Just watched "Appaloosa" on dvd, Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renee Zellwhatever, Jeremy Irons. Seems good on paper anyway..... I dont know, it just....lacked something. A lot of something, at that. For a start, the disastrous casting of Bridget Jones in period costume with a bad accent as the femme fatale (as such) was just awful-I have no idea if she can act, but this movie was weak all around in many areas. Ed Hariss's character "Virgil Cole" could just have easily been played by a vase of some sort, such was the wooden intensity and sparseness of dialogue........Viggo Mortensens sidekick Everitt ( who ostensibly narrates the story, not clearly enough it seems) stole the show, was a more interesting character, AND had, seemingly a better relationship with his hooker girlfriend than the main character did with his. So, who gives a crap about the main character? Nobody, is the correct answer, and that's whats wrong with this film, ultimately. I've seen more character on a set of lego men, sure there were some bits of action, but amazingly, the 8-guage shotgun carried by the sidekck in every scene, is only used the once in the movie, to less than realistic effect. By the end of the movie, it had taken on it's own personality, or so it seemed, against the rest of the cast. Harsh I know, but if you like ride 'em down shoot 'em up westerns, where something happens occassionally, this isnt the movie for you......it's "character driven" apparently.
Don't recall "The Appaloosa", this is based on a book of some sort....although it's true, Brando even dead, even as a prop of some sort, could have brought some much needed life to this movie. What sort of old western town, had zero horseshit on the streets?
right on the nose review. what are some of your favorite western movies? I was desperate enough to watch the quick and dead with sharon stone the other day.
What can you say about Brando; I"ll try. The world can have MJ as the greatest entertainer that ever lived, I'll take Marlon Brando. No actor in history has ever "ate the scenery" like Brando has. And, Brando was never cooler than when he inhabited gunslingers. Even this spaghetti western was elevated by his gaucho interpretation of a one-man Magnificent Seven. When you mull over all the icons that have passed; Sinatra, Hope, Presley; you know, the ones that when they run the montage at the Oscars and they surprise you with the icon you weren't thinking about right then and you whisper to yourself, "...wow, --he's-- gone", Brando heads the list. ........STELLLLLLLA!
That Stone movie isnt bad, esp with Gene Hackman in it. You might want to check out The Proposition, also there is a weird Korean movie you might like called The Good, The Bad and the Weird
Honestly, the "fistfull of dollars" trilogy was the zenith for me, unforgiven being the best follow up ever....... Eastwood was born to do westerns; every john wayne movie I ever saw made me want to vomit in my mouth a little bit. "Shane" deserves an honourable mention, but- Basically, if the soundtrack is instantly recognisable, it was a classic....high noon, the magnificent seven, western's dont work without the actors. Or soundtrack, actually. Lee Marvin, for example-believable as a tough guy, in any movie-name a current , modern actor who could fill his shoes, and you got yourself a western!! Ben Affleck....Keanu Reeves..tough guy gunslinger...who the heck is gonna buy that. IMHO, this is the greatest scene ever-from "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" Enjoy, movie buffs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXldafIl5DQ
Yes, it's unfortunate about Brando....one could be forgiven for thinking, he actually DID eat the scenery.