Whoever has said they don't make westerns like they used to, spoke somewhat truly. Sometimes they make them better. Appaloosa (2008) is one modern western that is as good as any of the very classic westerns, and in some cases, even better.
Starring and directed by the incredible Ed Harris, and co-starring the equally brilliant Viggo Mortenson, Appaloosa is about two lawmen, their bond, their friendship and their enforcement of the law in a western town without much law.
Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch have been partners so long and work so well together as lawmen, they barely need to look at each other to know how to act in tandem. And they ride into Appaloosa as the new Marshalls facing a villain named Randall Bragg (again, a great performance by Jeremy Irons). The way these two men go about their business is classic and pure western. They face down a whole posse of men coming to free Bragg from jail, they get a witness and protect him for a trial, and Bragg is sentenced to die.
What updates this classic western formula is that Bragg does not stay in jail. He is freed by political connections, and comes back to take over the town via economics. He buys the main businesses in town, and becomes the de facto leader of the town because of his economic power.
Another update of the classic western is the girl, played by Renee Zellweger. Usually the girl in the western is pretty damn pure. Hell, even Miss Kitty in the old Gunsmoke was really pure for a madam. But Allie is not very pure or true. She always falls for the top man, more out of a survival instinct than anything else. And if the alpha male changes, she changes who she is attracted to.
Still, the heart of the movie is the pure western relationship between two tough, hard gunmen, between Cole and Virgil. And the two actors are pitch perfect in this. The ending exemplifies this relationship, and surprises the audiences a bit too.
Appaloosa is an excellent western and a really fantastic movie.
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