Davis P Appaloosa (2008) is a western film starring Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renee Zellweger, and Jeremy Irons. This movie did so many things right. First I'll go over what I liked. First of all, the cast did a great job with their roles. I especially loved Zellweger and Mortensen, they both had really interesting characters and they did a wonderful job at portraying them. It's of course true that this is a western film, but it is also a character study. These characters are not the usual stereotypical ones you typically see in western movies. That's why i really loved these characters, they had depth and I was actually interested in their stories and why they were how they were. Jeremy Irons plays the villain, becuase every western must have a proper villain, and Irons is a very good actor to play such a character. The writing is interesting. I loved the dialogue between Zellweger and the two main men, Harris and Mortensen, that was where the script stood out and where depth was given to the characters. I suggest this film to anyone, western fan or not, I think anyone can and will enjoy this movie. 8/10.

Per Johnsen Appaloosa is a classical western in a modern suit. It seems like Ed Harris wanted to show the world that he could make a real good traditional western and that some producers, directors and casters have missed out not giving him the main part in such a movie. And right he did, also asking his favorite actors to join in, and Harris himself is shining. Seems like they had a lot of fun.The main subject in Appaloosa, besides the classical struggle between good and evil, is trust and betrayal in human relations. There are of course good guys and girls and the bad one's, but in this story none of the characters really seem to be either, except for one or two perhaps. So in the end, the only good guy gets to put and end to what ever is wrong or evil. If there's a moral, that's all there is to it.I'm writing this after watching the film for the third time, and I seem to forget how it goes and ends every time. I suppose that makes it quite a good film with a subtle story about love and hate, trust and betrayal.

jameshellis-31347 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!

bkoganbing British actor Jeremy Irons got to do a western for his list of credits with Appaloosa. Let no one think that this is a remake of the Marlon Brando western from the Sixties. Appaloosa is not a breed of horse, it's a town in New Mexico territory where lawmen Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen have been hired to prevent the depredations of villain Jeremy Irons.Irons is a villain with some interesting connections. Right at the beginning of Appaloosa we're told that Irons came west from New York City where apparently he was part of Roscoe Conkling's political machine. He worked in the Customs House where the boss was the Collector for the Port Of New York one Chester Alan Arthur. Time and circumstance have sent Irons to New Mexico where he's bought himself a spread and hired a lot of guns who terrorize the town and surrounding area. Time and circumstance have also made Chester Alan Arthur President of the United States. Despite some rivalry over Renee Zellweger, Harris and Mortensen are a pair of no nonsense lawmen who do their best to clean up Appaloosa. Irons also shows that those connections to the White House are quite real.Arthur did not do a half bad job as president considering where he originated from. This film does cast him in a negative light because of an association with a skunk like Irons. Appaloosa is a good western with a good ensemble cast using a bit of historical trivia as part of the plot.