The Phoenix Network:
 
 
 
About  |  Advertise
 
Features  |  Reviews
-->

Appaloosa (2008)

A revisionist Western in the vein of Unforgiven
By TOM MEEK  |  October 2, 2008
3.0 3.0 Stars

appaloosainside.jpg

From its shaky start, you’d think Appaloosa a first-time effort, but director/star Ed Harris already has Pollock to his credit. The good news is that the film grows in assurance. A revisionist Western in the vein of Unforgiven, it plumbs the gray areas in black-and-white frontier justice. We have Virgil Cole (Harris), a gunman who hires out only to the law, and Randall Bragg (a droll and steely Jeremy Irons), a ruthless rattlesnake with a quick trigger finger and homicidal tendencies. Bragg has paralyzed the town of the title, so the citizenry turn to Cole, setting up the archetypal stand-off and imminent showdown. Despite such conventional elements, the material, adapted from Robert Parker’s 2005 novel, moves in unexpected and rewarding directions. Harris plays it straight up, and the ensemble, among them Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger and Lance Henriksen, bring heft to their roles. 114 minutes | Fenway + Somerville Theatre + West Newton

Related:
  Topics: Reviews , Ed Harris , Ed Harris , Jeremy Irons ,  More more >
  • Share:
  • RSS feed Rss
  • Email this article to a friend Email
  • Print this article Print
Comments

Today's Event Picks
ARTICLES BY TOM MEEK
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   TRANSPORTER 3  |  November 26, 2008
    A poor man’s version of the latest James Bond outing
  •   ROCKNROLLA  |  November 06, 2008
    Plot holes spackled over with slick visual wizardry
  •   THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY  |  November 05, 2008
    A flimsy ghostly-possession puff piece
  •   SAW V  |  October 31, 2008
    The previous entries have bled dry every variation on tormenting a victim
  •   SEX DRIVE  |  October 15, 2008
    The usual preoccupation with nut sacks and virgins

 See all articles by: TOM MEEK

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



Thursday, December 04, 2008  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2008 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group