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APPALOOSA

Starring: Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Jeremy Irons and Renee Zellweger

Directed By: Ed Harris

R for some violence and language

By John Delia

Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen are terrific together in Appaloosa, but although the story starts out with a bang, it drags in the middle then fizzles at the end.  If you are a die-hard western film lover and just can’t get enough saloon fights, Indian raids and lawmen watching their jailbirds, then Appaloosa should be a perfect fit for you. 

The film opens with the sheriff of Appaloosa getting gunned down by tough old rancher Randall Bragg (Irons) leaving the small western town without law enforcement. The town has an idea who killed their sheriff, but has no proof.  Notorious lawmen for hire,  HYPERLINK "http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800012404" Virgil Cole (Harris) and Everett Hitch (Mortensen) happen along and fill the vacancy.  Bragg’s men, not knowing there’s a new sheriff in town start shooting up the saloon, so Cole and Hitch bring them down.  Finding out about the incident, Bragg goes to town to settle the score, but Cole gets the drop on him and realizes that a lot of men will die in a street fight.  When one of his men decides to out Bragg as the killer of the sheriff, Cole and Hitch go for the arrest.  But like in most horse operas, things don’t go as planned.

This is Ed Harris’s first attempt as a screenwriter and second at directing.  His directorial debut for the film Pollock, the life of the famous painter, was a huge success landing Marcia Gay Hardin a best supporting Oscar in 2001 and a nomination for Harris for Best Actor.  But with Appaloosa Harris stumbles, much like Kevin Costner did directing Open Range by allowing the film to drag in parts.   With Appaloosa, Harris just can’t seem to end a scene, adding more than the audience needs to grasp what’s going on.  The performance by Zellweger was awful, appearing out of nowhere and stunting the plot with an implausible attempt at sex appeal.

Harris’s uneven storyline filled with more vistas than you want to see, long scenes of him sitting in front of the jail house and a schoolboy attempt at wooing Zellweger’s character gets the film in trouble from which it never seems to recover.  

However the acting on the part of Harris and Mortensen is outstanding.  The two partners in law enforcement fit together very nicely as buddies and killers.  Here is where the film should have been focused.  Maybe if Harris had Michael Bay or Ridley Scott direct his film, I would have enjoyed it more, because they certainly would have cut it and shaped it with a lot of two gun firepower. 

The film does contain some brief violence and use of harsh language, so be forewarned.   

FINAL ANALYSIS: Appaloosa fails with long film shots and a feeble storyline. (2 of 5 stars)

THE LUCY ONES

Starring: Tim Robbins, Rachel McAdams and Michael Pena

Directed By: Neil Burger 

R for language and some sexual content

By John Delia

There have been many films over the past two years that get very preachy about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan but actually do more to disturb than to relate.  This is not the case of The Lucky Ones a poignant yet humorous film that took me on a road trip to reason and realism created by an interesting story that was nicely directed and written for the screen.  

The movie centers on three very different US soldiers who meet by chance in a New York airport while returning from Iraq after a long time tour of duty.  The area around the airport has experienced a blackout and it strands the returning military for a possible two days.  TK Pool (Pena), on a one-month leave after being wounded, is anxious to get to his destination as are Cheaver (Robbins) and Colee (McAdams).  Since Pittsburgh has the closest operating airport Cheaver, Pool and Colee decide to share a rental car. What begins as a short trip unexpectedly turns into a cross-country marathon. Along the way the three share their experiences involving broken dreams and a country divided over the war.

The film has some very humorous scenes, as you would expect in most road movies, and in this one, some of them are down right hilarious.  I especially enjoyed the rest stop where Colee and Cheaver try to get TK involved with two professional sex therapists to rekindle his manhood.   But entwined within the comical trip are some very serious overtones surrounding the war, family and relationships that make the film heartbreaking as well.

The cast does a stellar job in bringing the captivating characters to life.  Pena provides the pathos, McAdams the pity and Robbins the grief, while all three share the chore of making the film fun loving as well.  But, I especially liked McAdams in the role of the insecure Colee who journeys to the parents she has never met of her fellow soldier and lover who has been killed in the war.  Having no family of her own, her plan is to take the place of their lost son. 

Writer/director Burger provides and outstanding story, tactfully presenting the humors drama in an unconditional way as to let the audience decide on how they should feel about war and it’s effect on our soldiers.  I especially liked the way he handled the meeting between the three at the airport and setting up a bond as they worked their way across country. 

The film contains some scenes of sex and language, so be cautioned when making decisions on attending the film.

FINAL ANALYSIS:  The Lucy Ones should not be missed if you like road movies that are not only humorous but have meaning as well.  (4 of 5 stars)  


THE DUCHESS

Starring: Kira Knightly, Ralph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell, and Charlotte Rampling

Directed By: Saul Dibb

PG-13 for sexual content, brief nudity and thematic material

By John Delia

Kira Knightly plays nobility with aplomb and a fiery dignity in The Duchess, a brilliant period piece with an uncompromising tale of love, deception and dishonesty. For all you lovers who like their movies well acted, beautifully photographed and totally immersing that this film is for you.
The true story takes place in England at the end of the 18th Century where we find The Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish (Fiennes) making a contract with Lady Spencer (Rampling) for her daughter Georgiana’s (Knightly) hand in marriage. Since Lady Spencer’s bloodline has birthed a long line of boys, The Duke has found Georgiana not only lovely but also his chance to have an heir to his dukedom. After siring three girls with some male miscarriages in between, The Duke has become disillusioned with Georgiana that leads to an affair with Bess Foster (Atwell), an outcast Lady with three boys who has befriended Georgiana. When things become uneasy in the household with Georgiana’s new best friend, she retaliates by taking interest in Lord Charles Grey (Cooper).
The movie gets a lot of help from the excellent acting of Knightly and Fiennes. The two veteran actors play out their roles with style bringing the 18th Century characters to life. In a pivotal scene where The Duke and Georgiana are at odds with each other over his affair with Foster, Knightly delivers a standout performance with her decisive retort. Later when the Duke finds out about Georgiana’s discretions, Fiennes shows the dark side of The Duke in his confrontation and punishment.
Direction by Dibb is very good with smooth transitions and strong detail to the period. His ability to make the cast perform to the peak of their ability gives the film the necessary assurance to make an 18th century period piece enjoyable to watch. Of the films that come to mind that are equally good would include; Howard’s End, A Room with a View, and The Remains of the Day. Cinematography in this film goes beyond great from the vibrant beauty of Bath, to the dismal fields where Georgiana has to give up her child, to the opulent castle halls. It made me fell as if I were there.
The film contains a brief shot of the back of a nude woman, implicit sex and a scene of implied rape.

FINAL ANALYSIS: The Duchess is a wonderful film for those who want a fervent tale of 18th Century British reality. 3.5 of 5 stars