I saw the Ed Harris western, Appaloosa, with my sister in Philly. It is interesting in that it is a portrait of relationships that, in ways, turn the familiar Western tropes on their sides. I'm not sure though that it is ultimately successful though I did enjoy it.
When you've got Ed Harris and Viggo Mortenson at work, you know there's going to a basic high level of performance and it shows. Rene Zellwegger fills out the third point of this protagonistic triangle with Jeremy Irons playing the villain (why he's so villainous we never really know- though we do get hints at his motives).
While we at least get hints of why the men do what they do, Zellwegger's character's motivation is utterly puzzling to me. She is certainly complex but perhaps too complicated and too incomprehensible. It was difficult for me to sympathize with her when I can't figure out a motive to match her behavior.
Because much of the movie concerns itself with that behavior, and the results, this puzzlement can do nothing but detract from what the film is trying to do. Despite this weakness, there is a good western here.
In the Unforgiven vein, gunfights are short and sharp. The best gunmen aren't the strongest or fastest but the most heartless. Appaloosa is clearly striving to wonder what happens when the heart intrudes into heartless men. It doesn't wholly succeed but it is worth watching it try. Having personal fave Lance Henriksen in a small role doesn't hurt either.
|