Rating: 
Summary: A Thoroughly Enjoyable Western
Review: Open Range, staring Kevin Costner as the subdued, melancholic, rather "Eastwood-like" Charlie, is the classic straightforward western hero in every sense of the genre. Don't expect too many surprises in Open Range, which Costner directs as well as stars in, but his play-it-close-to-the-vest approach to the western is refreshing and succeeds beautifully. Robert Duval's "Boss" is his mentor, a man who for the most part is only an unwavering foundation of the old code of the west. Charlie, who carry's with him a dark past and a skill for killing men, looks to Boss as a son would a father. All the typical elements of a western are present: Corrupt Sheriff with his hired guns, a mean rancher that intimidates the town folk and in essence rules it with an iron fist. Most of their relationship is built on unspoken communications. These are men of few words, but many understandings - sort of like the prairies and ranges they traverse. The set up is easy to contemplate. Charlie and Boss, along with a youngster by the name of "Button," a dog and large man who really is an oversized friendly dog "Mose," are happening along the "open range" northward, minding their own business, heading toward, I suppose, the beef markets. Amidst backdrops of breathtaking scenery, they brave magnificent thunderstorms and pitch tent shelters for card games in the mud. Trouble starts when Mose goes to town for supplies and gets the living hell beat out of him because he belongs to a group of hated "free-grazers." Then they all go to town, people get killed, the good guys face the bad guys in all out show down, which as far as westerns go, is a darned good one. Oh yes, Annette Benning plays a women waiting for a guy like Kevin Costner to show up. She's good too - manly from the standpoint that if she were not in the film, it would be hard to convince your girlfriend or wife that what she is seeing is a not a tough-guy man flick, which it is. I believe the Eastwood film "Unforgiven" played a large influence on Costner here. Costner's acting, although adequate, is every bit inspired by Clint Eastwood's personality and it shows in all his dialogue. Consider Charlie's words, "Are you the one that killed our friend?" He follows this up by splitting a man's forehead with some lead. How about when he explains to Annette Benning, "Make no mistake about it. People are going to get killed today and I plan on killing them." Okay, maybe Eastwood didn't invent the tough guy cowboy archetype (John Wayne was pretty good at it too), but he plays it much as expected, with great success. Duval on the other hand, is a master of character nuance. It was easy to think he was simply playing his "Gus McGray" character from the Lonesome Dove epic, a role that he played like a virtuoso and one in which he ostensibly took great pride in. However, his "Boss" character is a fundamentally different than the lovable, easy-going, whore-connoisseur, Gus from Dove. Still, it would not be too far of a stretch to say this movie is like having Duval's Gus from Lonesome Dove paired with Eastwood's William Muney from Unforgiven. In Open Range they even had a frame house under construction, which to me was very evocative of the unfinished house Gene Hackman's "Little Bill" was constantly building in Unforgiven. There is many a tip of the cowboy hat to Eastwood in this movie, or perhaps to the genre in general. That is not a bad thing, but a good thing. Anybody doesn't like that better clear on out the back!
Rating: 
Summary: HOLLYWOOD! WAKE UP!
Review: More! More! More! More! More! More! More! More! More! More!
Hollywood, save yourself! Give lots of money to men and women who want to make films like this! Great actors, great story, great music, great direction - who would have thought something like this would work? Certainly not you judging from the documentary (from the DVD) about the making of the film. Hollywood, wade out of the pool of crap you are about to drown in and make more films like this! Hurry, before it is too late!
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: Immediately one of the top ten westerns ever made. Right up there with "Unforgiven" & "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly." Good old fashinoned story, leaves no doubt who the good guys are. Robert Duvall is a genius. Lots of good one liners. Get one for you library. It is great.
Rating: 
Summary: Even worse than "Water World..."
Review: Kevin Costner did it again! This is, by far, the worst movie I've ever seen. Bad script. Bad acting. Bad everything! But REALLY bad script! The only good scene in the entire DVD was the one scene that was shown on the TV trailer. I can't believe that Robert Duvall and Annette Benning bought into this abomination! Costner must have paid them a lot!
Rating:
Summary: If you like Westerns, see this!
Review: This came and went so fast in the theaters, if I'd blinked I'd have missed it. But I'm glad I didn't. Okay, the one problem with Kevin Costner's movies is that he insists on acting in them. Robert Duvall pretty much reprises his role as Gus from Lonesome Dove, which is a good thing. However, Costner, though playing the strong, silent, Captain Call type character, is no Tommy Lee Jones.The story is pure Western genre with all the necessary cliches, including the love interest, and some saloon scenes, but, hey, if you went to see a mystery, you wouldn't expect them to leave out the dead body or the detective, right? Due to Costner's acting, I give this only four stars, but Duvall makes it still well worth seeing.
Rating: 
Summary: Flawed and cliched, but still likeable for fans of Westerns
Review: I wanted to like this movie very much. As a Texafornizonian who grew up in the 50s and 60s, the Western is in my blood. Costner's previous effort in the genre, DANCES WITH WOLVES, was a superb film, both revisionist and lovingly traditional, and Duvall's portrait of retired Ranger Augustus MacRae (in LONESOME DOVE) is one of the finest roles in a long and distinguished career. Knowing nothing of the story but the title, I expected a cinematographic tribute to a vanished way of life and the land which made it possible. And in the opening scenes, the movie almost delivers, showing a crew of drifting cowboys moving their herd through a vast open landscape, basking one day under sunny skies, only to be drenched in a prolonged thunderstorm the next. "Ah yes," I thought, settling back into the theatre seat, "this is going to be a good one." And then it happens-not suddenly, but methodically, intentionally, inexorably. Our protagonists venture into town and the story goes with them. Innocents abused, an evil cattle emperor, his slimy hired guns, a corrupt sheriff, good townsfolk cowering in fear, the still-youthful spinster awaiting her knight errant--even the ever helpful, good-hearted liveryman--in short, all the stock characters and dramatic situations we've seen before in hundreds of Hollywood Westerns. The story lurches into cliché, no longer about or even taking place on the range, but now a conventional tale of vengeance and rough justice in a remote frontier town. As such tales go, this is a relatively good one, if more than a trifle heavy-handed. To justify our heroes' resort to violent gunplay, their antagonists are unrelentingly bad, even killing Costner's dog, thus eliminating all moral ambiguity that might otherwise impair audience endorsement of the killing spree to come. Still it's good to see relatively sane values (honesty, courtesy, cleanliness, humility, civic problem-solving at the local level, etc.) promoted in a movie these days--and rather surprising to see Annette Bening participating in such a project. Speaking of surprises, I was flabbergasted by this movie's special effects. Up to a point, Costner and his crew seem to value authenticity--a good thing in a Western, or any period piece. But when the gunplay begins, absurdist Hollywood wizardry takes over. Men getting shot should not be a laughing matter, but in this movie it is. Men struck by bullets go flying as if hit by a speeding car. Costner squeezes off six shots from his six-shooter, then fans the hammer and lets nine more rounds fly. What next, a flying horse? Despite its shortcomings, I still liked this movie. Derivative and clichéd, but fairly well-crafted. Heavy-handed at times, but leavened by gentle humor and touches of human warmth. A tribute of sorts to the Hollywood Western, a breed as scarce today as the cowboy. Another fine characterization by Robert Duvall, and a memorable performance by Michael Jeter in his last role. It's certainly not great, and maybe not even very good, but it's at least good enough to deserve 3 solid stars.
Rating:
Summary: Ranks right up there with the Culpepper Cattle Company
Review:
I come from a long line of Westerners, and for "that's really the way it was," I think the Culpepper Cattle Company beats them all. Lonesome Dove is high on my list, too. Open Range is right up there in that company. There were a couple others, where you got the idea that the writer might actually have been West of the Mississippi at some time in his life for a day or two.
The thing I liked about this one is that it brought back memories of many old Western towns I've been in, with dirt streets that became mud in a rain, plank sidewalks and a feeling that seemed genuine. Of course, I'm 75 and my grandmother came West on the Oregon Trail. There were no heroics involving fast draws, with two guys facing each other in the middle of the street, twitching their butts and waiting for the other guy to make their move and all the rest of the Hollywood nonsense. And the firearms: they actually showed Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall) carrying a Smith & Wesson Model 3, instead of a Colt. For a rundown on the plot, read Joe Haschka's review. It's right on the money. But, it's refreshing to me to see a somewhat reasonable portrayal of the late nineteenth century West. I get so tired of Hollywood's version of the West, sometimes. When they show the unending violence of the "Wild West," people tend to believe it was like that. In actual fact, the Eastern cities were far more violent than the West ever was, with their gangs of thugs like the "Bowery Boys," the mixed races and nationalities hating each other, and the political corruption. Compared to the East, the West was tame! But, they have to have violence to make a story--at least Hollywood clearly thinks so. How long has it been since you saw a movie without gunplay (and all the actors claim to hate guns)
or auto chases that appear to endanger everyone in sight? Costner not only acted in this one, he directed it as well, and of course turned in a superlative performance, as did the old pro Duvall. I really enjoyed this movie. Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
Rating:
Summary: Derivative; a failure.
Review: Mix Silverado and The Unforgiven with touches of Blazing Saddles, add a performer who hasn't acted since his appearance in Silverado, give him a cliche a minute, and you leave this feeling cheated.
For God's sake don't buy this. Don't even rent it. If you can see it for free and have two hours to kill, Duvall is worth it, as always.
Rating:
Summary: Rootin'-Tootin' Cowboy Tale
Review: Kevin Costner directed and costars in this beautifully filmed saga of courageous cattle drivers menaced by a powerful rancher and his corrupt Marshall. Cowhands Charley (Costner) and Boss (Robert Duvall) find themselves avenging a brutal murder against impossible odds. A brave townswoman (Annette Benning) catches Charley's eye, but is it too late? Duvall and Costner are both sensational as the simple, hardworking cowboys who have a deep bond of friendship and respect. They are not idealized, but are shown to be two good men who live by a code of honor. The movie was filmed in spectacular Alberta, Canada. I was surprised by how much I liked "Open Range." The heroes are likeable, the script is intelligent and satisfying, and the action-filled finale is a tour-de-force for director Costner. The little touches, like filming through old, rippled window glass, are great. The violence is not excessive, and the blend of action, suspense, humor, and even a little romance make for a very enjoyable film.
Rating:
Summary: The Return of the Romance Western
Review: OPEN RANGE is top on the list of recent Western films - but then there really haven't been many decent Western films since Clint Eastwood's mighty THE UNFORGIVEN. But here is a majestically beautiful, seemingly endless expanse of open range with waving grasses, field lupine, ominous clouds, torrential rainfalls, and vistas that seem to extend forever. This 'place' is the true Star of the film and though we may long for the American prairie it depicts, in reality the star is Canada! The story is simple and direct - the cowman vs. the rancher. Kevin Costner and Robert DuVall (both in superb acting form) are bonded with Abraham Benrubi and Diego Luna are free ranging cattlemen who encounter the antipathy of evil and corrupt rancher Michael Gambon and strike at each other until the shootout in the local town decides the victor. The townsfolk include a Doc and his sister, Annette Benning, and a wily character plyer with gusto by Michael Jeter. Though this doesn't sound like much of a tale it is in the telling and the visualization that the magic happens. The discourses between DuVall and Costner are not only beautifully and subtly written, but they are played with enormous sensitivity. Director Costner knows when to let the universal beauty of the open range sing when it is the stage: he also knows how to handle the essentially dark interiors of the hokey little town saloon and jail. All of the actors are in synch with the tone of the movie and it is much to Costner's credit that he has resurrected The Western as one of the significant and sublime American art forms. A spellbinding, visually magnificent, excellent movie.
|
