Plot
In 1882, the small western town of Appaloosa, New Mexico, is being terrorized by local rancher Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons), who killed Marshal Jack Bell (Robert Jauregui) and two of his deputies in cold blood when they came to his ranch to arrest two of Bragg's ranch hands. The town decides to hire lawman and town-tamer Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) and his deputy, Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen), to protect and regain control of the town. The council members agree to give complete control to Cole and Hitch. They begin taking control by confronting four of Bragg's men who are causing a disturbance in the saloon. Three men refuse to allow themselves to be arrested and Cole kills two of them while Hitch kills the third with his weapon of choice: an eight-gauge shotgun. The survivor surrenders his weapon to Hitch and leaves the saloon. Bragg has a meeting with Cole and Hitch and neither side will cede an inch to the other.
Cole meets a new arrival to the town, recently widowed Allie French (Renée Zellweger), and starts a relationship with her. However, Allie is a "player," and as soon as she gets a chance she puts the make on Cole's Deputy, Hitch, giving him a big wet kiss when they are alone. But Hitch, loyal to his friend Cole, backs off and refuses her advances. To spare Cole's feelings Hitch never mentions the incident to Cole till late in the film when Allie falsely accuses Hitch to Cole for trying to seduce her. Cole has the good sense to realize that she is lying, though he loves her. In fact Cole's love for her is so steadfast that he forgives all her frolics and detours. The woman is clearly a weak vessel, but Cole is taken with her because, as he puts it, he had never known anything but whores and squaws, and Allie is scrupulously clean, an intelligent woman, a good piano player and good at making love. So he remains her bound-and-gagged hostage and victim throughout the film.
When one of Bragg's men tells Cole and Hitch he will testify that his boss killed the marshall, Bragg is tried and found guilty (Cole and Hitch obtain the help of sheriff Clyde Stringer and his deputy Charlie Tewksbury). En route via train to his execution, Bragg is rescued by gunfighter brothers Ring and Mackie Shelton (Lance Henriksen and Adam Nelson), old acquaintances of Cole, who have captured Allie and bring her along as a bargaining chip.
Cole and Hitch catch up with the outlaws and discover that Allie is not a hostage when they see her and Ring Shelton frolicking naked together in a stream. After a brief fight with Chiricahua Apache, they turn Bragg in to the sheriff of Beauville, the nearest town. Unbeknownst to Cole, Sheriff Russell (Argos MacCallum) is a cousin of the Shelton brothers. Knowing that Cole is determined to bring Bragg back to hang, Ring and Mackie (with the sherriff's help) free Bragg and challenge Cole and Hitch to a gunfight. Both lawmen are wounded but manage to kill Ring, Mackie, and Russell. Cole and Hitch are unable to prevent Bragg from escaping on horseback, and they return to Appaloosa with Allie.
Some time later, Bragg is granted a full pardon by President Chester A. Arthur (Bragg had previously claimed to know and have worked with Arthur before he was president) and returns to Appaloosa in an attempt to publicly reform himself. He buys the hotel and ingratiates himself with the locals. Cole and Hitch suspect Bragg is using his claims of a silver strike to cover up illegal activity; specifically, a robbery of a gold shipment in Mexico. Hitch also discovers that Bragg is in a secret relationship with Allie. Unable to deal with Bragg legally, and wanting Allie to be with Cole, he quits as deputy and successfully challenges Bragg to a duel in front of Cole. He kills Bragg, and then leaves town; his parting words express his hope that Cole can find happiness with the fickle Allie.
Read more about this topic: Appaloosa (film)
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