Appaloosa (2008)

I guess it would seem like I watch a lot of Westerns if i didn't keep saying that I don't watch a lot of Westerns, based on my viewing choices so far.
But I am completely falling for a genre that I've basically dismissed before this year. I guess what I respect about the Western is the simplicity of the storytelling, that there are clearly defined goodies and smelly evil baddies. Maybe that seems to simple for today's standards; I'd say there was a look more 'grey' in characters of the fare of present day but Appaloosa is just simple story told well.
It's basically the story of 2 GOOD bad-asses who are trying to save a town from BAD bad-asses with extreme prejudice. And how they did gleefully murderate anyone who dared mistake their word as anything but the law!
It might not seem like the most exciting cast but Appaloosa makes a great ensemble of actors doing solid work. Ed Harris (also director and co-writer) and Viggo Mortenson play the Sheriff and Deputy until the wheels fall off. You just love these guys all the way. Harris is the old hand straight-shooter with less than perfect vocabulary and social skills and Mortenson is younger-ish loyal erodite sidekick. Sometimes it seems like Mortenson is playing his devotion to his boss and best friend on the knife-edge of homosexuality but it never crosses it. The cast is rounded out with Renee Zellweger as the love interest and Jeremy Irons as the bad guy. To be fair, Zellweger comes across exceptionally well as a frail woman who yearns to be protected by any means necessary; it's the best part for a woman i've seen in a western and Irons? Well he's a bit out of place in this but he's such a great panto villain, it cancels that out. More out of place is Timothy Spall, who I like to think was invited out on a free holiday to South Texas all-in by Ed for a few days work but there's no reason for him to be in the film. Honorable mention to Lance Henrickson for getting a part in something not 'a piece a shot movie'. I know he's been in good films but the ratio is so low that it bares mentioning. Your cat-on-a-washing-line 'Hang In Here' poster is on the way..
Coming back to the classic plotting of a western, there's almost something comforting about the fact you know the heroes, at some point are going to jail the bad guy and there will be a siege on the sheriff's office to have him freed. When it keeps it simple, Appaloosa is entirely effective; the 1st half of the film is really quite brilliant but the 2nd half starts to run out of steam when it tries to force more story in then is necessary but the actor Ed Harris is completely legitimate writer and director and it's a heads above most actor's side-directorial projects...

I watched Appaloosa (2008) on tv - FilmFour, 21st March 9pm.
My 2011 in Movies will return with The Tournament (2010)...