Plot: What’s it about?
Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) and Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) are close friends and business partners, working as hired guns to clean up towns overrun by violence. The partnership works well, since the job is dangerous it is crucial for both to trust each other and as best friends, the bond is rock solid. The two have been called in to the town of Appaloosa, where a tyrant named Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) has become a vicious, ruthless presence. Bragg owns most of the land and when he is crossed, he kills without pause and even the local law has been taken out by his forces. Virgil and Everett agree to take care of Bragg, but their requests and methods must be agreed upon and sometimes, those can be brutal. As these two potent, violent sides clash in a battle over Appaloosa, what will become of the town after the dust settles?
While some westerns are still produced these days, the genre continues to wane and decline. Appaloosa might not be a genre classic, but it is a solid western from top to bottom. Ed Harris stars, co-writes, and directs, with capable efforts on all fronts. This is a nice old school style western, with a solid plot and some beautiful landscapes. There are some fresh elements pumped in, but by and large, this is a throwback effort. I do think Appaloosa looses some ground when it relies on false endings and twists a little too often, but the basic plot and character work are rock solid. Harris, Viggo Mortensen, and Jeremy Irons all turn in good efforts, while the rest of the cast is capable as well. As I said, this isn’t a movie that will kick start a genre revival, but Appaloosa is well made and more than worth a look.
Video: How does it look?
Appaloosa is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen. This looks good and improves on the DVD, but won’t light up the “best transfer” lists, to be sure. The image is clean and clear, but detail never reaches the levels we’ve come to expect from Blu-ray, which is a disappointment. I wouldn’t call the visuals overly soft, but they’re not as razor sharp as the finest high definition transfers. I do think this looks solid however, with good detail and depth. The natural color scheme holds up well and contrast is smooth, so no concerns in those areas. In the end, solid, but not a top shelf treatment.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio follows suit with the visuals, as this Dolby TrueHD 5.1 option is solid, but unremarkable. The surrounds remain on the quiet side even during the more action driven scenes, which is a let down. The material doesn’t have endless firefights, but some added presence during the more tense scenes would have been welcome. The music also fails to take advantage of the surrounds, so it has a rather flat sound too. At least dialogue is clear and clean, so that is a plus. In the end, this gets the basic job done, but don’t expect any frills here. This disc also includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 option, as well as subtitles in English and Spanish.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Ed Harris is joined on audio commentary by co-writer Robert Knott, in what turns out to be a solid session. Not great, but decent and talkative, with some good information. This disc also includes four brief, promotional featurettes, as well as a selection of deleted scenes.
