I saw this after seeing "3:10 to Yuma," which was so bad it made me wonder if I ever wanted to see another western.
Thank you, Ed Harris! This film made me a believer again. With a laconic pace that permitted you to enjoy the details, a true western heart, a great story of male friendship, a strikingly ambivalent heroine, great photography, and remarkably good (especially on a budget) art direction, this film managed to be both familiar and fresh at the same time.
The story is told from the point of view of Everett Hitch, Viggo Mortensen's character. Ed Harris is wonderful as the quiet mar-shall, Virgil Cole. Renee Zellweger is a decidedly different frontier widow. Jeremy Irons' bad guy may have just a little bit too much fun with his lines, but his character is serviceable and vividly drawn. A pleasant surprise is Spanish actress Ariadna Gil as Katie, the saloon girl who becomes Mortensen's confidante. Some great character actors round out the cast, including a terrific turn by Bob Harris (Ed Harris' father) as a hangin' judge.
Nice musical score, too.
I really enjoyed this one. Hope you do, too.
Thank you, Ed Harris! This film made me a believer again. With a laconic pace that permitted you to enjoy the details, a true western heart, a great story of male friendship, a strikingly ambivalent heroine, great photography, and remarkably good (especially on a budget) art direction, this film managed to be both familiar and fresh at the same time.
The story is told from the point of view of Everett Hitch, Viggo Mortensen's character. Ed Harris is wonderful as the quiet mar-shall, Virgil Cole. Renee Zellweger is a decidedly different frontier widow. Jeremy Irons' bad guy may have just a little bit too much fun with his lines, but his character is serviceable and vividly drawn. A pleasant surprise is Spanish actress Ariadna Gil as Katie, the saloon girl who becomes Mortensen's confidante. Some great character actors round out the cast, including a terrific turn by Bob Harris (Ed Harris' father) as a hangin' judge.
Nice musical score, too.
I really enjoyed this one. Hope you do, too.
