One of the Most Underrated Westerns of the 21st Century Is Riding Into a New Streaming Stable

One of the Most Underrated Westerns of the 21st Century Is Riding Into a New Streaming Stable Jeremy Irons in a still from the Western Appaloosa. By  Rahul Malhotra Published 1 minute ago Rahul Malhotra is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has been writing for Collider for over two years, and has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal to introduce audiences to a whole new world of cinema. 

Swing and a miss > measured victory. Also, #JusticeForHan. (He/Him). Sign in to your Collider account follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

While younger audiences might associate Ed Harris with his role in HBO's Westworld, an older generation holds on to his performances in movies such as Apollo 13, The Truman Show, and A Beautiful Mind. But it was in between these periods of his career that Harris directed his second feature film, the Western drama Appaloosa. He'd already made the biopic Pollock, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for his performance. But Appaloosa was released eight years later, at a time when Westerns had largely lost favor with mainstream audiences. It was because of this unfortunate timing that the movie ended up underperforming at the box office. But it's almost tailor-made for home video success, and hopes to attract a new generation of fans when it debuts on the Tubi streaming service this December.

Released in 2008, Appaloosa earned $27 million at the box office, against a reported budget of $20 million. Set in the town of Appaloosa, the movie follows an elderly lawman and his partner's efforts to bring a villainous rancher to justice. Harris and Viggo Mortensen played the righteous lawmen, while Renée Zellweger played a grieving widow, and Jeremy Irons starred as the villain. The film also featured Timothy Spall and Lance Henricksen in supporting roles. Shot by the legendary Dean Semler, who won an Oscar for his work on Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolves, Appaloosa was rather old-fashioned in its storytelling, which may have impacted its performance at the box office. This was just two years before the Coen brothers delivered the blockbuster hit True Grit, and four years before Quentin Tarantino released the biggest Western of all time, Django Unchained.

The Western Genre Is Back in Vogue

Since then, the genre has witnessed a massive resurgence, thanks mainly to the efforts of Taylor Sheridan and the success of his biggest hit, the television series Yellowstone. Starring Costner, the show spawned several spin-offs, and remains the flagship title for Paramount+. It inspired Costner to begin work on his ambitious Horizon: An American Saga franchise — his first directorial effort since 2003's Open Range.

Appaloosa is now sitting at a "certified fresh" 77% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics' consensus reads, "A traditional genre Western, Appaloosa sets itself apart with smart psychology, an intriguing love triangle, and good chemistry between the leads."

You can watch the movie on Tubi beginning December 1, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Appaloosa

Like R Crime Documentary Drama Western Release Date September 19, 2008 Runtime 114 minutes Director Ed Harris Writers Robert Knott, Ed Harris, Robert B. Parker

Cast

See All

• Robert Jauregui
• Jeremy Irons
• Timothy V. Murphy
• Luce Rains

Genres Crime, Documentary, Drama, Western Powered by Expand Collapse

• Movie News
• Ed Harris
• Viggo Mortensen

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