Originally Posted by Tacitus
Open Range (2003, Kevin Costner)
Now this is my kind of film, a beautifully made, perfectly cast Western. Ok, so there's not much competition but I think that Open Range is the best Horse Opera since Unforgiven. Indeed, had Clint not made his masterpiece I feel that Big Kevvie's movie would have recieved more widespread recognition. This man knows his Westerns...he knows them.
Open Range is such a frustrating movie, and a perfect example of how weak Costner is as a director. The main narrative, the cinematography and Robert Duvall's performance are all great (James Muro's photography and Bobby Duvall's acting are both Oscar calibur work). And the final shoot-out is one of the best ever captured on screen. But the movie is about forty minutes too long, highlighted by the continuing and completely unnecessary CODAs that follow the natural ending of the film but drag on for another twenty minutes: interminable junk. The love story between Coster and Bening's is embarasssing with truly horrid dialogue. Frankly that entire subplot could have been gotten rid of, but if he felt compelled to keep it, the dialogue certainly should have been completely re-written. It's such bad, corny, hokey, tired, clichéd ***** that you could lift it word for word and stick it in a
Naked Gun movie and it would get huge laughs. Just dreadful. I like Anette Bening a whole lot, but she is stuck saying the most ridiculous things. Ugh.
There's a great movie somewhere in the center of
Open Range, but Costner has no idea how to edit and meld it into something special.
Originally Posted by Tacitus
There's also a great little turn by Michael Jeeter, probably my favourite 'Strange Little Bloke' working today.
Just so you know, the Tony and Emmy Award winning Michael Jeter died in 2003.
Open Range was his last film (though due to the extensive post-production process,
The Polar Express was released much later, in 2004).