Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Longtime friends and for-hire peacekeepers Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) and Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) find themselves in the crime-ridden town of Appaloosa and attempt to take back the streets from a band of local outlaws. When a young widow (Renee Zellweger) moves to town, Cole struggles between his duty and his newfound love for the beautiful new resident.

Based on the novel by Robert B. Parkens, Appaloosa is a character-driven story with sparse action that relies on the relationship between Cole and Hitch to draw in the viewer. The only problem is, their relationship isn't that compelling to begin with, and the love affair between Harris and Zellweger lacks any spark.

The VC-1 encode isn't too impressive considering this is a new production. The print is in excellent shape, but the image looks very soft in all shots except close-ups, and even they lack the clarity and resolution I've come to expect from Blu-ray. In fact, many scenes are downright blurry, especially the opening sequence. The dusty climate of the southwest provides the inspiration for the lackluster color palette, and there just isn't much to get excited about.

The highlights of the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack are the gunshots—unfortunately, there aren't enough of them! The score is unremarkable, and the dialog isn't always intelligible, which isn't a good thing for a dialog-intensive production. The rear soundstage does offer some sparse ambience, but regardless, this track is as forgettable as the screenplay.

The standard-definition bonus features include a commentary with Ed Harris and co-screenwriter/producer Robert Knott, some deleted scenes, and behind-the-scenes featurettes. The most interesting feature is a historical piece about the town of Appaloosa, but the SD presentation is disappointing compared to other studios supplements.

I'm usually a fan of westerns, but the snail-like pace and suspect A/V quality left me wanting more. If you enjoy a character-driven western, rent a copy of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on Blu-ray.

Release Date: January 20, 2009

Movie: 4/10
Picture: 5/10
Sound: 5/10

Review System

Source
Panasonic DMP-BD55

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 Amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics