The Appaloosa (1966)

Man tries to recover a horse stolen from him by a Mexican bandit.

Director:

Sidney J. Furie

Writers:

James Bridges (screenplay), Roland Kibbee (screenplay),

Stars:

Marlon Brando, Anjanette Comer, John Saxon

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Marlon Brando	...	Matt
Anjanette Comer	...	Trini
John Saxon	...	Chuy
Emilio Fernández	...	Lazaro (as Emilio Fernandez)
Alex Montoya	...	Squint Eye
Miriam Colon	...	Ana
Rafael Campos	...	Paco
Frank Silvera	...	Ramos
Larry D. Mann	...	Priest

Storyline

Matt Fletcher, a Mexican-American buffalo hunter is constantly harassed and humiliated by bandit general Chuy Medina. When the bandit steals his horse - the appaloosa of the title - he sets out to even scores; at the climax, single-handedly, he takes on the whole gang.

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Plot Keywords:

bandit | horse | appaloosa | winchester rifle | cowboy boots | 

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Taglines:

Southwest to Sonora rode the lustful, the lawless... to live on the edge of violence!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

October 1966 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Appaloosa

Filming Locations:

St. George, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to co-star John Saxon, Marlon Brando's relationship with director Sidney J. Furie got to the point where Brando, when getting ready to do a close-up, would be reading a book. He would only lower the book when Furie yelled "Action". When he yelled "Cut", Brando would raise the book again.

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Goofs

In the final scene with Chuy, Brando weaves his leather poncho belt with his hat band, to lasso his rifle. When the shooting is finished and he stands up, the belt is back on his poncho, although there was no time to unweave the lasso and retie the belt.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Priest: Madam.
[enters confessional booth]
Matt Fletcher: I'm having a little trouble getting started, Father.
Priest: You are in the House of God now, my son. Speak from your heart.
Matt Fletcher: Well, I've done a lot of killin'. I've killed a lot of men and sinned a lot of women. But the men I killed needed killin' and the women wanted sinnin', and well, I never was one much to argue.

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Connections

Referenced in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: Over a Barrel (2011)

User Reviews

The horse was the most convincing actor

I'm being nice and giving it an even five stars just because the women and scenery are so beautiful. In Chicago there used to be a movie theater that ran Mexican produced westerns every weekend. They came out of a sardine can for the most part, when you got really lucky they had a special three banger like, "The Horsethief", "The Man Who Stole Horses" and finally, "That Man Stole My Horse!" Granted they were different movies but...

Appaloosa seems to be an American adaptation of of of these movies but it's anybodies guess which one. These movies are fun though, I guess thats why they made so many of them. This one however should have been put in a tuna can. Marlon Brando is bored out of his mind. He perks up when he visits a married couple who are his friends. He flirts with the woman, lovely Mexican MILF Miriam Colon, but he's clearly more interested in her husband Emilio Fernandez.

I can't pick on John Saxon, he's not the greatest actor but he earns his paycheck every time like the pro he is.

Anjanette Comer is gorgeous but not in a steamy Mexican kind of way. She was perfect in The Loved One. Born to do campy sexy roles in short dresses. She's miscast here.

Unless you can't get enough of your favorite actor, watch something else.