Appaloosa review

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*spoiler warning*

I don't think Appaloosa is a conventional western, but I haven't seen them all, so I could be wrong. The movie is more about the friendship between the two men (and the woman who comes between them?). The conflict between them and the rancher Randall Bragg almost seems secondary in comparison.

Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) desires something more than being a lawman. Gunwork is a job, it's what he and Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) are "good at," but it isn't enough for him. This explains the initial appeal of Mrs. French (Renee Zellwegger), as Virgil himself says that she is cultivated and mannered, not like the "whores and the squaw" that he's been with before. She seems to be something worth getting 'serious' about, unlike the other women he has known--a reminder of where he would like to be, rather than where he is.

Virgil is yearning for something more--to settle down, and make his life complete. He has a good friend in Hitch, but that isn't enough. Enforcing the law is not completely fulfilling for the individual--for those who are healthy, it is not desired for its own sake but for that which results, peace and justice.

This does not imply that the public order (and by extension the law) is for the sake of the household only, as some Catholic personalists might believe. The common good is not for the sake of the home and the family; rather, the good of the family is a component of the political order and the common good, and hence subordinate to it. The calling of protecting civic peace and upholding the law is for the sake of all of this. (One may earn a living as a politician or a lawman in order to provide for the family, but the kind of work that one does may also [should] be ordered to a higher good as well.)

Ed Harris has said that the portrayal of friendship in the novel is what attracted him to doing it as a movie. The friendship that has developed over time between Virgil and Hitch has been based on sharing a common task and facing dangers together, looking out for one another's safety, but it is deeper than that, since they do care for one another's well-being. It is more than a work association. The trailer might give the impression that the men are rather quiet, and do not talk much, but this isn't really the case. They do talk a little about themselves (Virgil more so than Hitch), and about the things that matter, including love. The movie clearly shows the human longing for stability in friendship and in love. Hitch tells Virgil that both he and Allie (Mrs. French) are "yours," and that he would not do anything to jeopardize their friendship.

The most recent Western that might be comparable to Appaloosa would be Open Range, since that two deals with loyalty, friendship, and domestic yearnings. The major difference is that Annette Bening's Sue Barlow is the real deal, an older single woman who is nonetheless an exemplar of feminine virtue, while Mrs. French is a fake. Sue Barlow is a school marm and a lady. Mrs. French is a ____... Mrs. French can't live alone, and moreover, she has to be with the "top dog." Virgil realizes that "she'll ---- anyone." (I think the Boston Globe review gets the dynamic between the two men right, but Mrs. French's character wrong.) I thought I remembered reading somewhere that Robert Parker's female characters, the love interests for his heroes, are usually not good for them, but maybe my memory is faulty--Susan on Spencer for Hire seemed to be all right.

After Braggs receives a pardon from his friend Chester Arthur, he becomes a part of the town establishment and seems to be on his way up. Virgil is determined not to be forced out of the town, even though he is powerless to do anything about Bragg or avenge the murder of a friend (the former town marshal, killed at the beginning of the movie). Not surprisingly, Mrs. French offers herself up to Bragg, and this is witnessed by Hitch.

We can also see hints that there may be a conflict between living up to one's public duties and satisfying the demands of one's wife and home. Even if Mrs. French is particularly needy, still, a conflict can result between husband and wife because the husband spends too much time away from home attending to his public duties. The movie thus touches upon the relation of the public sphere to the domestic sphere and the marital conflict that can result. (Even today, not many women can be married to a LEO because of their rather irregular work schedule. Plus the stress that the work causes to both.)

Bragg is the unscrupulous rancher of great wealth (of unknown origin), who seeking more money and more power. It is a battle between wealth and warrior virtue, one in which Bragg seems to be the victor, because he cannot be punished for his past crimes. Mrs. French is a woman of unstable affection and loyalty who initially chooses the flawed warrior (who has some sort of anger management problem), but is later drawn to the rich man who has influence and is on the rise.

The movie ends with an act of friendship on Hitch's part. I won't give away this part. The voice-over was unnecessary, though perhaps dumb American moviegoers need to be clued in to understand why Hitch did what he did.

There is less violence than one might expect from a Western, but it's very sudden and quick. The loud gunshots startled me; the loudness wasn't due to the theater sound system, but from the quietness of the movie, and the lack of continuous background music. I note that the flashbacks of the murder of an employee from a Chicago company and his wife (sent to enforce a claim on a vein(?) of copper(?) ore that Bragg wants) that precipitate the beginning events of the movie are shown in the trailer, but eliminated from the movie.

I didn't recognize Lance Henriksen in the movie. It looks like Diane Lane was originally going to play Mrs. French. She probably would have been better than Renee Zellwegger, though I don't think I've ever heard her speak with an accent.

Ed Harris sings a song for the closing credits, "You'll Never Leave My Heart"; it seemed to be an odd match. I was expecting an instrumental piece, rather than a song.

It often happens that the carrying of guns is banned within town limits, in order to prevent the escalation of violence, as it often occurs when men get drunk. Would this be a violation of the second amendment? It is not a ban on ownership, but it is a ban on carrying them (right to bear arms). However, if the Constitution is understood properly, than such a local ordinance would not be a violation of the second amendment, because it is a local ordinance, and not a Federal law or statute. Is such a town law, on the other hand, right? Is it necessary for public peace? It seems so, at least in Westerns.

In Westerns, the line separating justified use of force from unjust violence often seems blurry to the characters. What is the difference between killing in self-defense (or to enforce the law) and murder? Hitch mentions that he's only killed once when it wasn't legal (though both he and Virgil seem to question that they may have been "legally" justified in killing some men but not morally justified.) Similar questions were raised in Tombstone concerning the actions of the protagonists. Can extralegal measures or even unjust acts be done for the sake of promoting justice? (For example, when Virgil and Hitch confront two of Bragg's men who are loitering just outside town limits, Virgil uses violence to threaten and warn them, even though their jurisdiction does not extend beyond town.)

Perhaps that is part of the continuing appeal of Westerns--it is clear that justice must be established, but there is ambiguity surrounding the means used to do it. At the same time, there seems to be a simplicity surrounding the characters--despite some of their actions, the good
guys are recognizable as such, and the struggle between the good guys and the bad guys, dramatically leading to the inevitable showdown, is something the audience looks forward to. (This narrative structure is something which Appaloosa lacks--but like I said before, it doesn't seem to be a conventional Western.) The Western appears to be the origin of the mythos of the lone hero/lawman, who despite not his number courageously upholds law and order, defends the town, and tames and brings civilization to the Wild West. (Hence the subversion of the genre by Sergio Leone, with his "amoral" Man with No Name.)

(Would it be historically accurate to say that many of the conventions of the Western were carried over into superhero comics?)

As for cowboys--what does the cowboy evoke of the American past? The individual? Heroism? Mobility, the frontier, the pioneering spirit? Has popular perception of the cowboy changed since the late 19th and early 20th century? I would not be surprised if urbanites of the 19th century looked down upon cowboys. In the areas where cowboys lived, they were probably not regarded as being special. They just did their work in order to make a living. How and why did they come to exemplify masculinity or the American male?

Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western Collection

Interviews with Viggo Mortensen:
The Zaz with Viggo Mortenson for Appaloosa


Viggo Mortensen interview for the movie Appaloosa


posters (click to see full size):





stills @ Yahoo, MSN, acesshowbiz


Photos from the premieres:

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - SEPTEMBER 17: Actress Renee Zellweger and actor Viggo Mortensen arrive at a special screening of New Line Cinema's "Appaloosa" held at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater on September 17, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California. (Getty)

Actor Viggo Mortensen arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Appaloosa" on September 17, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California. (Getty)

Viggo Mortensen, a cast member in "Appaloosa," poses at the premiere of the film at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008. (AP/Chris Pizzello)

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - SEPTEMBER 17: Actress Renee Zellweger arrives at a special screening of New Line Cinema's "Appaloosa" held at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater on September 17, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California. (Getty)

I still don't see the appeal of the back shot.

Ed Harris, left, the star, co-writer and director of "Appaloosa," poses with cast members Renee Zellweger, center, and Viggo Mortensen at the premiere of the film at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008. (AP/Chris Pizzello)

DEAUVILLE, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 13: American actors Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris attend the screening of the movie 'Appaloosa' on September 13, 2008 at the 34th US Film Festival in Deauville, France. (Getty)

DEAUVILLE, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 13: Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen pose during the photocall of the movie 'Appaloosa' directed by Ed Harris at the 34th Deauville Film Festival on September 13, 2008 in Deauville, France. (Getty)


DEAUVILLE, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 13: Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen pose during the photocall of the movie 'Appaloosa' directed by Ed Harris at the 34th Deauville Film Festival on September 13, 2008 in Deauville, France. (Getty)

U.S. director, actor and screenwriter Ed Harris, left, and U.S. actor Viggo Mortensen arrive for the screening of the movie "Appaloosa" at the 34th American Film Festival in Deauville, Normandy, France, Saturday Sept. 13, 2008. (AP/MICHEL SPINGLER)

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 9: Actors Viggo Mortensen (L) and Ed Harris pose at the after party for "Appaloosa" hosted by the Cinema Society & Vanity Fair at Soho Grand September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Getty)

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 9: Socialite Olivia Palermo poses at the after party for "Appaloosa" hosted by the Cinema Society & Vanity Fair at Soho Grand September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Getty)

Wow! Who's that? A fansite for Olivia Palermo. Style.com. ContactMusic.



NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 9: Actor Elijah Wood poses at the after party for "Appaloosa" hosted by the Cinema Society & Vanity Fair at Soho Grand September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Getty)
"What's the matter, hobbits?"

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 9: Actor Viggo Mortensen poses at the after party for "Appaloosa" hosted by the Cinema Society & Vanity Fair at Soho Grand September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Getty)

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 09: Actor Ed Harris poses at The Cinema Society & Vanity Fair Host a screening for "Appaloosa" at Tribeca Grand on September 9, 2008 in New York City. (Getty)

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 05: Actor Jeremy Irons arrives at the premiere of "Appaloosa" during the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival held at The Visa Screening Room at the Elgin Theatre on September 5, 2008 in Toronto, Canada. (Getty)

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 05: Actor Viggo Mortensen arrives at the premiere of "Appaloosa" during the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival held at The Visa Screening Room at the Elgin Theatre on September 5, 2008 in Toronto, Canada. (Getty)


TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 05: Actress Renee Zellweger arrives at the premiere of "Appaloosa" during the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival held at The Visa Screening Room at the Elgin Theatre on September 5, 2008 in Toronto, Canada. (Getty)

Actor Ed Harris attends a screening of "Appaloosa" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Friday, Sept. 5, 2008 in Toronto. (AP/Evan Agostini)

'Appaloosa' cast members from L-R Jeremy Irons, Renee Zellweger, Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris pose for photos during their news conference at the 33rd Toronto International Film Festival, September 5, 2008. (Reuters)

From left, actor Jeremy Irons, actress Renee Zellweger, actor Viggo Mortensen and director-actor Ed Harris participate in a press conference for the film "Appaloosa" during the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, Sept. 5, 2008 in Toronto. (AP/Evan Agostini)

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 05: Actor Viggo Mortensen from the film "Appaloosa", poses for a portrait during the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival at The Sutton Place Hotel on September 5, 2008 in Toronto, Canada. (Getty)

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 05: Filmmaker/actor Ed Harris (L) and actor Viggo Mortensen from the film "Appaloosa", pose for a portrait during the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival at The Sutton Place Hotel on September 5, 2008 in Toronto, Canada. (Getty)

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 05: Filmmaker/actor Ed Harris from the film "Appaloosa", poses for a portrait during the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival at The Sutton Place Hotel on September 5, 2008 in Toronto, Canada. (Getty)

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 05: (L-R) Actor Jeremy Irons, actress Renee Zellweger, filmmaker/actor Ed Harris and actor Viggo Mortensen from the film "Appaloosa", pose for a portrait during the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival at The Sutton Place Hotel on September 5, 2008 in Toronto, Canada. (Getty)

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 05: Actress Renee Zellweger (L) and filmmaker/actor Ed Harris from the film "Appaloosa", pose for a portrait during the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival at The Sutton Place Hotel on September 5, 2008 in Toronto, Canada. (Getty)

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