(2 out of 5 stars)

Ed Harris stars and directs in this story about a duo of hired lawmen for the town of Appaloosa to clean up the town and bring rancher Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons) to justice. Viggo Mortensen plays the sidekick to Harris’ sheriff. Things fall apart once Bragg becomes to difficult to bring down and a new lady in town (Renee Zellwegger) forces Harris’ emotions to get in the way and cause an even bigger problem in bringing Bragg to justice.

Harris and Mortensen are fine as old west lawmen and Irons is a good bad guy rancher, but he is no Crowe from 3:10 to Yuma. Zellwegger seems miscast as the female interest. Harris and Mortensen labor through the movie causing the story to plod along and allowing the audience to care less and less about the characters and the ending.

This movie brings nothing new to the genre. It only provides the typical good versus bad and the sheriff who is going to ‘clean up the town’ no matter how it gets done. The movie should at least provide some action or compelling drama to bring itself to life. Instead, it provides nothing to make the viewer ever want to go back to the old west and live in a town like Appaloosa ever.arriuHarr

Suggested similar recommendations: 3:10 to Yuma