Rating: 
Summary: What a disppointment!
Review: I read previous reviews of this film and was looking forward to seeing it as it has some of my favorite stars. After watching this movie, I am very disappointed in the acting of so many talented actors. Poor dialogue, mediocre story line and some of the worst acting I have ever seen. In a word; Crap!
Rating: 
Summary: A Must See
Review: One of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Kevin Costner yet again makes a masterpiece. All the characters are wonderful. Robert Duvall brings another stunning performance. Too bad the Oscars completely ignored it. They are too busy giving kudos to a bunch of garbage. I just really regret not seeing it in the theater.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good for a non-fan of Costner
Review: I wasn't going to bother seeing this film, but I decided what the heck and went and rented it. I was pleasantly surprised that it was as good as it was. It had a nice story with healthy doses of good ol' western gun fightin'! Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall are free-grazing cowboys who happen to be in an area where free-grazers are considered equal with a certain variety of four letter words. Not good to be one! Anyway they find this out when they go into town to find one of their own, who just so happened to get himself beat real good. This sparks anger, revenge, gunfights and killing. The gunfights were kind of cool and not your usual type of gunfight. There were quite a few dynamics unique to the gunfights, one of which was the severe knockdown power of each weapon fired. I found myself kinda cheering when a shotgun fired and threw a man about 5 feet backwards and 2 feet off the ground. Either way it was a fun movie. The love story within the story was visible from a mile away. Not much of a twist on that aspect of the film. Overall a very enjoyable piece of work.
Rating:
Summary: A good old-fashioned western
Review: First of all, please don't make the mistake of comparing this movie to The Unforgiven. That movie was telling a whole different story and just happened to be set in the Old West because that is where Eastwood is comfortable. It is not a "western". This movie is a good old-fashioned western where the good guys' are straight-shooters with high moral standards and call all the women "Ma'am" as they trace circles in the dust with the toes of their boots. I won't go through the plot, but I can't get enough of Duvall as the old wise curmudgeon (see Secondhand Lions for another taste of this) who is also tough as nails. Costner won me over with a good performance - he wasn't center-stage all the time, and he didn't seem to mind. He just did a great job as a mythic-western hero. I didn't even mind the love story, and I usually do. Annette Benning is always fun to watch even when she is in a role that does not stretch her talents. And the final gunfight! I have never seen one that looked or sounded more realistic! The work put into that must have been awesome, and it shows in the high quality of the finished product. I will end by saying if you are a fan of the western, you will want this one. It stands on its own as a truly entertaining representative of the genre.
Rating: 
Summary: Aaaaaaahhh....almost a classic
Review: I was actually a little skeptical of this movie given Costner's 'hit and miss' record in directing films. Despite my skepticism I purchased the movie in hopes he would come through with a decent one. In the end I was pleasantly surprised and almost enjoyed the entire show. Even though I enjoyed it I still can't get over how Costner has an unbelievable need to throw a 'love story' into every movie..no matter how awkward it may be. I was cringing the last hour of the film knowing what was coming in the end.....only because he is so predictable. In my eyes this movie had the potential of being a classic had Costner not tainted it with his forced attempt at a happy ending. Every western movie ends with the hero riding off into the sunset to roam the Wild West, right???
Rating:
Summary: great great great movie!!!!
Review: I am not a big fan of western movies; they seem to be more popular for men (the male answer to the "chick flick"). That said, I am, however, a Costner fan, especially the movies he has directed: I even liked THE POSTMAN. Bearing all this in mind, I cannot help but write about how much I enjoyed this movie. Because I have not been exposed to many western films I thought this movie was just wonderful. Costner, accepting that he is no longer the swashbuckling BODYGUARD or ROBIN HOOD has taken a more mature roll and made a more mature movie. The panoramic shots of southern Canada are stunning and the letterbox format of the DVD displays the scope and majesty of the film in fabulous ways. This movie takes its time but doesn't dawddle, and I like that, it moves along, but at it's own pace; pulling the viewer into the slow life of the free grazer. The characterization buildup of the main characters is slow but complete and little is said between the characters but much is revealed; Costner trusts his audience to think for themselves and doesn't waste time explaining everything at tremendous length. The supporting cast also adds to the cultural makeup of the old west without being overbearing or pretentious: the evil cattle baron is an Irish immigrant and needs only to make a single comment on the hardships in Ireland during the 19th century to give the viewer a full piture as to his power-hungry motivation. The added features can get a little tedious (Costner complaining ad nauseum about budget problems and such like) but also contain some great gems-- a small featurette about the real open range complete with captions of letters from real coyboys and even Teddy Roosevelt (I recommended it to my sister who teaches history to show it to her class when teaching about westward expansion) really bring a fuller understanding of the film. I loved this movie very much and was happy to be exposed in a different way to a genre that I really haven't understood before. Hats off to Costner, this is a great movie of which he should be very proud!
Rating:
Summary: Solid addition the to Western genre'
Review: "Open Range" directed by Kevin Costner is a fine addition to the Western genre' which includes such classics as "Unforgiven", "Silverado", and the great Howard Hawks westerns of the '60s and early '70s starring John Wayne. Costner, who also stars in the film with Robert Duvall and Annette Bening, takes his time setting the stage for the plot, but does so effectively. Some viewers might be put off by the pace of the film, but it does move steadily toward the ultimate (and expected) climax. It's probably his best directorial effort since "Dances With Wolves". Costner (Charlie) and Duvall (Boss) and company are "open rangers" - cattlemen who move their stock across the country to stockyards stopping occasionally for them to graze in the wide open spaces of the West. When the herd is slowed by bad weather, Boss sends his cook into the nearest town to re-stock their supplies. The cook is jailed for starting trouble and when Boss and Charlie travel into town to find him, they are confronted by the local cattle baron (Michael Gambon) who tells them "get their cattle and cook out off HIS land and move along". For reasons of principle and revenge because of the beating that the cook received in town, Boss and Charlie decide to make a stand. Without going into a lot of plot revealing details, let me just say that the viewer can pretty much gather at this point in the movie where this film is headed. My only criticisms of the film are: 1) the romantic spark that develops between Charlie and Sue (Annette Bening) is not really a necessity to a pretty good story that's being developed up to that point and, 2) it's never really developed where Boss and Charlie are headed and why - and 3) while, great if you have surround sound, the incessant rain and thunderstorms make the film somewhat depressing. None of these criticisms should detract the reader of this review to go out and either rent of buy this DVD. There are too many superlatives regarding this film to do that. Robert Duvall is simply outstanding (in his easy manner and unerstated way of acting) as Boss. Costner and Bening are also very good but Duvall steals the show! The sound quality, especially the realistic gunfire sound effects and film score are wonderful aspects of the film. The cinematography of the beautiful "open range" land is unbelievably crisp and pure. The widescreen version of the film really enhances the beauty of the Big Sky country! RECOMMENDED FOR ALL FANS OF THE WESTERN!
Rating:
Summary: Formula Western - Better Than Most
Review: As an actor in westerns, Costner ranks up there with Clint Eastwood, slightly below the Duke, in my mind. "Dances with Wolves" forever earned him that title. The acting in this film is great. But when you boil it all down, it fits the genre of the Western so well that little is left to the imagination. This is not a criticism. This is not bad. It only describes the film and predicts who will want to own it. If you like westerns - add this film to your collection.
If you dislike westerns - skip this film. If you don't care one way or the other about westerns, but do enjoy great films - rent this one. It is certainly worth seeing, but don't run out and buy it. It may just collect dust on your shelf.
Rating:
Summary: An imperfect but ultimately worthwhile experience
Review: I'm going to begin by getting the negatives out of the way, and then I'll explain what I liked and why I still think so well of Open Range. The biggest problem I had, like many other reviewers, was the love story. I found the woman's acting (can't even remember the name of her character now!) extremely flat and unconvincing, and in general I think this section could have been done without...or perhaps someone else could have been cast in that role. Even that probably would have made a big improvement in it. I also felt like we didn't get to see very much character development, even though the other characters were (in my opinion) better-acted. This was what made certain parts of the movie seem to drag on a bit too long. BUT--where it shined, it was *brilliant*, and this is why I ultimately think it was a great experience. Perhaps the most striking thing was the combination of Michael Kamen's wonderful Copland-inspired score and the gorgeous cinematography. The colors were so beautiful, and the landscape so pristine that it almost hurt the eyes to look at. Always, in every scene, even the nighttime ones, the work with the color and composition of the shot was brilliant. Michael's score did wonders in augmenting this aspect of it--delicate when it needed to be, sweeping and majestic when it needed to be, never overblown or melodramatic. Simply...dramatic, in a very positive sense. The gunfight at the end was quite interesting to me...it is a very difficult thing, when creating a movie, to make one sympathize with the characters and wish for their victory, and to hold the viewer's attention, yet not *glorify* the violence. Open Range manages this balance well, in my opinion. Everywhere, while the battle is certainly immense in scale (perhaps resembling a Civil War skirmish more than the kind of face-off traditional in Westerns) and fascinating to observe from that standpoint, there are reminders of the darker aspects. There is chaos, there is brutality, and at the end, even after our heroes have emerged victorious (I trust we all expected this; it ought not be a spoiler to say so), we see the numerous bodies of the dead taken through the town to be buried. Charley himself drives home the point quite well in his discussion of his past. This, for me, makes that part of the movie much more convincing and realistic--and for me, that is quite important, as the lack of this is why I have never before managed to make myself sit through a Western. Yet with Open Range, I not only managed to do that--but I *valued* the experience. I know someone here had a problem with the documentary--but really, one mistake is not enough reason to discard the whole thing. Personally, I found it just as fascinating as the movie itself, if not more so at times, and well worth watching. To put it simply, it's a wonder this movie managed to be made, as there were so many difficult things happening during the making of the movie (two illnesses for Kevin Costner, an accident for Robert Duvall), and not too long afterwards. One of these was the death of Michael Kamen at age 55. This was his very last score, and it is a true blessing that he was able to complete it. If you are a fan of Michael's, there is footage of him at work, quite happy, and although (unfortunately) we don't get to hear him interviewed, Costner has absolutely glowing things to say about him. This may be some of the very last footage of Michael Kamen there is...so if you are one of his fans, I recommend this DVD in order to both experience his work and to see this. That, in fact, is how I talked myself into seeing Open Range--the involvement of Michael Kamen, a person I hold in high respect. And I don't regret for a moment that I took the time to see this.
Rating:
Summary: The best western since Unforgiven
Review: This movie was positively fantastic to watch in theatres and really great to watch at home. There are a number of reasons why I thought this movie was superb: 1) When I watched this in the theatre, I got the full experience of the movie. Now, I absolutely love it when a movie can present great cinematography and combine it with loud, realistic special effects. This movie does not have a lot of action, but when it does, it's real loud, and really nice. There are scenes when there is thunder and lightning, and when you see the lightning in the background, you hear the real thunder. Now, this may seem like a simple audio effect, but simple or no, it is enjoyable, at least for me. 2) The movie simply has some of the best acting I've seen in a western since Unforgiven. Costner's character is a troubled former soldier with a history he does not like to discuss. Duvall (Boss) is the leader of the free grazers, and he also does a good job. Supporting actors all also did a very good job. 3) The conflict in the movie is extremely interesting. One of the free grazers is killed and it leads to Costner and Duvall going out to kill the ones that did it. It is a cause of justice, but not overly contrived. 4) The ending has one of the best shootouts I have ever seen. All the action missing from the first three quarters of the movie seems to be shoved into one part of the movie, making it a fantastic firefight. All things considered, this is a must-see for any western fan. The only drawback (and it really is a small one) is the love story in the movie. To some people it is either too undeveloped, or the movie would have been better off without it. I personally agree with the latter, because the story seemed kind of cheesy and it did draw from some of the mood of the movie. Yet this was really minor and was not enough for me to dock a star from it.
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