The Film (3.5/5)

The Appaloosa (also known as Southwest to Sonora) is a 1966 American Western film Technicolor from Universal Pictures which is set in the 1870s.

The story is pretty basic. Matt Fletcher (Marlon Brando) tries to take back his horse (called The Appaloosa) that was stolen from him by a Mexican bandit named Chuy Medina (John Saxon) and his compadres. Matt goes to Mexico to track down the bandit and recapture the horse, but finds it to be more difficult than he originally thought as he meets Trini (Anjanette Comer) who is Chuy’s girl. Matt during the search is later tortured and humiliated by Chuy and his gang, but, refusing to give up, is still determined to recover the horse that was stolen from him, which leads to a great finale in the snow covered hills.

The Appaloosa is an above average Western that is supported by a great cast. The film borrows elements of many spaghetti Westerns with extreme close-ups and also has that same aura, that same atmosphere as those Westerns. The film has a fluid pace throughout, and grows stronger during the climax. John Saxon was just outstanding as Chuy, although fans these days might take exception to Saxon’s “brown face”. Marlon Brando as Matt was a decent role but his face looks too innocent to be a gritty warrior. He’s a great actor but this wasn’t his best role, even though he did a fine job here. At the beginning where he is wearing a wig and fake beard, I felt he looked ridiculous, and looked much better after he discarded them with his normal, natural look 30 minutes into the picture.

Audio/Video (4/5)

The Appaloosa received a Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber and it’s another terrific offering. Presented in its original 2:35:1 aspect ratio in 1080p, The Appaloosa looks superb on Blu-ray.

The colors are sharp and vibrant throughout. Outdoor scenes look robust with deep textures. Skin tones look accurate with even the most minute skin blemishes in close-ups can be detected. Film grain is present, and there doesn’t seem to be any DNR applied.

The Appaloosa’s audio is the usual English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track that is found in the majority of Kino releases. The dialog, gunshots, other action noises are flawless without any issues detected. Frank Skinner’s excellent musical scores sound crisp and clear. Nothing is too aggressive or even too timid for that matter. Optional English subtitles are offered for this release.

Extras (1.5/5)

Audio Commentary by Lee Pfeiffer, Publisher of Cinema Retro Magazine, with Film Historian Paul Scrabo. They cover the background of the film, the cast, the crew, discussing how the movie was shot and other tidbits to please fans of this movie and commentaries in general. The other bonus materials are trailers for The Appaloosa, Tell Them Willie Boy is Here, The Missouri Breaks, Valdez is Coming, 100 Rifles

Overall (3.75/5)

The Appaloosa is an enjoyable film with some memorable performances and action. The release from Kino is highly commendable with a strong audio/video presentation and a commentary track to boot. Recommended !