The Western is such an interesting film genre. Gun slinging good-guys are so tormented, and there’s a fine line between the heroes and the villains that makes for a juicy built-in conflict time and again.
Apaloosa is positively buzzing with this sort of good-guy-that-kills angst. The main characters are law-enforcers for hire, sort of a traveling duo of martial lawmakers. The happen upon a town that needs just this sort of law enforcement to protect it from a gang of bandits (led by a bad-as-ever Jeremy Irons) that are practically running the place, and who just killed the town’s marshal. Ed Harris (who also directed, produced, and co-wrote the film) plays Virgil Cole, the leader of the tag team, while Viggo Mortensen shines quietly as Everett Hitch, the bizarro-world Barney Fife to Cole’s Andy Taylor. Bizarro-world in that he’s smarter than Cole, and is often called on to make decisions and judge the situation at hand. Of course, Cole calls the shots. Literally.
This relationship is the complex centerpiece of a delicate movie, and both characters are expertly, often devastatingly acted by Harris and Mortensen. Throwing a wrench into this balance is the new girl in town, Ally French (Renée Zellweger). When French and Cole get together, the lawmaking future of the Cole/Hitch partnership is put into jeopardy.
And there you have it: the plot of a modern day Western. Sure, there are a few twists and turns, but aside from the stellar acting, Apaloosa is so non-confrontational that it is occasionally boring. The dialogue is subtle, the characters are subtle, and the plot, especially for the first 30-40 minutes is, to coin a phrase, excruciatingly subtle. Thus, this film full of admirable qualities seems to have a whole that is less than the sum of its parts.
If you are a fan of Westerns or of subtle, well-acted dialogue, Apaloosa is probably worth your time. It’s truly fascinating to watch as the film gradually shifts it focus from one main character (Cole) to the other (Hitch), and the connection between Harris and Mortensen is palpable, with an intensity that hangs in the air. But fair warning: don’t expect it to do much else.
