Appaloosa

Of recent times, the only Western movie that I liked was Kevin Costner's 'Open Range'. Now there's another one, 'Appaloosa' which is produced, written, directed and performed in by Ed Harris. The film pretty much has the ingredients of the 60s and 70s Western hits. It starts off a little slow but gradually picks up. 'Appaloosa' is more a comedy than an action but action movie lovers need not worry because there is plenty of that too, all 60's Western style. The dialogue is great and some of them are laugh out loud. The desert and mountainous visuals are stunning to look at. The two law-enforcement heroes, are brilliantly played by Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen. Harris is totally hilarious yet we sympathize for him when he falls hopelessly in love with the promiscuous never-to-be-faithful Ali. Mortensen is more restrained, reminding one of Clint Eastwood at times, but equally effective. I initially thought Renee Zellweger was cast as the typical love interest but man was I wrong. Here she is cast against type and the actress is simply great as she deceptively uses those innocent sweet girl looks to mask her frivolity and promiscuity. Likewise, Jeremy Irons is an excellent villain with a touch of comedy. Lovers of Western cinema wold enjoy this. This is most of all Harris's achievement as he scores high on all counts. Hope he makes more movies.