Appaloosa (2008)
70%RT Audience Score: 55%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins
A traditional genre western, Appaloosa sets itself apart with smart psychology, an intriguing love triangle, and good chemistry between the leads
Appaloosa is a classic western that’s perfect for anyone who loves a good shootout and a bit of humor. While it may be a little slow at times, the film’s attention to detail and production design make it a memorable experience. Plus, Ed Harris is a total badass as the lone lawman fighting injustice. The only downside? Renee Zelwegger’s character is a bit of a mystery, but hey, nobody’s perfect. Overall, Appaloosa is a fun ride that’s worth checking out.
Production Company(ies)
Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment,
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Sonoita, Arizona, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some violence and language
Year of Release
2008
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 56m
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Language(s):English, Apache, languages, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 3, 2008 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 13, 2009
Genre(s)
Western/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger, Jeremy Irons, Timothy Spall, Lance Henriksen, directed by Ed Harris, written by Robert Knott and Ed Harris, Western, Drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Stratton, Paul Byrnes, Ben Lyons, Ben Mankiewicz, Connie Ogle, Todd McCarthy, Richard Propes, Mattie Lucas, Grant Watson, Kelly Jane Torrance, produced by Ed Harris, Ginger Sledge, Robert Knott, MPAA rating R, justice, lawless towns, mining town, malevolent rancher, love triangle, bond, New Mexico landscape, 1880s Southwest, Virgil Cole, Everett Hitch, Randall Bragg, Phil Olson, Ring Shelton, Alison French
Worldwide gross: $27,712,362
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $38,172,720
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,457
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 4,162,783
US/Canada gross: $20,211,394
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $27,840,423
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,295
US/Canada opening weekend: $248,847
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $342,777
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,499
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $20,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $27,549,236
Production budget ranking: 1,196
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $14,835,263
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$4,211,780
ROI to date (est.): -10%
ROI ranking: 1,450
Viggo Mortensen – Everett Hitch
Renée Zellweger – Alison French
Jeremy Irons – Randall Bragg
Timothy Spall – Phil Olson
Lance Henriksen – Ring Shelton
Director – Ed Harris
Producers – Ed Harris, Ginger Sledge, Robert Knott
Writers – Robert Knott, Ed Harris
Director(s)
Ed Harris
Writer(s)
Robert Knott, Ed Harris
Producer(s)
Ed Harris, Ginger Sledge, Robert Knott
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
4 wins
Academy Awards
All Critics (164) | Top Critics (53) | Fresh (125) | Rotten (39)
True, the film is a little long, and it loses momentum at one stage, but generally speaking this is a most enjoyable return to what was once the cinema’s most popular genre.
March 13, 2009 | Rating: 3.5/5
David Stratton
At the Movies (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
Brush away the dust and you’ll find a sense of nostalgia and romanticism about lost American values and altered social hierarchies.
March 6, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
It was at times incredibly slow and even poorly edited, and I’ve never understood the appeal of Renee Zelwegger.
November 7, 2008
Ben Lyons
At the Movies
TOP CRITIC
Ed Harris does it better than anybody.
November 7, 2008
Ben Mankiewicz
At the Movies
TOP CRITIC
Appaloosa takes the traditional notion of a lone lawman fighting injustice and turns it successfully on its head.
October 10, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
Connie Ogle
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
Dialogue, much of it lifted straight from Parker’s novel, proves mostly engaging.
October 3, 2008
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
It’s more Harris’s attention to dialogue, character and the film’s overall production design that makes the film so memorable.
September 2, 2020 | Rating: 3.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
The story is just not strong enough to carry the entire movie.
June 6, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/4
Mattie Lucas
The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)
The film neatly blends short, brutal violence with a surprisingly traditional visual take on the classic western.
May 17, 2019 | Rating: 8/10
Grant Watson
Fiction Machine
The requisite standoffs and shootouts make this one tense film, but the mood is frequently lightened with a generous dose of surprising humor.
December 13, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/4
Kelly Jane Torrance
Washington Times
It is as though Harris could not decide whether he was making the classic western of his boyhood dreams, or merely a pastiche of it. The result, falling somewhere between the two, ends up being neither here nor there.
May 19, 2018
Anton Bitel
Projected Figures
Really, it’s like watching three amigos passing the time of day in New Mexico while waiting for a call from Cronenberg.
December 27, 2017
Brian D. Johnson
Maclean’s Magazine…
Plot
1882, New Mexico Territory. Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) and Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) are itinerant lawmen, hired by desperate towns as Marshal and Deputy, respectively. The city fathers of Appaloosa hire them after Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons), a newly-arrived rancher with money and a gang of thugs, disrupts commerce and kills three local lawmen. Cole and Hitch contrive to arrest Bragg and bring him to trial, but hanging him proves to be difficult. Meanwhile, a widow has arrived in town, Allison French (Renée Zellweger), pretty, refined, and good-natured. Virgil falls hard, and it seems mutual, but there may be more to Allison than meets the eye. Can friendship and skill with a gun overcome a pernicious villain and green-eyed jealousy?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Appaloosa on Fresh Kernels.
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