Appaloosa Movie Review 8

Appaloosa is a movie starring Ed Harris (who directed,produced and helped write the screenplay also) and Viggo Mortensen,Jeremy Irons (who owns a castle here in County Cork) and Renee Zellweger.It is a horse opera and they are rarely made these days.A horse opera meaning a western of course!!! Harris and Mortensen play two trouble shooters who go around restoring law and order in towns by making what ever Harris says the law! They come to the town of Appaloosa where local bad guy Jeremy Irons rules the roost.At the beginning he murders two lawmen with his gang that came to arrest him so he can do what he likes.Harris and Mortensen take over the town as marshal and deputy and make it clear the old ways of Irons doing what he likes are over.Thus begins the fight between both sides and things go from bad to worse when a member of Irons' gang gets a conscience and admits he saw Irons shoot the lawmen!

Things go on from there as Harris and Mortensen try to bring Irons to justice as during this time Renee Zellweger's character arrives in town.Mortensen likes her but she likes Harris more so they begin seeing each other.This movie is based on Robert B. Parker's book of the same name but I have never read it.The movie is obviously a pet project for Ed Harris as he did nearly everything for this movie and there are rumours of a sequel.It is around 1 hour 50 mins but at least 20 mins should have been cut out.It is slow moving but the story did hold my attention unlike other slow movies.Harris and Mortensen are the main guys here with Zellweger doing hardly anything but just pick up her pay for doing a different type of movie.Lance Henriksen shows up in the middle and is as good as ever.

Appaloosa is an interesting movie that won't be for everyone though.If you don't like westerns then this is not the one to try to change your mind.If however you like them then I think you might like this.Its not riveting but it is interesting and the cast is good.Its a movie that is not great at all but is not complete rubbish so its a movie to try to catch at some point but there is no need to rush out to see it!

Appaloosa (5/10)