Appaloosa Movie Review

Appaloosa (2008)

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Written by: Robert Knott & Ed Harris (screenplay), Robert B. Parker (novel) 
Directed by: Ed Harris
Starring: Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger, Jeremy Irons, Lance Henriksen, James Gammon, Timothy Spall
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

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.

Verdict
This has all the elements you'd expect in a Western but the characters and plot possess uncommon depth. Cole and Hitch are a fun duo with how Hitch finishes Cole's sentences, and they're both fearless in their jobs. A love interest complicates matters, but not as the typical love triangle you would expect. This is better than the average western, but if you don't like the genre this isn't going to win you over. If you have some interest in the genre, you'll like this well enough.
It depends.

Review
This wastes no time with Bragg (Jeremy Irons) shooting the sheriff in the first couple of minutes. We don't know much, but do know that Bragg is the villain. Cole (Ed Harris) and Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) are hired to protect the town. They mandate the town be signed over to them. It's one brand of lawlessness for another, but with Bragg the town is willing to do anything.

Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen play Virgil Cole, Everett Hitch

I wondered if there was more to Cole and Hitch. Why would they force the town into such a deal? Do they want to clean it up and take it over? It may just be that they want to eliminate Bragg with impunity. They're quite the team with Cole frequently searching for a word that Hitch supplies. They're close and the arrival of Allie (Renée Zellweger) jeopardizes that. Cole is smitten but lacks the words and emotional intelligence to cope. A frank conversation ends up with him picking a fight with bar patrons when he can't handle his emotions. This seems like trouble for the duo of Cole and Hitch. She could be the end. Cole and Hitch are like a couple in many regards, and I wondered if Hitch would grow jealous. He has no interest in Allie, but her presence is changing his dynamic with Cole.

Since Cole and Hitch not only are the law but above it, they manage to capture Bragg without too much trouble. The problem is that Bragg's gang doesn't hold the law or the lawmen to much account. They use Allie to bargain for Bragg's release. Cole has no choice but to comply though in his pursuit of Bragg, his men, and Allie, he discovers she's not all that loyal. Surprisingly it's Hitch that comes to her defense.

We get insight into how most of the characters think which provides uncommon depth. It provides a reason for their actions that bolster the plot. None of actions and reactions feel like they're for the sake of the plot. It's the direct result of these characters. This ends much like a typical Western with a gunfight and a character riding into the sunset.