movie review

My husband and I saw Appaloosa last week – I’ve been battling bronchitis and sinusitis and probably a few undiscovered itis’, or I would have written the review before now. Eh, better late than never, I guess.

The GOOD:

Ed Harris (as Virgil Cole) and Viggo Mortensen (as Everett Hitch) have an absolutely fantastic screen chemistry. It reminds me of the natural chemistry that Brad Pitt and George Clooney have. The characters are lovable (even though Cole got a little annoying when he got lovesick) and their friendship is the backbone of the movie. Ed Harris did an outstanding job as director. A lot of times, you can tell when one of the stars serves as the director. Their acting won’t be up to par, they’ll get ALL of the “big” moments, etc. Ed Harris rose above every other pitfall actor/directors have been known to fall into.

He and Viggo Mortensen were born to play in westerns, they fit their roles beautifully and I’d pay good money to see them team up in another western.

I really liked Jeremy Irons in the role as villain also.  Some people disliked the fact that his character was so educated and well-spoken.  I thought that just made him creepier.  If Appaloosa had concentrated more on his character and his croonies as they fought against Virgil and Hitch and the hilarious citizens, this movie would have soared.

The sets, the costumes, the hair, everything was authentic and believable. I give Renée Zellweger huge, huge props for going without make-up in the name of authenticity. Unfortunately, the only “negative” I have with this movie centers around her character.

The BAD:

Virgil Cole falls hard for Renee Zellweger’s character (Allison French). I always welcome a little romance in westerns, heck – I welcome it in every movie. The problem is, in this case, it was a distraction and a hinderance instead of anything remotely positive.

We were never given any reason whatsoever why Virgil would fall for this woman so hard. She was clean and she could play the piano. They were her only good traits. Believe, me, I looked.   I SO wanted to love every single aspect of this movie (I’m such a sucker for westerns).

I’m a huge fan of both actors (Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen) and of the genre. I’d love nothing more than to see westerns become regulars at the theater. I had a strong feeling that if this one came in really, really strong, on the hooves of 3:10 to Yuma (which was AMAZING) – which came in on the hooves of Clint Eastwood’s Unfogiven… then the public would be left wanting more and we’d finally see more westerns being made.

I don’t think Appaloosa hurt the genre at all – it’s actually a very, very good movie. However, it didn’t do as much for the cause as I’d have liked.  It didn’t do as much as it would have without the flop of a romance between Virgil and Allison.

In fact, I lay the only negative feelings I had toward this movie entirely at their four feet. It’s very hard to give a review without giving things away, but I feel that most people who don’t want anything given away don’t read reviews in the first place. (Which is why I generally don’t.) I’ll still be careful and kind of sneak around the plot.

Friends Virgil and Hitch are tough guys. They’re fighters and have earned reputations that span across state lines and generations.   They often finish one another’s thoughts and sentences.  I loved the way the script called for Hitch to often help Virgil find just the right word he was looking for. 

In the early parts of the movie, I was in Western Heaven.  The scenery was breathtaking, the actors were dead on believable and their friendship was very fun to watch.  Then, Allison rides into town and Virgil falls instantly for this very, very average woman. I mean, he falls HARD, so much so that he practically forgets the rest of his problems or the town’s troubles. In fact, once he falls, the movie seems to set this relationship up on a pedestal and wants the viewer to focus on it.

There’s the problem, it’s not worth focusing on.  Chemistry? Zero. Less than zero.

See the movie poster, above? The movie reaches a point where it wants to take her character from the background and place her in the front, sending Viggo Mortensen’s Hitch to the back. Bad move.

Renee’s Allison character’s isn’t even a likable person. She’s a giggling, dislikable bore – and our hero falls instantly and completely in love with her.  I could get past the plain Jane factor and annoying personality if she’d actually been someone worth rooting for.   She doesn’t do right by Virgil – yet he never seems to completely mind. So much for our tough guy. To really get pulled completely into a film, you have to care about the characters. I cared COMPLETELY about Virgil, I cared COMPLETELY about Hitch – I even cared about the exotic-looking, loose woman Hitch hung out with. Her character’s relationship with Hitch would have been worth watching because she was interesting.  But Allison? I just wanted her gone.

At one point, someone has a gun pointed to her and, under my popcorn-scented breath, I was pleading, “Pull the trigger, pull the trigger. Save the movie…save Virgil, pull the trigger.”

They should’ve listened to me.

All in all, I liked the movie a lot, inspite of the ridiculously ill-conceived and rushed love story.  If I sound disappointed, it’s because I expected to love this movie so much that I refused to leave the theater.  I guess my expectations were a little too high.   The problem is, they could have been reached if there had beeen no Allison French or if she’d have been regulated to the background.  Or, if an actress had been cast in the role that had chemistry with the leading men and actually fit the part.

What a concept that would have been.  What a movie that would have been. 

If there’s ever a sequel, and I hope very much that there will be, I hope they forget to mail Renee Zellweger’s invitation.