Okay, so I’ve been getting a lot of questions about where they shot that movie “Appaloosa.” People keep asking me about this, so I figured, why not dive in and find out? I’m a curious guy, and when something piques my interest, I gotta know more. So, I started poking around.
First, I watched the movie again. A great western flick, by the way. Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen – those guys were solid. Anyway, I’m watching it, keeping my eyes peeled for any clues. Beautiful scenery, all those wide-open spaces, that rugged, dusty look. That got me thinking, “Where did they actually film this thing?”
Next, I hit the internet. I started with a basic search, just “Appaloosa movie location.” That gave me some general info. It turns out, they filmed in a bunch of places. New Mexico, Texas, Arizona – those were the big three. Albuquerque and Santa Fe were mentioned, which didn’t surprise me, that area’s got that classic western vibe.
- New Mexico: Seems like a big chunk of the movie was shot here.
- Texas: Austin was mentioned specifically.
- Arizona: This was another major location.
Then, I stumbled upon some forums and blogs. Some folks were saying things like “St. George, Utah,” or “California.” There was even some chatter about Colorado City. It was a bit all over the place, but it gave me some more leads to follow. I kept digging, found some stuff about a place called Abiquiu in New Mexico with some sandstone cliffs – that sounded promising.
One thing I found pretty interesting was a comment about the train they used in the movie. Somebody said it was the same one used in “There Will Be Blood” and “3:10 to Yuma.” They mentioned it was filmed on the Santa Fe Southern Railway. Now, I’m no train expert, but that was a neat little detail.
I also found out when they filmed it – late September to early December 2007. So, they were shooting in the fall, which makes sense given the colors and the weather in the movie. And get this, the budget was $20 million! That’s a decent chunk of change for a movie.
After all that digging, here’s the lowdown as far as I can tell: They definitely filmed a lot in New Mexico, around Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Some scenes were shot in Austin, Texas. Arizona, especially a place called Sonoita, was also a big location. There might have been some other spots in California and Utah, but the main action was in New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona.
So, there you have it. My deep dive into the filming locations of “Appaloosa.” It was a fun little adventure, and I hope this clears things up for anyone else who was wondering about it!
