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

Superb!

One reviewer remarked how "Ed Harris understands (the) Western (genre)" I couldn't agree more. This film is a delight. The writing is solid, the dialog sparked with humor, the heroes are more than caricatures and cardboard cut-outs, the villains are worthy anti-heroes and the back-up is wonderful. The performances of Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen and Jeremy Irons as the main protag-/antagonists are sterling. Harris is the lonely paladin, uncompromising in his ethic, drawn in by the warmth and softness of a needful woman, artfully and convincingly played by Renee Zellweger; Mortensen is the slightly jaded sidekick who both respects and doesn't completely understand his hero. A parallel villain is offered by Lance Henrikson, a kind of poor man's Clint Eastwood, giving an interesting twist to the story. Some comic relief is offered by veteran character actor, James Gammon and fine British actor Timothy Spall without reducing the tension in the story line or reverting to a burlesque. The mythic theme of the knight-errant works well in this presentation brought to light by the competent direction of Ed Harris. My only fear is that it being devoid of ballet-type ritual killings, CGI and only a mild spattering of violence, it will likely fly under the radar of much of today's theater goers, which is a shame. It's a fine film.