The 2008 neo-western Appaloosa is on the one hand, a typical representative of his genre, on the other hand, it differs significantly from other cowboy films. Where the male gunslingers are usually presented in a rather taciturn manner, Appaloosa is convincing complex characters and dense dialogues. It is precisely the dynamic between Ed Harris and Oscar winner Viggo Mortensen that makes the film so charming. Anyone who has overlooked the western can watch it on TV today.
Viggo Mortensen vs Jeremy Irons: This is what Appaloosa is all about
Appaloosa takes place in New Mexico, 1882: Criminal Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) terrorizes the small town of Appaloosa and is about to be arrested. But the murderer and rapist quickly shoots the law enforcement officers who want to book him. The residents no longer want to suffer under Bragg and hire the gunslingers Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) and Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) to ensure law and order.
The two actually manage to arrest Bragg, who is sentenced to death, but his men refuse to accept the sentence. They kidnap Cole’s new love, Allison French (Renée Zellweger), and threaten to kill her. The western heroes, who are unusually emotional for a western, face a bitter fight for justice.
Warner/New Line
Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen are a real dream team.
Ed Harris isn’t just in front of the camera in Appaloosa: he also directed, turned the novel into a script together with Robert Knott and produced the western. He and Viggo Mortensen, who many still know as Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, play two western heroes who are particularly notable for their profound characters.
With an estimated budget of $20 million and a worldwide Box office gross of almost $28 million (via The Numbers ), Appaloosa may have flopped financially, but it deserved more attention. Thanks to your community reviews, Appaloosa once made it into the top 100 best westerns.
When is Appaloosa on TV?
Appaloosa runs to Primetime on Wednesday (December 13, 2023) at 8:15 p.m. on Arte. The station will also repeat the broadcast on Tuesday (December 19th) at 2:15 p.m. and also on Thursday (December 28th) at 2:10 p.m. If you want to watch the western regardless of the television program, you can stream it on Amazon Prime, among others.