Synopsis:
When Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch arrive in
Appaloosa, they find a town suffering at the
hands of a rancher named Randall Bragg that
means to own everything in it, and who has
already left the city Marshall and one of his
deputies dead. Cole and Hitch are used to
cleaning up after scavengers, but this one
raises the stakes by playing not by the rules,
but with emotion. Cole and Hitch are hired to
save the town from Bragg, but a young attractive
widow arrives to complicate matters.
The Freak's
Rating: C+ : Some of my earliest cinematic
memories are of my father watching westerns.
As a child, I was bored to tears watching them.
Sergio Leone's masterpiece, The Good The Bad and
The Ugly put me to sleep. John Wayne was
recognized as nothing less than an extremely
boring man that my father enjoyed watching for
some unknown reason. The 1980s saw a
rekindling of western popularity with Young
Guns. The brat pack playing cops and
robbers intrigued me and finally these
characters that seemed so boring had some
attitude to them. As I grew up, my
appreciation for the western genre has grown.
Tombstone, Unforgiven and Silverado are a few of
my favorites.
As a photographer I find myself analyzing movies
on a level that others outside of the profession
will not, primarily in the area of
cinematography. Each and every shot of a
film is lined up specifically to capture a
directors vision, often with the advice of a
cinematographer. Rules of photograph
composure are quite similar to film. They
are apparent to the trained eye when used
correctly and even more obvious when used
incorrectly. Ed Harris' directorial debut
was Pollack, but he still has much to learn and
should perhaps stay on the other side of the
camera. Composure is poor in the bulk of
this film, with many camera angle retreads and
improper depth shown on screen during shots
desperately needing it.
Acting is top notch and should be expected with
a cast like this. Renee Zellwegger
continues to milk the last of her sensuality on
screen as the young widow in town and Jeremy
Irons is as solid an antagonist as you'd want in
the genre. Viggo Mortensen is the real
star of the picture, showing up both Harris and
Irons and putting out an extremely personable
portrayal of Everett Hitch.
Writing is another struggle of the picture, with
Harris having a hand in this element as well.
Some lines are overwritten and jokes have no
part in a western, especially when delivered by
Harris or Mortensen. With so much
involvement from one person in the film, you are
lucky to pull off a success. Ever since
Braveheart's success, studios have tried to
recreate the formula that worked so well for Mel
Gibson. Appaloosa is a failed venture in
this area, albeit a valiant effort on many
fronts. Set design looks comical at times,
leaving me searching for the trailers for the
cast just behind the studio backlots pawned off
as western settings. Costumes are
formulaic, with nothing new for the genre.
For those who want a real western feel, check
out HBO's Deadwood. It is the most raw and
filthy western you'll ever see, but I feel like
it could be one of the more accurate takes on
the genre. Had the set design been better,
cinematography more artistic, writing a little
less overwritten in parts and the direction been
tighter (some scenes are horribly cut, leaving
Harris' subpar performance when he is more than
capable of doing a better job on an alternate
take)...this may have merited a recommendation.
With many negatives, the rating perhaps should
have dropped lower but a western always has a
wondrous suspense element of violence that keeps
your attention. There isn't much in cinema
that can beat the intensity of a draw on main
street between heroes and villains, the imminent
danger of a hostile tribe of Indians nearby nor
the intensity of a good hero/villain match up on
screen. Appaloosa struggles with many
aspects, but I'd guess fans of the genre will
still enjoy it on its genre-specific strengths.
comment here
to add your review!
