The Lone Ranger and Tonto. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Frank and Jesse James. Marty McFly and Doc Brown. Into those hallowed halls of revered cowboy friendships come the fearless team of Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, immortalized in the new film Appaloosa, written and directed by Ed Harris.

 

Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) is the leader of a wild bunch of outlaws who have the townsfolk of Appaloosa quiverin’ in their boots, unable to even enjoy a pint of whiskey without his posse turning the bar into a public urinal. Enter Cole (Harris) and Hitch (Viggo Mortensen), traveling gunslingers, who make their quick-draw services available to the town in exchange for unquestioned authority. They quickly put the public urinators in the grave or on the run and give Bragg a reason to finally watch his back.

 

The duo’s friendship, central to the film, is a real treat to watch. Their banter is witty, with Hitch helping Cole pronounce big words and both modeling fierce loyalty. When the damsel Allie French (Renee Zellwegger) enters the mix, the movie flirts with the notion of whether or not their bond can not only withstand literal gunfire but also survive a would-be love triangle.

 

Appaloosa not only boasts some impressive gunslingin’ but also some mighty-fine actin’, with heavyweights Harris, Mortensen, Zellwegger and Irons leading the charge. Irons is so well-suited for his role that you half wonder why he recruited bladder-challenged morons to be in his gang, much less put himself in harm’s way to defend them. Lance Henrikson also appears as Ring Shelton, a perfect name for a country singer but actually another gun-for-hire that adds more than a little stress to Cole’s professional and personal life.

 

Along with the entertainment of watching the interaction and a few good shootouts, the central story of the two friends who stand together on the right side of the law is without question the highlight. –DeWayne Hamby / dewaynehamby.com