Appaloosa

"Appaloosa" is the most pleasingly old-school Western to come out in years. Directed by Ed Harris, from an adaptation of Robert B. Parker's novel, it's a classic buddy film on the frontier, with Harris as lawman-for-hire Virgil and Viggo Mortensen as his loyal best friend and deputy Everett, his quiet, plainspoken support. They take up their new posts in Appaloosa, a town terrorized by the lawless antics of cowhands working for the local cattle baron (Jeremy Irons), in perfect sync without saying a word, with Virgil at point and Everett calmly taking up a strategic position as backup. Harris draws our attention to their tactics in case we don't notice, one of many moments in which he ignores the nuances inherent in their brand of frontier justice, but that's no problem for a film that otherwise cleaves to such classical situations. It's a little more modern in its understanding of romance and relationships when Renée Zellweger saunters in all schoolmarm-like but proves to be less a blushing innocent than an unsentimental survivalist.

Harris delivers the commentary track with the same terse directness as the dialogue, discussing the decisions and production details in a matter-of-fact manner befitting the film (producer Robert Knott is also on the track but rarely heard). The cast and crew all participate in the four dutiful featurettes (they run less than half an hour all told). More interesting are the six deleted scenes, including the original prologue, with optional commentary by Harris and Knott spoken with the same reserve.