In the past twenty years or so, it seems that only Clint
Eastwood and Kevin Costner will make quality dramatic
westerns and "Open Range" is easily the best
western since Eastwood's "Unforgiven" and is right
up there with Costner's previous "Dances With
Wolves". Open Range is a throwback to the old
style western film where the good guys battle the bad guys
due to circumstances that they unwillingly become involved
in. And let me say this right now: Open Range probably
has the best and realistic final gunfight battle ever put on
film.
The story takes place in the late 1880's where Boss (Robert
Duvall) and Charley (Kevin Costner) have been working
together for ten years herding cattle over the frontier.
The fact that they allow their cattle to feed wherever they
roam soon becomes the central issue because this so-called
free grazing, while still legal, is making some land owners
upset because they don't want their prime land eaten away by
somebody else's cattle. Mose and the young teenage boy
Button also ride with the herd and all is going well until
they reach a town that is run by the treacherous Baxter
(played so sinister by the great Michael Gambon) who isn't
going to take lightly that these new guys are free grazing
their cattle there.
Baxter intends to take over Boss's herd by killing all four
cattlemen with the use of the corrupt sheriff that Baxter
controls. Things don't go as planned and Boss and
Charley decide they have to kill Baxter and whoever else is
supporting him not only for some revenge, but to protect
their way of life as well. Both Boss and Charley have
dark, troubled pasts and the fact that they will have to
kill a bunch of men is evidently not new to them.
While taking the hurt Button to the town doctor, they meet
the doctor's sister Sue who befriends them and helps as much
as she can. They also meet the town stable keeper who
hates Baxter and gives Boss and Charley some assistance in
their plan to rid the town of this guy. And while
there seems to be a growing romance between Charley and Sue,
it may be short lived because of the impending gunfight.
This brings us to the final confrontation where Boss and
Charley use their previous gun fighting savvy to plot how to
win this thing without being killed.
The first thought I had while watching this film is that
Costner lets each scene slowly play out and there is a lot
of dialogue to listen to. This style is in complete
contrast to so many Hollywood films that have the MTV
mentality of cutting to different scenes every five seconds.
I really like when directors do this because it adds so much
realism to the story and lets the audience get to know the
characters. Some critics have said that the film is
overlong but I totally disagree with this because the pace
of this movie is like reading a western novel with lots of
long drawn out shots with lots of rich dialogue. This film
also has some magnificent photography with lots of scenic
shots of the mountains and valleys of the west.
The acting here is top notch all around so I hate to single
one person out for kudos at the expense of not talking about
the other actors. But Robert Duvall as Boss is so
superb in this film and if there is one thing you can take
to the bank, it's that Duvall will get an Academy Award
nomination. Duvall seems to have stepped right out of
Lonesome Dove into Open Range without missing a beat.
Costner is really good playing Charlie and somewhat takes a
secondary role to Duvall. Bening has a much smaller
role as Sue but she makes every second count and makes every
scene that she is in one to watch.
I highly recommend this movie. Up until the final
gunfight there isn't a lot of action so some people may be
turned off by the deliberate pace of the story. But
for those who like to see a story unfold realistically and
with some actual character development, they will be
rewarded watching this film. I said this after seeing
"Unforgiven" and I'll say it after watching this
film, the film industry needs to get back to making quality
and original westerns. I rest my case.
