A movie like Appaloosa makes me wonder if I’ve seen too many movies. I truly wanted to love it. I have a special place in my heart for westerns. And I even had a good time, part of the time. But, sitting in my car after leaving the theater, I was overcome by the old nagging question: “Why did they make that movie?”
I won’t spend many column inches describing the plot. Just imagine Shane meets My Darling Clementine rendered with huge, pretty – but mostly wasted – widescreen compositions. (Where’s Sergio Leone when you need him?) Toss in enough gun-blasted bodies and strategically placed “F-bombs” (What are “F-bombs” doing in a western?) to guarantee an R rating and you have Appaloosa pegged.
Appaloosa is characteristic of westerns from what genre theorists call the mannerist phase. That is, the phase in the genre’s evolution where everything has been boiled down to the basic elements which are then blown up to epic proportions. Or, in other words, the genre, suffering from malnutrition, has begun feeding on itself. It has become ripe for parody (Blazing Saddles) or revisionism (such as Clint Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter with the lone rider not a savior, but the Devil).
Thus, we get an opening scene of cold-blooded murder, short and sweet, almost abstract. We get a face-off at a river crossing. A train stops to take on water in a perfect location for an ambush. We get the fair woman from the city trying to get the lawman to settle and the dark whore from the saloon trying to keep him wild – and no other women of consequence anywhere in sight. When two men have a showdown, it’s a long stare-down and then BANG! And when guns are fired, they don’t just fire, they explode like cannons. The film is all genre clichés, nothing else.
Article comments
1 - Delores Savas
I disagree with reviewer...finding his comments completely out of focus..I thought the movie was one to be rememberd for a long time..It is the type of movie to be savored long after one leaves the theater...The acting was outstanding abd the story line was compelling with many zigs and zags..The show that I attended was full..People clapped after it ended..Now I look forward to reading the book..I highly recommend this to any western fan that remembers "High Noon"..Go see it and do not allow a negative review keep you away..
2 - moon
Just for the record, in 1966 Marlon Brando made a film called The Appaloosa.
It wasn't a great film, but that was during the days when Brando had a tough time getting work in Hollywood--and consequently he made some good films.
The only good Brando western--which he also directed--was One Eyed Jacks.
For GREAT westerns: The Searchers, Pat Garrett and Bill the Kid.
3 - Cheryl
We watched this film tonight and really enjoyed it. The movie was great entertainment and the foul language was (for once) used in the correct sense. We appreciated a good film in a style of when they made movies with a good story line and just down right good acting. I also enjoyed the shots of the scenery and not over done music but everything seemed to fit and the movie just flew by, we like it. It was refreshing.
4 - Cheryl
We watched this film tonight and really enjoyed it. The movie was great entertainment and the foul language was (for once) used in the correct sense. We appreciated a good film in a style of when they made movies with a good story line and just down right good acting. I also enjoyed the shots of the scenery and not over done music but everything seemed to fit and the movie just flew by, we like it. It was refreshing.