Simply Perfect

Sadly Over-hyped

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Interesting but slowly paced Western follows Brando's attempts to recover an Appaloosa horse stolen from him by Mexican villains . Being based on a novel by Robert MacLeod and screenplay by also filmmakers , James Bridges and Roland Kibbee . Set in 1870s , Southwest to Sonora where rules the lawless , lustful and violence arrives a man who returns from war and tries to recover a horse (the appaloosa of the titles) stolen from him by a Mexican bandit called Chuy (John Saxon who received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor) and hoodlums (Emilio Fernandez) . As a Mexican-American named Matt Fletcher and outlaws to live on the edge of violence . When the bandits steal his horse , he sets out in pursuit the thieves . Meanwhile Matt falls in love for the Chuy's girlfriend named Trini (Anjanette Comer) . This strange Western contains drama , action , colorful outdoors , shootouts but is paced in slow-moving and often tiring . Violent and moving at the ending in which Fletcher/Brando single-handedly, contends the whole nasty band . Good interpretation by the mythical Marlon Brando , he carries out a method-acting , brooding approach to the main role , though according to co-star John Saxon, Marlon Brando's relationship with director Sidney J. Furie got to the point where Brando, when getting ready to do a close-up, would be reading a book , he would only lower the book when Furie yelled "Action" ; when he yelled "Cut", Brando would raise the book again . Also according to producer Alan Miller, appalled at his star's lack of interest in the film and his lackluster performance, pinned a bit of doggerel about Marlon Brando . Glimmer and luxurious cinematography in Techniscope by the classical cameraman Russell Metty filmed on location in St. George, Utah, Lake Los Angeles, and Wrightwood, California . Sensitive and evocative musical score by maestro Frank Skinner .This slight motion picture was professionally directed by Sidney J Furie , a veteran and prolific director , still today making films . British Furie has directed all kind of genres , though mostly action . In 1999, Sidney J. Furie's espionage thriller The Ipcress File (1965) was included at number 59 on the BFI's list of the 100 greatest British films of the 20th century. Stanley Kubrick was a big fan of The Boys in Company C (1978) and cited Sidney J. Furie's war movie as the direct inspiration for Full Metal Jacket (1987). In 2009, director Martin Scorsese placed Sidney J. Furie's The Entity (1982) on his list of the 11 Scariest Horror Films of All Time. He also directed Superman IV: quest of peace (1987) , originally had a budget of $36 million dollars , just before filming was to begin, Cannon Pictures, which was starting to suffer financial problems, slashed the budget and was a flop . ¨The Appaloosa¨ resulted to be an acceptable Western that had moderated success at the box office . Rating : 6 , passable . The picture will appeal to Marlon Brando fans and Western buffs .

Matteo (Marlon Brando) saunters into town to live with his family if he can get past the cantina where Chuy (John Saxon) hangs out.Marlon must go back into town to retrieve his stolen appaloosa horse, which we don't get to see enough of. Things get rolling once he has finished slapping Rafael Campos in the face a half-dozen times. Anjanette Comer is the pretty girl who director Sid Furie gave virtually nothing to do, except to film her from a distance while she sucks on lime wedges and waits for the next take. Anyway, she's nice to look at.It's cool to note that John Saxon apparently was not in the least phased by Brando's eminence. Saxon is, in fact, much better than Brando in this film. Saxon does not back off or hesitate while he concomitantly restrains himself from over-acting in any way resulting in perhaps the best performance of his career.Interesting western.

For decades, Marlon Brando has been considered one of the foremost actors of the age. There was a real aura about him and his later performances were real events--as securing his services for films had become very expensive and fraught with difficulties. Brando had become VERY difficult to direct and he regularly refused to learn his scripts or prepare--preferring to work as little as possible and use cue cards (this is according to directors like Francis Ford Coppola and Arthur Penn). Yet, despite this, he still was adored by critics. As for me, I just never understood all the hubbub about his acting. However, recently I decided to watch a few more of his films--and give him a second chance. As my wife pointed out, after seeing about 10 of his films recently, his performances seemed to either be very, very subdued or rather 'out there' and over-the-top."The Appaloosa" begins with a Mexican bandit (John Saxon) and his men stealing Brando's prize horse. And, for the rest of the film, Brando tracks down the guy to retrieve his animal. How all this transpired was a bit odd--but that really is the plot--along with a subplot involving a woman who hated Saxon and wanted to leave him.The film comes off very much like a Spaghetti Western version of the plot for "Winchester '73"--though not as good as the original film. There are a few neat elements in the film but also some very silly ones (such as the scorpion scene and the use of too many spurs' sound effects). Overall, the film isn't bad and Brando underplays the part a bit. He wasn't bad--but his character did seem curiously muted considering the role.

The Nineteen-sixties was a time of great change in the movies. For the first time, the Anti-Hero was coming into his own. Here is one such film entitled " The Appaloosa " written by Robert Macleod and directed by Sidney J. Furies, which ranks among the very best of the nuevo Westerns. The star of the film is none other than Marlon Brando who by this date, was hitting his stride. Up against him and doing a superb job as the heavy is John Saxon who plays Chuy Medina. He plays a proud Mexican bandit justifying his theft of a rare horse by Trini, his reluctant woman (Anjanette Comer) who steals it. Matt Fletcher (Marlon Brando) returns home after many years hunting Buffalo, with a sack full of Gold Coins, a beautiful Appaloosa horse and a promise of repaying a debt. However, Chuy Medina decides to steal the horse and challenges Brando to journey to Mexico and try to get it back. The touching drama of the story plays well against the stark desert landscape and the inner duel of the two adversaries matches well their behavior. The excellent cast includes Emilio Fernández, Alex Montoya and Frank Silvera as Ramos. Through the years the film has earned the crown of Classic. ****