My personal movie tastes include a wide range of genres. Westerns rank in the lower echelon of my personal favorites. Every once in a while, a classic western (like 3:10 to Yuma) comes along and captures my attention. But for every 3:10 there is a Tombstone. The latter put me to sleep better than a warm cup of milk.

I had high hopes going in to Appaloosa based largely on the reviews I had seen. I figured I might be in for a let down from the very beginning. I was surprised to see that Ed Harris managed to put together a film that had a decent pace (for Westerns), some interesting plot twists and intelligent dialogue. The sub-plots were well thought out and combined to create an interesting story where the cowboy rides off into the sunset.

Appaloosa takes place in the days when City Marshals only lasted as long as their ability to be the quickest on the draw. There is always someone faster. The concept was succinctly captured by the narrator, Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen), who related that he isn't too knowledgeable about the law stuff. Hitch is partners with another traveling gun slinger, Virgil Cole (Ed Harris). Cole finds work as City Marshal of Appaloosa along with his partner Hitch. Hitch refers to the work as a way for a gun slinger to legally ply his trade. We have a bad guy in a black hat...Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) and his rag-tag gang of less capable gun-toting sidekicks, a dame Allie (Rene Zelwegger) who threatens to break up the good guys, and a tumbleweed town along the railroad that needs protection. Not an entirely new concept, but not necessarily cliche, either.

The thing that set Appaloosa apart for me was the interpersonal exchanges. The characters are fairly well developed and not always predictable. We learn that Cole strives to be educated but lacks the mental faculties to fully grasp less common language. Hitch is sort of the sidekick, but as a former Army Officer has some education under his belt. He handily provides his partner with words that escape him...a sometimes comical diversion from the story. The dialogue was rich and the exchanges belieavable. There were great uses of archaic or uncommon language. One exchange has a Judge telling a young witness to get on his horse and ride while the bees are still in the butter. Dialogue like that is hard to find. As we discover the depth of some of the characters, we invest varying degrees of concern over their welfare.

The acting in Appaloosa had to be good to be believable. A star studded cast ensured that would not be a problem. The affected speech had that old West quality that you would expect from such a film. Yet our black hat has a refined educated speech that somewhat belies his profession. As is common for this genre of film, we get dialogue between the good guys and bad guys that set the stage for future confrontation. This film was no exception. Harris and Irons were excellent opposite each other, plying their personality and force of will. Their strong presence adds believability to the story. The exchanges between Zelwegger and each of the other characters provide a range of emotion and guile that show her ease in creating a complex character that makes you wonder what she wants from life. The supporting characters were often flat and undeveloped which is another common theme I see in Westerns...clear lines between good guys, bad guys and the sheep (in this case the Town Council) The cast as a whole had the gritty feel that I like to see in a Western. I enjoyed the acting in this movie, but not quite as much as 3:10 to Yuma.

Appaloosa looked legitimate, with a true dusty western feel. I'm not sure where it was filmed, but the set locations were excellent. Small rolling rocky hills set a nice background for the small set that housed several small town buildings. One house that was under construction appeared to be a one bedroom house, which seems like it may be an accurate building for the era. The wood had a rough hewn look rather than a razor clean cut like we see at Home Depot. The feel of the background added to the sense that this film was set in the proper period. I didn't notice much that bothered me in terms of continuity other than the fact that it seemed that a prisoners hands were alternately cuffed in front and then in back without any evidence that they had been changed by someone. The shooting scenes were good, with the shot limitation of period revolvers remaining within their physical boundaries (in other words, the six-shooters never fired more than six shots).

Appaloosa is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America. There are several shootings in this film, as should be expected. The shootings are not overdone, lacking any visible gore. There is strong language with at least one use of the F word, but plenty of lesser expletives. There was one scene of nudity, where Zelwegger is shown from behind in a stream, that shows very little. However, there are several scenes where adult themes are prevalent, to include prostitution.

I enjoyed Appaloosa, coming away with just about what I expected going in. The reviews I have read cast this movie in a favorable light while not necessarily raving about it. I would concur with that assessment. I was thoroughly entertained for two hours and came away from this movie with a renewed appreciation for the Western genre. A film like this on the heels of 3:10 makes me think I might endeavor further if a new Western makes it out in the near future. I would recommend this film giving it four stars out of a possible five.

Recommended: Yes