I've been trying to figure out why this movie is called Appaloosa, the name of a breed of horse. Sure, it's a Western, but still ... Appaloosa? Even if there is an appaloosa in the movie, that cannot be the most important plot point. Can it? Well, turns out it's not a breed of horse here; it's the name of the town in which Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen are the law. Oh, and it's based on a novel. And with that out of the way, we can get on to how fantastic this movie looks. First of all, as I mentioned, it stars Harris and Mortensen, both terrific actors in their own rights. And it's directed by Harris, whose other directorial effort was the superb Pollock. In other words, there's a good chance that Renee Zellwegger's annoying acting will not be enough to distract from the good of this movie. And at least she's relegated to the background/love interest so we can focus on our rugged, handsome main attractions. While it has chords of Tombstone (what with the main character and his violent sidekick trying to keep order in the town, facing the resistance of a group of bandits), it also brings in some of Deadwood (the violence and the lawless, soon-to-be-ghost-town setting). With 3:10 To Yuma and now this, it seems the Western might just be alive and well. And that's a very good thing. Reviews By People Who've Already Seen It:
Variety
Rotten Tomatoes