Rating: 
Summary: This film keeps the western genre going strong
Review: Director Kevin Costner co-stars along with one of my favorite actors Robert Duvall as a pair of tough free grazing cowboys in this moody, atmospheric, if not under-rated western saga of frontier justice. When a group of no-goods led by a ruthless land baron and a crooked marshall ambush the cowboys' cattle drive, which leaves one friend dead and another seriously wounded, the two take it upon themselves to set things right. Lush Canadian scenery, beautifully photographed by James Muro and a moving score by Michael Kamen help keep this sometimes slow moving film going, which is occasionally weighed down by a little too much speechifying. Still, the dialouge is delivered with crisp realism, especially by the always good Duvall. A couple of good action sequences compensate for the periodic story lulls, and the tense, thunderous climactic gun battles are sure to please any true western fan. Not just a great western, but a rich, rewarding film experience.
Rating:
Summary: The end is too long in coming
Review: Great action scene at the end but far too much pointless chit chat especially at the Doctors House & the pace is very slow in places .Costner was good if a little reverential to 'Boss' & some of their moments were just too sickly for us cynical Brits .More salt less sugar req'd if you know what I mean . Additional editing point .2 or 3 of the deleted scenes during the fight sequence should have been left in as I was left scratching my head at a number of points - the Doc in jail , what happened to the Saloon Bar owner for example . Also why did Michael Gambon in the fight sequence go into a shop on the high street ( the one with the little girl ) then two seconds later emerge at the Docs house which was well out of town ?? Nice try but it's NOT Unforgiven territory .
Rating: 
Summary: HOME ON THE RANGE...
Review: This is a decent directorial effort by Kevin Costner. The only problem is that he cast himself in the film. While it is not a bad film, the only thing that makes this film worthwhile are the thespian efforts of Robert Duvall and Michael Gambon. Somehow, they manage to pull it all together for Costner with superlative performances. Kudos to Annette Benning for opting for reality and foregoing the makeup and trappings of Hollywood that would be misplaced in this western that is set in late nineteenth century America. This is a film about free grazers who drove their cattle over the open range in defiance of territorial ranchers who resented this use of their land. When free grazers, Boss (Robert Duvall) and Charley (Kevin Costner), take to the open prairies, they cross the open range of wealthy rancher Denton Baxter (Michael Gambon), a hard fisted, no nonsense Irishman, who is determined to keep free grazers off his land. Obviously, this results in a showdown. As to who wins, take a wild guess. Annette Benning plays the role of Sue Barlow, the local doctor's sister who helps patch up the wounded and provides romantic interest for Costner. Unfortunately, there is little chemistry between the two, and the only thing heating up the screen is the ever present gunfire. Still, notwithstanding the fact that this film is nothing to write home about unless you are a true aficionado of this genre, it is still worth a rental, if only to glimpse Robert Duvall and Michael Gambon at work.
Rating: 
Summary: A great veiwing experience!
Review: There are only a handful of Westerns that are worth watching more than once, and "Open Range" is one of them. It's a western film with a thinking audience in mind. The story, the actors, and the fine cinematography all contributed to a great veiwing experience. Annette Benning and Kevin Costner were beleivable in the roles that they played, and I got a particular kick out of seeing the character portrayed by Robert Duval as sort of a reprise to Lonesome Dove's Augustus McCrae. The storyline and the characters are developed and revealed logically, without a lot of cartoonlike theatrics of the sort that tabloid-style directors like John Woo use to attract younger, naïve audiences. There is a violent side to the story, but some of the violence at play in the story is suggested rather than made graphic; Which is actually a refreshing change, since "Open Range" is a classic western - not "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". I'm not going to say anything about the story other that to mention that it's the sort of standard fare about good versus evil in the old west. Other than that, "Open Range" is the sort of sophisticated western cinema in the same mold as "Lonesome Dove", "The Wild Bunch", "Will Penny", "Unforgiven", "Gunfight at OK Corral" and "The Searchers". That's the sort of western "Open Range" is.
Rating:
Summary: Gus is back!
Review: For those viewers who fondly remember, and miss, Robert Duvall's role as Augustus McCrae in the 1989 TV miniseries LONESOME DOVE, take heart. Duvall is back in the saddle again as "Boss" Spearman in OPEN RANGE. It's been way too long. The lead role in this western actually belongs to Kevin Costner, who plays Spearman's trail partner and employee, Charlie Waite. Boss is a cattleman that practices free-range grazing, i.e. driving his herd from place to place, only staying long enough for the animals to deplete the available food supply. But it's 1882, ranchers are beginning to fence in the West, and freegrazers are an endangered species. So, its no surprise when Charlie and Boss are ordered to take their beeves and get out of Dodge, so to speak, by big time rancher Baxter (Michael Gambon), who also owns the local town and its sheriff. Waite and Spearman are soon backed into a corner when the latter's two other hired hands, Mose (Abraham Benrubi) and Button (Diego Luna), run seriously afoul of Baxter's thugs. It would be hard to choose between the better performance - Costner or Duvall - both playing characters so strong, self-reliant and silent that neither knows the other's full name. And they've been riding the West together for ten years! Nor does Boss know Charlie's violent history, which included being a Civil War raider, and then a hired gun much like the ones now working for Baxter. When Charlie falls in love with Sue (Annette Bening), the spinster sister of the local sawbones, his guilt over his rough-edged past is a self-imposed handicap that Sue, who sees Waite's inner goodness, must overcome. Moviegoers accustomed to a steady diet of mindless, FX-laden action thrillers may find the first three-quarters of OPEN RANGE slow going. It's called "character and plot development", an intelligent change of pace. And when the final shoot-out comes, it's perhaps the best ever filmed. While most such western confrontations seem like a choreographed ballet, this one shows them for what they were: relatively short, extremely violent, chaotic, and lacking in fancy gunplay and sharpshooting finesse. Big Screen westerns are such a rarity nowadays that it's hard to compare this one with any other in recent memory. Though perhaps not as memorable as DANCES WITH WOLVES, this Old West morality play is certainly the best since UNFORGIVEN. Admittedly, we've seen similar plots before: the small homesteader/Big Ranching feud in the classic SHANE, and Big Mining vs. the small prospector in PALE RIDER, Clint Eastwood's transparent re-scripting of the former. However, the acting, cinematography and costuming of OPEN RANGE are excellent. Duvall surely deserves a Best Supporting Actor nomination, and the production as a whole may merit a Best Picture nod. My only complaint lies with the editing, which left in one too many leave-takings between Charlie and Sue, the last being completely superfluous. That said, however, this is a five-star tribute to loyalty, rugged individualism, integrity, and simply doing what's right. I think, sometimes, that Hollywood has forgotten what those qualities are all about.
Rating:
Summary: If only all westerns were this good
Review: What a surprise. I can't call myself a Western fan, but I do really like some westerns. This film is above and beyond any other western I've seen though.
Kevin Costner (who seems to hit or miss with his roles) is outstanding. I can't stress this enough. His character is so believable it kinda takes you off guard.
There is no melo-drama in this film, no guns blazing for the sake of guns blazing. But that's not to say that guns never blaze in this film.
If anything, I will ALWAYS remember this film for the scene where Costner confronts the man who killed one of Costner's hired hands. Wow! Swarzenegger and Stallone could only dream of being this bad-ass. And yes, I know how weird it sounds to use bad-ass and Costner in the same sentence, but watch the movie and you'll see what I mean.
Duvall and Benning give stellar performances as well. In fact I can't fault any actor throughout this entire film.
Bottom line, if you like substance in your films, love great, no make that outstanding acting, wonderful cinematography, a believable story and the bad guys getting whats coming to them, there is no film I can recommend more.
And to think I didn't even want to see this film.
If you do like this film I also recommend Wyatt Earp, also a Costner film. It's not quite as good as Open Range, but definately a good film.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Western - Worth watching
Review: I have seen both the negative and positive reviews of this movie - I think those with negative views are missing the character development ( which took a little too long )and the stunning scenery of Southern Alberta. Costner does solid work as both a director and the co-lead ( although Robert Duvall's character was more dominant). While this movie was not as compelling as "Unforgiven", it was a good movie with a strong conflict. Costner's flaws in his character's presentation did not detract from the character himself.
Any Western is better than the current crop of urban gangsta nonsense that is consistently being offered up from Hollywood.
Rating: 
Summary: How could anyone recommend this garbage?
Review: This is my second post on this movie because I am so outraged. How could so many people recommend this awful film? They must all be part of the picture production or relatives of the actors getting a kickback on the royalties. It is so bad I wouldn't even take money to recommend it.I know westerns and believe me folks this is garbage!!The only movie I saw that even comes close to being as bad as this is GET CARTER with Stallone! They should have called it get Stallone.Trust me, only a moron would recommend a movie this awful. I only wish my post was first so I could warn more people. Terrible unfollowable script,Bit actors with only a couple of lines. The boy was laying in a bed hurt for 90% of the movie with a gunshot wound that you never saw him get. Who ever heard of a western without gun shots.Only in the last 20 minutes are any guns fired!! Some tough talk but no action. Dull and boring, and people say this should be up for an oscar? If you could bottle this waste of a film you could sell it as a sleeping pill. I challenge anyone to dispute what I have written !!Anyone who disputes this is either a liar or a relative of the actors or has recieved royalties on the film. They want you to waste money renting it or buying it because it puts money in their pockets. They should have paid me to watch it, that's how bad it was. In fact I don't think they have enough money to make me watch this again!! And that's the truth folks. Brutal but true!!If it were good I would tell you so, but I don't want anyone else to get ripped like I did!! Regards John
Rating:
Summary: Worst western I ever saw in my life!
Review: Dull, Boring,Not even 1 gunshot Fired until the last 20 minutes.. Watch the movie trailor and you have just seen the best part of the movie.I blame bad script writing . Duvall and Costner are good actors ,but should have passed on this one. Don't waste your money!!It gets a 1 from me only because there was no choice lower!! I could go on but what's the point. Save your money and watch Tombstone again with Kurt russell, you'll thank me !!
Rating:
Summary: A Solid Western in the Classic Tradition
Review: After the stunning fiascos of "The Postman," "Wyatt Earp" and "3000 Miles to Graceland" (among other cinematic missteps), director-actor Kevin Costner makes a long-overdue comeback with "Open Range" (2003). Though flawed, it's nice to see a traditional western that wholeheartedly embraces its cliches. The teaming of Costner with Robert Duvall is truly inspired and lends an emotional power to the film. Costner works best when paired with seasoned veterans such as Duvall -- in fact, one wishes that both actors had ventured into western territory more often. An excellent cast (Annette Bening, Michael Gambon and the late Michael Jeter in particular) and James Muro's exquisite cinematography lift this familiar range-war saga well above the ordinary, with director Costner utilizing the Alberta landscape to memorable effect. "Open Range" might have been a great western if Costner had made a few judicious cuts (the 139-minute running time is way too long) and hired a better composer than Michael Kamen, whose derivative score lacks spark and resonance. Still, it remains a film worth having in an era where movie westerns are a dying breed.
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