Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 06, 2005 | | Summary | High Plains Snoozer | Content
 | "Open Range", Kevin Costner's earnest paean to the Old West, is a movie that is so desperately crying out to be regarded as a Great Western Epic, so incessant in cinematically yelling "Look at me! Look at me!", so unwilling to trust the audience, that I was surprised Costner didn't include a little blonde kid yelling "Shane! Come back, Shane!" at the end of this indulgent, ponderous, plodding snorefest.
Costner's heart is obviously in the right place, and it's evident that he intended "Open Range" as a salute to the great classic western movies and as a memorial to the passing of the Old West.
But Costner should know by now that the best movie cowboys are laconic, silent, drifting types who shoot the bad guy and gallop into the sunset---not self-conscious weepy fellows who break into full-bore confession mode at the drop of a ten-gallon hat.
Be warned: this is not your father's Western, this is Oprah's Western. Costner has used "Open Range" as an expansive pallette by which he has, subversively and possibly unwittingly, taken the traditional Old West tale and turned the entire genre on its head, with an insidious result.
With that in mind, let's ride out, pardners:
THE BASICS: Boss Spearman (played nicely by Robert Duvall) and his partner Charlie Waite (Kevin Costner, who, much like Woody Allen, enjoys directing himself) are cowboys who herd cattle and horses across the prairie. They are 'Open Rangers', men who let their livestock graze anywhere and don't pay for the privilege.
This doesn't sit well with town magnate Denton Baxter (played with scene-chewing fury by Michael Gambon), who uses his toadies and henchmen to terrorize Spearman's team, killing one man, wounding another, and even shooting their dog. Someone's gotta pay!
THE GOOD: Costner likes his Western settings, and for the most part he has a great eye for the exteriors, the landscapes: relatively new cinematographer Jimmy Muro captures some stellar long-shots of the high prairie that echoes the mindscape of its free-grazing wanderers. When "Open Range" works, it works in spades: the casual, friendly banter between the Open Rangers comes off as completely authentic, though I was sad we didn't get more of Abraham Benrubi(Mose), who reminded me of Dan Blocker's "Hoss" from 'Bonanza'.
Robert Duvall's Boss Spearman is a fine, grizzled, well-developed character, and at this point in his career Duvall could act in his sleep. Costner is competent but, oddly, sleepwalks through his role, and talks to love-interest Annette Bening like he had just gotten off the confessional talk-show circuit. The gunfight woke me up, and was surprisingly visceral, realistic, and shocking.
Gambon does a fine job as the Irish town boss and manages to out-Albert Finney Albert Finney. It's nice to know we'll be seeing more of him as Dumbledore in the "Harry Potter" series. And it's always nice to see more of the incomparable Michael Jeter (who plays the film's puckish hostler Percy), who died shortly after the film completed shooting.
THE BAD: At just under three hours, the film is sleep-inducing. This is a good movie if you need to quickly excuse yourself: you can leave, go to the bathroom, get some popcorn, and come back without having missed much more than interminable dialogue. "Open Range" needed to say less, and do more.
Annette Bening is competent and struggles with the thankless role she's given, though her character, and the ensuing romance with Costner, is completely unbelievable. Let's see---Bening's Sue Barlow has medical training, is a pretty woman, and lives in a fine house, and yet she has to apologize for being "too old" to woo Costner, a stinky drifter with violent hallucinations and no aim in life?
THE UGLY: Apart from its snore-inducing pacing, "Open Range" manages to turn the Western on its head. When you think of good westerns (from Peckinpah to Ford to Huston to Eastwood), you get the loner, the individual whose integrity and fighting spirit propel him to avenge injustice and evil against nearly insurmountable odds.
But "Open Range" is about four guys who graze their horses on someone else's property, which to my mind is illegal and shiftless. They get in trouble with the law, and come to town to settle a score.
But wait---unlike Gary Cooper's lonesome sheriff in "High Noon", Costner and Duvall have plenty of allies, and have what feels like an hour to set up an ambush for the 'bad guys'---heck, they even have time to eat chocolate, chat up the townsfolk, and smoke cigars before the final confrontation!
Worse yet, after Costner strides into the midst of the understandably panicked bad guys, sixguns blazing, the rest of the town gets in on the act (why?), chasing Gambon's henchmen around and executing them like Czarists in the 1916 Russian Revolution.
As a result, Costner and Duvall and their allies actually *outnumber* the ostensible villains, which scuttles any suspense and is also pretty repulsive; far from being sympathetic, the fickle and vengeful townsfolk are some of the most horrifying creatures ever to appear in a western.
MORAL OF THE STORY: If a cowboy strides up to you, gun in hand, and growls "are you the one who killed our friend", and you intend to smile and say 'yes'---well, be damned certain you have your six-shooter out.
With a good editor and about an hour cut from the film, "Open Range" would have been a tight and fairly focused film. As it is, the movie is poorly paced and boring. Circle your wagons and spend some quality time with a classic, like "Unforgiven" or "High Plains Drifter", instead.
JSG |
| Rating | | | Date | July 27, 2005 | | Summary | "Open Range" is Good Entertainment | Content
| As a long time fan of western movies, I eagerly look forward to new western releases. When I viewed the trailer for "Open Range", and saw that it had Robert Duval and Kevin Costner, I had very high hopes, as both actors have 5-star classic western movies under their belts (Lonesome Dove, and Dances With Wolves respectively). I am pleased that "Open Range" continues the tradition of quality modern western fare. Although certainly, not a "classic" western (thus my 4-star ranking instead of 5-star), "Open Range" still pleases with good character development, an interesting plot with a huge shoot-out, excellent acting, and a love story (for the wives and girlfriends of the men who primarily make up the western movie-going crowd!)
The movie boasts beautiful scenery shots that literally take your breath away, although these are best appreciated on the big screen of a movie theatre than one's tv set. Even so, the cinematography is gorgeous and the western town of Harmonville is accurately reconstructed as a typical isolated range town.
What makes this film is the acting of Duval and Costner. Both are superb in their respective roles, Duval as an aging but rugged cattleman and Costner his younger able partner. There is no better crusty "cowboy" than Duval, who reprises some of the same acting mannerisms of his classic character Agustus McCrae (from Lonesome Dove). Costner is as visually perfect as a cowbay can be, with his long lean body, and his "matter of fact" acting style. The two make this movie work.
The plot unfolds rather slowly, after all, this is nearly a 3-hour movie. Adequate time is spent developing the characters, and there is enough tension/conflict to keep the movie rolling along without it bogging down. In a nutshell, Duval and Costner's two cowhands and small cattle herd are threatened by a powerful cattlebaron, who views "freegrazers" (those men who freely graze their cattle on the open plains) as nothing more than varmints or trespassers when they skirt his town. The conflict escalates quickly and leads to a final wild main-street showdown shootout. There is so much action from so many different guns, that it is hard to follow the intense action (which is probably more accurate in a shootout than just one or two shots. In this shootout, people actually miss their target (!), which I liked).
Annette Benning is Costner's fledgling love interest. Without make-up, Benning still makes a stunning portrait as the middle-aged, never-married sister of the town's doctor. She is excellent in her role, and her acting skill makes her a true "co-star" in this male dominated film. The love story between Costner and Benning is perhaps the weakest link in this film, as they go from being strangers to being engaged in the span of just 2 days! Even so, the budding awkward relationship between the two is intriguing.
On the down side, this movie is not suitable for children due to the gunfighting and considerable (but appropriate in an adult context) cursing.
This may not be your favorite western movie of all-time, but it is entertaining, and the performances of the principal actors give this movie its charm. Throw in the breath-taking visuals, and you have a good night's entertainment.
Jim Konedog Koenig
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| Rating | | | Date | July 24, 2005 | | Summary | A Wet and Green, Pretty Darn Good Oater | Content
| This movie gets some basic, important things right. Many reviewers bemoan the lack of originality in modern film output, including this movie, but that misses the point as far as the formula for film success goes. The truth of the matter is that there really is little if anything new under the sun; therefore looking for new things is looking for the wrong things. Successful story telling needs to connect with the audience, and that does not require innovation - it requires sensitivity to the human experience, and this movie is successful in this respect.
This film does use an unconventional setting by being green and wet rather than brown and dry and dusty like most Westerns, and that adds some distinction, and the attention to detail in the buildings inside and out is admirable and artistic.
The dialogue fluctuates from stilted (he didn't really say that, did he?) to pretty good. But there is an underlying message of human virtue confronting nefarious forces that is told in a way with which an audience can connect.
One way this movie can resonate with contemporary viewers is as a metaphor for decency fighting terrorism. Modern viewers of healthy moral fiber want those bad guys blown away, and that is what happens in this movie. The bad guys are unapologetically and decisively blown away, and this makes for a satisfying story. Good triumphing over wickedness will never, ever go away as an effective story-line. Why try?
This is a four-square American story, and is therefore unlikely to be well-received overseas. First of all, the Western genre is quintessentially American, and secondly the theme of strong and moral men putting themselves in great danger and fighting for principle is more or less uniquely American. Other cultures tend to fight for other, less noble reasons, or not at all - evil is allowed to triumph over good.
This is a satisfying and enjoyable movie. Way to go, Kevin.
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| Rating | | | Date | July 09, 2005 | | Summary | Lauran Paine, Take A Bow | Content
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I'm a reader of paperback westerns, have hundreds of 'em, and every once in awhile one comes along that is extraordinary. This movie, based on the writing of Lauren Paine's book also entitled "Open Range" is one well worth watching.
Growing up in the 1950s we had a surfeit of westerns, they really knew how to make them, and few well known actors or actresses did not at one time or another act in one of them. By the 1970s that talent Hollywood possessed to make a western seemingly disappeared. In short, after Sam Peckinpah's 'Wild Bunch', the Hollywood western went down hill at a gallop.
Well, this DVD of Lauren Paine's book 'Open Range' is a milestone in contemporary westerns. I don't expect that it will turn the tide, but it certainly is a milestone for its day. And now that TNT has 'Into The West' running this summer, maybe the western make a bit of a come back.
Two of the standouts for me in this western are the acting of Robert Duvall, of whom Kevin Costner said he just had to have in the production; and possibly the little known actor, Michael Gambon. Michael is one of the best role playing actors around today, if you doubt that, just take a look at the Maigret detective series that ran for a couple seasons on PBS. These two actors alone add quality to this very fine western.
Open Range is not only a gripping story of western background, but it is a story filled with fact, and action of the later west during the end of the cattle driving days. Most cowboys were very young men of say 16 through 20 years of age, these men are far beyond that age. And easily seen, the age of the free grazer is coming to an end, and these heroic figures stand in bas relief, with their way of life eventually causing them to put their lives on the line for their way of life.
There is a sense of justice that comes out of this movie; and for me it ranks right up there with John Wayne's "Red River" and Henry Fonda's "My Darling Clementine". This is such a good western, that in passing compliment, I can also see Elmore Leonard writing it had Mr. Paine not done so. It is quality from beginning to end.
If you care at all about westerns, you just don't want to miss this one.
Semper Fi. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 25, 2005 | | Summary | Brilliant & Breathtaking | Content
| When my wife & I first saw "Open Range" in theatres, we were mesmerized. We came out of the theatre with the same word on our lips: Oscar! The landscape of the film is stark, the pacing of the moving is deliberate, and the characters are unadorned. All of this serves to create a sense of reality for the film that sucks the viewer into the film and swoops them up into the world of Bluebonnet Spearman, Charley Waite & Sue Barlow. The climactic fight scene is breathtaking. An entire fight sequence occurs without music, making it all the more real. Costner allows us to know where everyone is, who gets shot & why. "Open Range" is an amazing achievement and shows Costner to be one of our best working directors. The 2-disc DVD is a treature.
The acting is superb. As Charley Waite, Costner's performance is understated, brilliantly focused on detail. Costner was nominated for Best Actor for "Dances With Wolves," the year he won the Oscar as its best director. The scene where he tracks mud into Sue Barlow's house, tries to scoop the clumps into his hat & with a glance to see if he's watched, picks up the carpet and brushes the last little bits to be unseen is a magical moment, wordless & profound.
Robert Duvall is certainly one of our most recognized actors with an Oscar for "Tender Mercies" in 1983 & five other acting nominations ("The Godfather," "Apocalypse Now," "The Great Santini," "The Apostle," & "A Civil Action.") I certainly thought his portrayal of Boss (Bluebonnet) Spearman was going to bring home a second statue. Duvall's character is understated, but with depth and grace.
Annette Bening as Sue Barlow also turns in a stellar performance as the hard working sister of the doctor who is just a bit past her prime, still not willing to settle for just any man, but who sees the goodness in Charley Waite. I found the romantic conclusion to be the perfect ending to the film.
The villain Baxter played by Michael Gambon is dastardly. The deleted scene where he shoots the bartender Bill for not picking up a gun is so evil. It's hard to reconcile that the same actor can then do such a magical job as Aldus Dumbledore in "Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban." Abraham Benrubi as the burly Mose whose death precipitates the action does a great job as a modern Hoss Cartwright. Diego Luna as Buttons turns in an excellent performance as the young cowhand Buttons. I did not recognize him from "Frida" or "The Terminal." Also, Dean McDermott gives a great reading as Doc Barlow.
Perhaps special recognition must be given Michael Jeter who plays the jumpy stable attendant Percy who befriends Charly & Boss. Perched atop the barn, he gives them clues throughout the fight to where the bad guys are. The Emmy-winning actor for his work in "Evening Shade" TV series passed away from complications associated with AIDS. This was his last onscreen role followed by a voice appearance in "The Polar Express."
"Open Range" is an excellent film. The DVD offers many extras with the deleted scenes being my favorite. Bravo!
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