Appaloosa (2008)

Director:

Ed Harris

Writers (WGA):

Robert Knott (screenplay) &
Ed Harris (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 October 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Western

Tagline:

Feelings get you killed.

Plot:

Two friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow.

Plot Keywords:

Rancher | Marshal | New Mexico | Small Town | Sentenced To Death

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Robert Jauregui	...	Marshall Jack Bell (as Bobby Jauregui)
Jeremy Irons	...	Randall Bragg
Timothy V. Murphy	...	Vince
Luce Rains	...	Dean
James Tarwater	...	Chalk (as Jim Tarwater)
Boyd Kestner	...	Bronc
Gabriel Marantz	...	Joe Whittfield
Ed Harris	...	Virgil Cole
Viggo Mortensen	...	Everett Hitch
Benjamin Rosenshein	...	Town Boy
Cerris Morgan-Moyer	...	Tilda
James Gammon	...	Earl May
Timothy Spall	...	Phil Olson
Tom Bower	...	Abner Raines
Erik J. Bockemeier	...	Fat Wallis

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence and language.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Apache languages | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:15 | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | France:U | USA:R (certificate #44389) | Argentina:Atp | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Greece:K | Finland:K-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Africa:13V | Netherlands:9 | Australia:M | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | Mexico:B | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

Because the only remaining 8 gauge shotguns on the market were either too antique or too valuable to use, the movie's armorer, Gibbons Ltd., had to specially contract for replicas. Gunsmith Steve Karnes purchased three replica Colt 1878 shotguns and modified the barrels so that all three sets would have bore sizes equal to that of a real 8 gauge shotgun. The first two shotguns were designed to fire full-load 12 gauge blank rounds (one gun could be used while the other was cleaned or repaired from a previous film shoot.) The third shotgun was designed to chamber 8 gauge inert rounds, and was used for reloading scenes. All three were then given identical, 'aged' finishes, to make them appear old and used.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Joe Whitfield approaches Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch the first time in the hotel dining room - shortly into their conversation you can see the numbers "191" flash momentarily in the upper right hand corner.

Quotes:

Vince: You shoot him, you think we're just gonna ride away?
Virgil Cole: Nope.
Vince: We'll kill you and Hitch.
Virgil Cole: You'll try.
Vince: You're willing to die to keep us from taking him?
Virgil Cole: Sure.
Vince: Hitch, you willing to die, too?
Virgil Cole: Of course he's willing to die. You think we do this kind of work because we're scared to die? You.
Vince: Me?
Virgil Cole: You afraid to die?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Edited into "De wereld draait door: (#4.162)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Camptown Races

Finally, a western by people who understand real conflict

I suppose this film is as vulnerable to deep analysis as the next one, but, why bother? This is entertainment the way I like it, straight up without a lot of foolish over the top action. The real west must have been fraught with similar dilemmas as that confronting the town of Appaloosa: What to do with a lawless band of men determined to live as they please by preying on timid town dwellers? I doubt there were many men like Virgil Cole or his partner Everett Hitch in the real west having lived among their great, great grandchildren (I've no idea what the real genealogy is) for a time, but men have often tried to live like they do with the result that they lived undeservedly short lives. Still, guys like me can't get enough of their stories and Ed Harris apparently feels the same way. Only Clint Eastwood in my memory has attempted to tap into this same wellspring of folklore as in The Unforgiven. Though we all love Clint, I'd have to say Ed outdoes him here. He's got a wonderful sense of what a real gunfight might have been like. And though he's trimmed off the cries of pain and the gore, it still has the ring of truth.