Open Range
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Movie Reviews of Open Range
Movie Review: Gus is back!
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Movie Review: Brilliant & Breathtaking
Summary: 5 Stars
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!
Movie Review: Open Range - A brilliant western!
Summary: 5 Stars
"Open Range" is an incredibly poetic, simple, yet complex film that is extremely entertaining on all points. It has probably been since the release of "Unforgiven" that I've watched a new western and enjoyed it this much! Few films in today's era go so far as "Open Range" does as far as character and plot development, fearing that they would bore the audience to death which may well be true for many other films but it works perfectly in this exceptional movie, flawlessly building up the suspense for the ultimate conclusion of the film.I would definitely have to say it has also been a long time since I've watched a film with Kevin Costner in it that I've enjoyed this much as well. I wouldn't go so far as to say, with this one film, that he's back but this film makes a very good start at him showing the depth of his acting abilities once again. The true star of this exceptional film is Robert Duvall. He is a true star in all genres but he shines even brighter when it's time to don a role in a western movie. Then there's Annette Bening, an actress of true beauty who has always been such a special influence on every film she takes up and with this role, she once again vividly displays why she is a film star.
Along with the starring role, Kevin Costner takes the nod for producing and more importantly, directing this intriguingly captivating movie. I would have to say that of the movies he's directed so far that I've watched this was his best effort in the director's seat.
The Premise:
Welcome to the open range of America during the year of 1882. This impressive film opens up to a beautiful vista of open grazing land and we're introduced to our primary characters in Boss (Robert Duvall) and Charlie (Kevin Costner) who are free grazers, which are cowboys who drive their herds on the open plains. Along with them are two younger cowboys in Mose (Abraham Benrubit, "ER) and Button (Diego Luna). When they find they need some additional supplies, they send Mose back to the last town they came through and when a couple days go by without his return they decide that they must go back to find out what happened to him. Not long after they arrive in the small western town they find that Mose had been in a fight and was brutally beaten despite having dished out some to his attackers as well. They're warned away from the town by a local rancher who has the sheriff under his belt...
What follows from there is, for the better part, a melodramatic western with an exhilarating ending that is particularly captivating. I highly recommend this film to any and all fans of the western genre! {ssintrepid}
Special Features:
-Audio Commentary with Kevin Costner
-"America's Open Range" A historical journey back in time to the real open range of the 1800s, narrated by Kevin Costner
-"Beyond Open Range" Director's Journal
-Deleted Scenes
-"Storyboarding: Open Range"
-Music Video Montage
Movie Review: KEVIN COSTNER HAS MADE HIS IMMORTAL MASTERPIECE
Summary: 5 Stars
This work is simply extraordinary. Forget about Dance with wolves!.This film is light years ahead that one. Costner has grown up as film maker and human being : he absorbed the mythological mood and epic spirit , two fundamentals elements of the western mood.
He followed the lines of the mythological narrative.
Four men : three generations : one man who still 's a kid . a rescued teenager (Button) from Texas , a middle aged man Charlie (Costner) and finally the boss Boss Spearman (a coincidence in the meaning of his name?) the wise but hard fighter Robert Duvall land in nowhere . They have no comittment with the outer world . They live outdoors and are gipsy cowboys . They are a little family with that charming pet.
Suddenly , the evil Baxter and his gunfighters will emerge , true villains and obviously a clear pattern western mob . They have a town under his own rules , even the marschall.
The spark light that will originate the expected duel will appear : the feeling of revenge will permeate the viewer.
In this sense the film is a great tribute to The Seven Samurais , The magnificent seven and Ride the high country .
The film has a superb photography ; the shots are unforgettable , the mountains , the valley , the river are an amazing background where the facts and other little bits will support the dramatis personae.
Duvall that cosmical actor is a spiritual guide for Costner , he's his father in the real sense of the word.
They establish a magical rapport in the movie : the inner values about the freedom , the private property and the sense of not being under the orders of no one , will be the starting point for this magnificent western.
Duvall is extarordinary expressive. His role is well written , he's bitter and funny with this sense of intelligent cynism. Costner is credible in his role , and the character is a mix of several ancient roles there's some of Elloit Ness : warning by instance the first succesful shot of the duel and plese tell me : Don't you remember the sequence in the untouchables when Elliot Ness pushes from the top of the building to the hated white dressed mob villain ? .
The performance of Anette Bening (Sue) is fabulous . She's an outstanding actress , and gives an extraordinary accent to a demanding role . Her inner mood , the sensuality she raises only with her facial and corporal language are overwhelming.
Our kid (Button) wounded , makes the grade as a man in the duel.
And finally Percy (Michael Jeter)steals the show as the friendly fellow on the town.
The script in its dramatic peak is first rate : it's true that there's a hidden tribute to High Noon , but this one wins in dramatism. Excelent shots , the camera is perfect.
Costner has made his masterpiece.
If I could give this movie one thousand stars I would do it!
A superb triumph and one of the three best films made in USA in 2003.
Do you need another advise to buy this western jewel?
Movie Review: The way the west was meant to be
Summary: 5 Stars
Costner may have had some klunkers, but this is not one of them. Not when you have Michael "Dumbledore" Gambon, who Costner described as "this century's Laurence Olivier," the formidable Robert Duvall, Michael Jeter who passed away a week after Costner screened it for him, and Annette Bening, aka "our generation's Audrey Hepburn" (Costner's words), the woman who tamed Warren Beatty, and current star of "Being Julia."
The quotes from Costner come from the 2004 Palm Springs International Film Festival where he hosted a screening of "Open Range." The occasion was memorable not just for access to one of Hollywood's more elusive actors but because of the emotional impact of Costner's passion for movies, for the audience ("I've sat where you're sitting"), his refusal to kowtow to the Hollywood arrogance ("I work in a very privileged business where people think they discovered America," "Lead actors should actually be called supporting actors"), his affection for his high school basketball coach who was present at the screening, and a connection with a young audience member who quoted "Field of Dreams" in a eulogy for his father.
Costner spoke of the love between his lead character and the spinster schoolteacher Annette Bening, both taking a last chance at love. He spoke of gunfights needing to be messy, but the beauty of the fights in this movie is that you never see the violence begin. This is not a "cowboys and Indians" shoot-em-up Western but a picture about survival where a rainstorm becomes an enemy, cattle ranchers and sheepherders war over precious land, a young man learns that trust is a valuable thing, and people are not so very different from our society now. As Costner said, women are still twice as tough as men!
I found it telling that right now we don't seem to appreciate the lands that our ancestors sweated to preserve--I'm not just talking about environmental issues. Costner said, "Our lives are so flooded technologically with things that we don't even know what to be impressed by...Finding our wild west is hard now and that's some of the appeal of 'Open Range.'" He spoke of crossing the West in an airplane with a meal and a movie on the flight. Not exactly the same romance--after all we complain about airport security and yet the men in this movie ride into towns with everything they can carry on horseback or in a wagon. We can see some of that bravery and resourcefulness in our heroes of today, such as downed Flight 93 on September 11. We often forget what real courage is in the celebrity culture Costner derided that day. That's the value of "Open Range."