SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

As a Western addict, I didn't expect too much from this as the IMDb rating was only 6.8. However, I was bowled over by it! The straight opening scene drew the viewer in and established two things immediately. The badness of the Jeremy Irons character and the rough, dirty environment in which the plot would be played out. There would be nothing slick or sentimental about this film. Then we got the narrative from the second of the three main characters, played by Viggo Mortensen. The reason the two further characters in this film are riding together across open, dry, brown landscape, is explained and you know you're in for a damned good, hard nosed ride into classic western good vs.bad showdown territory! I love this film, because it delivers exactly what it says on the tin. Ed Harris is the life weary Marshall who will not compromise with the town's bye-laws, and the film is only slightly let down when his eye leaves the ball to follow a female diversion in the form of Renee Zellweger. Her presence is necessary to the plot and the final shootout, however in my opinion, she gets too much screen time. Talking of shootouts, this film contains many of them, all quite different, heavy with fine detail, and all relevant. By the end you're left feeling you've spent some serious time with saddle leather, colt handguns, dust and bourbon whisky, and the three main characters themselves. Oh - and heard some fine songs as well!

I cannot believe that so many good actors (Zellweger excepted) have put in so much effort in such hot and sweaty locations and come up with the most cliché-ridden "Western" I can remember. It took 30-minutes into the movie for me to realise that it was not a comedy and that it was actually meant to be taken seriously. Irons, Zellweger, Spall and Mortensen are the least convincing Western characters imaginable and for Ed Harris to put his name to it (as Director, screenplay writer and actor) is probably the greatest mistake(s) he's ever made. Sorry Ed, it don't get much worse than this. Never mind the worthless awards, this is rubbish of the first order. Still, locations and costumes were decent. Just a pity about everything else. The tag line was "Feelings get you killed" : whatever, beats watching the movie.

Despite a few pacing issues and the woefully miscast Renée Zellweger, "Appaloosa" still comes out strong. What makes this movie worthwhile (and the movie seems to know this) is the relationship between the two main characters. Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are two of the most interesting characters in a Western, and it also helps that they're extremely well cast (indeed, Ed Harris is the man I pictured when first reading the book). Jeremy Irons also plays a real douche of a bad guy, and there are a few well-done shootouts. But it's that bond between the mercenary lawmen that keeps me coming back. And I wish this movie had done well enough to merit more big-screen entries. 7/10

The cast is great and provided outstanding acting. Their characters are highly interesting. It's well worth watching once but the story-line becomes increasingly implausible as the movie unfolds.A small one-street one-horse town is having problems with Jeremy Irons, the rich cattle baron who thinks he owns the place and his men have no problems with shooting-up both the town and anybody they want at the drop of a hat.So, the town fathers hire Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen to bring law and order to the town.And along comes Renee Zellweger who arrives in town and needs a job, and she can play the piano and winds up with a job at the saloon.OK, so far a standard plot line.Here's where the spoilers start: Jeremy (the bad guy) also owns this elaborate and ornate saloon that no one-horse town in the middle of nowhere can support. But that's where Renee gets a job behind the piano.Jeremy murders a deputy marshal at his ranch. Ed and Viggo go out to arrest him. He's tried, convicted and sentenced to death.On his way by train to go to the place of execution, Jeremy's gang get's him released while the train is at a remote water stop, with Renee with them as a hostage.She'll be released when they're safely away. Well, O.K. But why can't the train just go forward until it's out of sight, they release Renee, ride away, and the train backs up to get her? After all, everyone knows that there are no horses in a freight car for them to pursue the bad guys and get Renee.Eventually, Ed and Viggo have the horses and supplies they need and finally have the bad guys in sight, along with a bunch of hostile Indians who are about to attack the bad guys for their horses and weapons.The Indians attack. One scene has Renee, in her underwear, kicking and screaming while slung over an Indians shoulder. However, for some miraculous reason, Renee and Jeremy survive. The rest of the bad guys were either dead or fled. (Maybe the Indians decided not to steal her because they didn't have a piano.) O.K. Jeremy is recaptured. The team arrives at the nearest town and Jeremy is placed in the local jail for safe keeping while they figure out what to do next. But Jeremy and the local sheriff are friends.To cut to the chase: Jeremy, the evil local sheriff and the sheriff's deputies have a shoot-out with Ed and Viggo. Everybody gets killed or wounded except Jeremy, who escapes out of town on a galloping horse.Later, back at the one-horse town, Ed gets a telegram that states President Chester A. Author has granted a pardon to Jeremy for murdering an officer of the law. Jeremy swaggers back to town as a free man.But what about his gang's kidnapping Renee to demand his release from the train? What about the shoot-out at the evil sheriff's town, where people were murdered? Why wasn't that sheriff brought to justice?Aren't they all crimes, too? I guess they didn't want all of that to interfere with the story-line and people just wouldn't notice or care.Anyway, by the end of the movie, bad guys never win.Again, I think the actors and the characters they portrayed are great. But, wow, there are also a bunch of "Huh?????? This doesn't make sense" moments to make this a higher rated movie.