragg has imposed a reign of terror over Appaloosa, but his murderous actions are tempered when Cole and Hitch take control. Matters get complicated when widower Allison French (Renee Zellweger) flounces into town and variously woos Cole, Hitch, and Bragg, allowing Harris to throw in a few neat twists as his two principal characters attempt to bring the miscreant entrepreneur to justice. APPALOOSA is a slow-moving and beautifully shot feature that perfectly translates the dusky New Mexico landscape to celluloid. The film stands shoulder to shoulder with 21st-century westerns such as THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD and THE PROPOSITON, and much like those films Harris's feature draws heavily on deeply affecting performances from his leads. Irons is particularly affecting as the baleful Bragg, who brings a real air of menace to the screen any time he appears on camera. The nuanced turns by Harris and Mortensen play like a master class in subtlety, with the two seasoned actors perfectly delivering two stoic characters who are masking a lifetime of pain and suffering. Harris's feature is a welcome addition to the fold of introspective westerns, effortlessly standing alongside similar efforts such as Clint Eastwood's UNFORGIVEN or James Mangold's 3:10 TO YUMA. [More]

Starring: Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger, Jeremy Irons

Starring: Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger, Jeremy Irons, Timothy Spall, Lance Henriksen

Director: Ed Harris

Director: Ed Harris
Screenwriter: Ed Harris, Robert Knott
Producer: Ed Harris, Robert Knott, Ginger Sledge
Composer: Jeff Beal
Studio: Warner Bros.

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Release:

Jan 13, 2009

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Reviews for Appaloosa

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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old-fashioned but simple and effective entertainment

Full Review Source: Draxblog Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/17/09
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
Draxblog Movie Reviews

A dusty, old-fashioned Western with a dusty, old-fashioned vibe. You can all but smell the saddle soap as the story unfolds.

Full Review Source: Times-Picayune | comment Comment
07/27/09
Mike Scott
Mike Scott
Times-Picayune

There's considerable pleasure in Appaloosa's respect for the undramatic. It doesn't go where you'd expect...

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
06/07/09
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Tom Meek
Tom Meek
Boston Phoenix

True, the film is a little long, and it loses momentum at one stage, but generally speaking this is a most enjoyable return to what was once the cinema’s most popular genre.

Full Review Source: At the Movies (Australia) | comment Comment
03/13/09
David Stratton
David Stratton
At the Movies (Australia)

Viggo Mortensen is a trustworthy ally in the project, an actor whose extraordinary range enables him to move his performance along the scale from 0 to 100 at will.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
03/11/09
Andrew L. Urban
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile

Wearing not only his actor's lawman hat, but also that of director and co-screenwriter, Ed Harris delivers a splendid film, filled with nuances, complexities and substance

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment 1 Comment
03/11/09
Louise Keller
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile

Brush away the dust and you'll find a sense of nostalgia and romanticism about lost American values and altered social hierarchies.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
03/06/09
Paul Byrnes
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald

Harris has made himself a reputation as a mark of quality...Like Pollack, Appaloosa has the best of both worlds, with Harris both in front of and behind the camera. [Blu-ray]

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
02/15/09
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

I give thanks for westerns. Every time they seem to be about to gasp their last, dusty breath, one comes along to give them a bit of renewed life. Bless it, the western genre will not die. Last year it was the excellent remake 3:10 to Yuma. This ye

Full Review Source: Fayetteville Free Weekly | comment Comment
02/01/09
Tony Macklin
Tony Macklin
Fayetteville Free Weekly

It is as though Harris could not decide whether he was making the classic western of his boyhood dreams, or merely a pastiche of it. The result, falling somewhere between the two, ends up being neither here nor there.

Full Review Source: Little White Lies | comment Comment
01/30/09
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Little White Lies

Nothing new or groundbreaking here, just a lot of talented people coming together for a well-made and entertaining Western.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment 1 Comment
01/14/09
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

...provides enough variety to keep the heart, mind, and adrenaline on alert.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment 1 Comment
01/09/09
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Uma produção correta e que prende a atenção especialmente graças à dinâmica entre Harris e Mortensen, mas que, no fim das contas, não exibe nada que a torne diferente do convencional.

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment 2 Comments
12/05/08
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

A western bromance.

Full Review Source: Film Snobs | comment Comment
11/20/08
Stephen Himes
Stephen Himes
Film Snobs

A terrific bread-and-butter Western.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
11/18/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Appaloosa is ideally suited for fans of the genre for whom quiet drama speaks as loud as big guns.

Full Review Source: Spectrum (St. George, Utah) | comment Comment
11/15/08
Bruce Bennett
Bruce Bennett
Spectrum (St. George, Utah)

A better than average western in the Clint Eastwood tradition

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
11/11/08
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com

Ed Harris' howler of a vanity piece.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
11/09/08
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

The film's subtle humor and detailed character studies reflect careful attention to detail and superb craftsmanship.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
11/09/08
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
 
 
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Latest News for Appaloosa

April 18, 2009: Crackling eccentric verbal wit as Harris' marshal seeks to 'button up this town tighter than a nun's corset' while overcome by Zellweger's irresistible flirty charms, because she 'chews her food nicely and even takes a bath before going to bed. Opens in new window
More...

January 13, 2009: Crackling eccentric verbal wit as Harris' marshal seeks to 'button up this town tighter than a nun's corset' while overcome by Zellweger's irresistible flirty charms, because she 'chews her food nicely and even takes a bath before going to bed. Opens in new window
More...

January 10, 2009: Crackling eccentric verbal wit as Harris' marshal seeks to 'button up this town tighter than a nun's corset' while overcome by Zellweger's irresistible flirty charms, because she 'chews her food nicely and even takes a bath before going to bed. Opens in new window
More...

October 02, 2008: Box Office Guru Preview: Chihuahua to Overtake Multiplexes
Hollywood kicks off the fourth quarter with a stampede of new releases that will test the elasticity of the marketplace. Ambulances are already on standby to rush the high... More...

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