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Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger, Jeremy Irons, Timothy Spall ... see more see more... , Lance Henriksen , Bobby Jauregui , Tom Bower , James Gammon , Ariadna Gil , Luce Rains , Jim Tarwater , Timothy V. Murphy , Gabriel Marantz , Boyd Kestner , Robert Harris , Benjamin Rosenshein , Cerris Morgan-Moyer , Erik J. Bockemeier , Fred Hice , Neil Summers , Tim Carroll , Bounthanh Xaynhachack , Art Usher , Cliff Gravel , Mike Watson , Rex Linn , Corby Griesenbeck , Adam Nelson , Daniel Parker , Ed Pennybacker , Alvin William "Dutch" Lunak , Martin Connelly , Danny Edmo , Argos Maccallum , Cynthia Huerta , Charlene Adams , David Bard , Maria Bethke , Scott Brooks , Stephen Chomko , Robert Colby , Charles Culberson , Robert Down , Jackie Fleming , Jim Granger , Nancy Ann Hibbs , Nick Johnson , Glen Kappy , Kevin Kinsner , Norm Lee , Loretta Lewis , Skip Long , Tom McFarlane , Dani McNutt , Sylvie Mortenson , Sandy Nickal , Kyle Osborn , Hunter Lee Pimparapana , Marvin Rath , Randall Sauls , Claire Schwebke , J. Nathan Simmons , Chloe Slator , John Turner , Walter Bailey , Ernest Andreas , Ian Bell , Todd Bethke , Martin Callahan , Cynthia Clark , Lowell Crawford , Timothy David , Flynn-Bella Ericson , Dennis Foulkrod , Ruben Haddix , Jerrall Hinds , Taryn Johnson , Jeff Kimerling , Daniel Krieger , Kerry Lee , Isabelle Leustig , Denise Lynch , Diana McGuerty , Diana Minfa , Ernest Moya , Michael Max Norris , Trevor Osborn , Michael Neal Powell , L.C. Read , Daphne D. Ross , Darrell Schmidt , Cecily Kuehl Shank , Frankey Singzilay , Isabel Slator , Elizabeth Ann Tuttle , Kristin Walter , Carol Sieber , Yvonne Schmidt , Kristine Rael , Frank Nunn , Dara Osborne , Steve Rick , Kevin New , Kim Montoya , Henry McKeighen , Lynn Macri , Tom E. Rostkowski , Edward Sipler , Fionn Thelen , Madeline Walter , Jerry Hardy , Les Schesser , Larry Hinsley , Frank Spencer , Greg Stevenson , Kiela Bird , Wes Trudell , Adam Honeyfield , Anderson Chee , J.C. Augare , Bud Connley , Jennae Linnell , Michael Lente , Heather Antonio , Alicia Williams , Matthew E. Montoya , Herman Endito , Girard Swan , Alex Edmo , Tom Johnson , Jerry Fuentes , Michael Clark , Tom Larson , Daniel Jon Bergman , Miles Blackman , Mabel Jin Chin , Xander Laird , Kim Kimerling , Dale Kappy , Perry Jasper , Bruce Harders , Christopher Frechette , Chuck Ferran , Rachel De la Torre , Jake Crellin , Leonaldan Codanti , Dave Jensen , Robert Knott

Upon drifting into a troubled Western outpost and discovering that the helpless locals are being terrorized by a ruthless rancher and his brutish hired hands, two rugged, straight-shooting peacemakers... read more read more... decide to stick around and put things right in this Western adapted from the novel by Robert B. Parker and directed by Ed Harris. Bragg (Jeremy Irons) is a rancher who believes himself to be above the law, a stance that's forever cemented when he guns down the town sheriff and his deputy in cold blood. Horrified, the defenseless townspeople pray for the day a savior will arrive in town to free them from Bragg's suffocating grasp. Soon thereafter, Virgil (Harris) and Everett (Viggo Mortensen) stride into town atop two mighty steeds, their confident presence signaling the beginning of a new era if the locals will only grant Virgil the complete power he needs to bring Bragg to justice. After pinning on his new badge, Virgil appoints Everett his deputy and ushers in an era of uneasy peace. Later, a woman named Allison (Renée Zellweger) arrives in town and catches Virgil's eye, prompting a die-hard renegade to consider a calm life of domestication. As Virgil's feelings for Allison grow, both begin to wonder if a life together is truly in the cards. Meanwhile, a temporarily subdued Bragg begins to display signs that he may not be finished with this town just yet. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

55% liked it

53,296 ratings

Critics

77% liked it

158 critics

R, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: Ed Harris

Release Date: October 3, 2008

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DVD Release Date: January 13, 2009

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Stats: 4,526 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,526)

  • brooklynspo
    August 29, 2009
    brooklynspo
    Nice try but ultimately flawed and unsatisfying.
  • phubbs1
    February 9, 2012
    phubbs1
    A stunning cast can't really help this film, it looks good...damn good but the film is so poor really.

    The acting is very average, from such a top class cast I expected a much more epic feel, instead it feels almost like a TV special. Irons being the worst with a very panto acti... read moreng turn, Viggo is so thin in the face he looks ill and isn't much better than his 'Young Guns 2' role way back and Zellweger looks rather fat in the face and pretty ugly dare I say. How she gets roles I dont know cos her acting is really basic, this could of been so much more.

    The plot is also very patchy, holes here and there make it a touch tricky to follow later on in the film and it does tend to drag and get less interesting. Not much happens really, it builds up to an anti climax that leaves you yearning for a good shoot out.

    Harris needed help with this and alittle direction...as said its very 'TV-movie-ish'.
  • CloudStrife84
    July 25, 2011
    CloudStrife84
    We've seen it all before: a small town terrorized by a vile gang of outlaws; having their own way as if nothing could ever stop them. That is, until a new sheriff and his entourage shows up to challenge their sway - fearless in their attempt to establish some order. In that regar... read mored, this isn't exactly what you'd call a groundbreaking picture. Thankfully, however, this routine formula is but employed in the beginning of the film. What follows is something of less predictable nature; taking us on a voyage more variable and unforeseen. An appealing gunslinger tale, blessed by the presence of formidable actors like Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen and Jeremy Irons. All of them bringing a quality to the screen that more than compensates for the hackneyed first chapter. Additionally, it deserves to be said that I was entertained throughout. Not spectacular in any way, but solid without question and well worth the view.
  • danperry17
    June 27, 2011
    danperry17
    For me, Appaloosa was a let-down. I like the classic Westerns, where the silences speak as loudly as the dialogue, but to pull that off there has to be some evident tension. And though I get the sense that the novel from which this film was adapted succeeded, the movie version si... read moremply didn't. All I really saw were long stretches where nothing happened. Decent opening, decent ending, but otherwise, it's a pretty boring mish-mash of a clichéd love triangle and a clichéd chase movie - and on the latter front, No Country for Old Men it ain't.
  • SirPant
    March 23, 2011
    SirPant
    There's nothing like a good western and this is a fairly good western. Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen make a good duo of gun slingers, they're not exactly Butch Cassedy and the Sundance kid but they do a good job - although for me Viggo Mortensen steals the show somewhat. Jeremy I... read morerons makes for an adequate bad guy, the inclusion of Renée 'I'm having an allergic reaction' Zellweger is unfortunate casting but you can't have it all, the rest of the supporting cast do a good job. For me the script makes up for the good but somewhat underwhelming story. It's good but it could have been better, still very much worth a look though.
  • hunterjt13
    November 4, 2010
    hunterjt13
    After this film, I can't say anything good about Ed Harris as a director. I remember Pollock being really good, but Appaloosa is a total directing abortion. All of the shots are static, wide-angles, and the camera would never be cited for a moving violation. Even... read more the action sequences, which often define the modern western, are obscure. Additionally, although he is a great actor and his work in Reversal of Fortune almost changed the way I hold my cigarette, Jeremy Irons is horribly miscast. Throughout most of the film, he seems to do a bad Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood imitation. Finally, in order to restore justice, Cole demands carte blanche, which sends the type of political message that Bush and company are only too happy to receive. The only positive point I can see is how it mildly - and I mean oh, so mildly - defies Western genre conventions by casting doubt on the probable success of the French/Cole relationship. But even this is left unexplored.
    Looking at this film from every possible way, I can't imagine liking it.
  • garyX
    October 13, 2010
    garyX
    Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen play a pair of lawmen for hire who are engaged to clean up the frontier town of Appaloosa which is being terrorized by a gang headed up by big city dandy Jeremy Irons. Appaloosa is a western very much from the old school, far more character driven th... read morean most of the post Peckinpah/Leone generation and as such felt like a throwback to the days of Anthony Mann and his ilk. It concentrates far more on drama than gunplay which obviously requires quality performances, a task more than ably handled by an excellent ensemble cast. Harris and Mortensen in particular show great chemistry and every scene they share together is eminently watchable. This makes the gaping flaw in the film all the more obvious; namely Renee Zellwegger's painfully clumsy, pudding faced performance that serves no purpose other than to take screen time away from the interesting characters. It's a shame because every other aspect of the film is extremely well done and despite her best efforts to wreck it, I still thought that Appaloosa was one of the better westerns I've seen in recent years.
  • rezpatriot
    October 7, 2010
    rezpatriot
    Brilliant location, superb believable acting, great soundtrack all adds up to an essential Cowboy movie to watch for all Cowboy fans and gunslingers !
  • theylovealexis
    July 6, 2010
    theylovealexis
    this movie was really slow and i'm not really sure it was about anything. i love all the actors and the score. but you can't like a whole movie just because you like some songs and ed harris. there weren't nearly as many shoot outs and rides off in to the sunset as i thought ther... read moree should be for a western.. and ed harris' character is way too badass to be putting up with so much slutty-duddy shit from his lady, renee zellweger's character.
  • TheMachinist
    May 17, 2010
    TheMachinist
    "Never ain't here yet."

    The Western movie genre is one of my favourite ones. 'Dances With Wolves', ' The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' and 'Unforgiven'... Just to name a few larger than life westerns.. So, I'm pretty eager to watch any westerns available. But I'm afraid that some ... read moreof 'em ain't that good...

    'Appaloosa' is actor Ed Harris' second film that he has directed. The first one was a portrait of an artist, Jackson Pollock, named 'Pollock'. If I remember correctly, the film was a strong directorial debut. 'Appaloosa' was at worst a total disaster.

    The story is a basic "western" story with vigilantes and tough ass sheriff's. No surprises here. But what really surprised me was the terrible acting by the big named actors. Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Jeremy Irons... And the highly overrrated Renee Zellweger. I have to say this and I'll probably win some hearts and loose a few.. While watching the movie I realized how much I actually hate Zellweger. Her looks, her voice.. That awful grin on her face. On the bonus side, all of these factors helped me hate the character as well. You'll understand me if you watch 'Appaloosa'.

    The film looks good with a realistic tone to it all. The costumes look good but what's with the beard of Mortensen. Could it look any faker? Everytime Mortensen was on the screen, I had this urge to rip it off!

    The acting is below any expectations. Awful is a kind word to explain it. The leads make probably their worst performances ever and the supprting cast ain't doing a good job either.

    'Appaloosa' is full of terrible acting, awful characters and a terrible "love story" that is forced in to a mediocre story. But on the positive side, the gun slinging looks and sounds awesome and that's important in any westerns, right?

View All Appaloosa Reviews

Critic Reviews

Ben Lyons
November 7, 2008
Ben Lyons, At the Movies

It was at times incredibly slow and even poorly edited, and I've never understood the appeal of Renee Zelwegger. Full Review

Ben Mankiewicz
November 7, 2008
Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies

Ed Harris does it better than anybody. Full Review

Todd McCarthy
October 3, 2008
Todd McCarthy, Variety

Dialogue, much of it lifted straight from Parker's novel, proves mostly engaging. Full Review

Peter Hartlaub
October 3, 2008
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

Harris co-wrote, directed and stars in the film, which is filled with humor, action and clever turns. Full Review

James Berardinelli
October 3, 2008
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

There's a refreshing vein of understated humor running throughout the production. It's neither forced nor unnatural and it keeps things from becoming too somber, even when the bullets start flying. Full Review

Amy Biancolli
October 3, 2008
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

From its first, mournful brass theme, Ed Harris's Appaloosa nails the look and feel of a classic Western. This is an old-style, laconically macho, six-shooting horse opera made with an obvious and una... Full Review

Tom Long
October 3, 2008
Tom Long, Detroit News

After Appaloosa establishes its slightly modern characters in a traditional setting, it has nowhere to go but toward the completely expected. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
October 3, 2008
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Harris directs with a steady hand and sharp eye for the best in his fellow actors. Full Review

Michael Phillips
October 3, 2008
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

Mortensen should certainly do another western, soon. Preferably he should do one with a real sense of danger to go along with all the neat, tidy, highfalutin' honor and decency. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
October 3, 2008
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

In its own quiet way it delivers the goods. Full Review

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  • In the Western "Appaloosa" Viggo Mortenson's constant companion is...  Answer »
  • Plot Outline- 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. Name this Renée Zellweger movie where she played Allison French.  Answer »
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