Directed by Kevin Costner, who also stars, Open Range is a
return to the classic westerns of old that Hollywood used to make. It's a simple
tale of good guys battling the bad guys in the name of justice. Only in this
case, in their pursuit of justice, the good guys find themselves going up
against the law. Set in 1882, Open Range begins with a pair of cattlemen named
Charly Waite (Costner) and Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall, as the wise, veteran
cowboy that he was born to play) who along with two helpers are moving a head
of cattle across the prairie. When their supplies run low, they send one of their
helpers, Mose (Abraham Benrubi) back to a town that they previously passed to get
some more grub and other essentials.
When Mose doesn't return, Charly and Boss decide to ride back to town to see
what's up. They find Mose in the local jail, severely beaten with a concussion.
They also discover that the town marshal (James Russo) is nothing more than a hired lackey for
the local rancher, a wealthy man named Dent Baxter who rules the town with an iron
fist. Baxter makes it clear to Charly and Boss that he does not like cattlemen
grazing their herds around his town, and will do anything to prevent them, up to
and including murder. Charly and Boss, among the last of the free-range cattlemen,
wind up in a bitter feud with Baxter--especially after Mose is murdered by Baxter's
hired thugs--a feud that, by the climax of the movie, escalates into open warfare
on the dirt streets of the town between Charly, Boss, and Baxter's private army of
gun-slinging hooligans.
When I say that Open Range is a return to the classic Hollywood western, I mean
that it is a more genteel, family-friendly morality play (albeit with a lot of
violent gunplay at the end). If you're a fan of HBO's marvelous western series
Deadwood, don't expect the same sort of blunt depiction of everyday life in the
old west here. Yet for what it is, Open Range is an excellent, well done film
with many great performances. Costner is always dependable, and Robert Duvall
shines as Boss. Michael Gambon is great as the greedy, narrow-minded Baxter,
and Kim Coates, a fellow cast member of Costner's from Waterworld, has a superb
scene as a hired gun of Baxter's who squares off against Charly. Annette Benning is
also terrific as Sue Barlow, the sister of the town's doctor whom Charly becomes
smitten with. She easily holds her own in a mainly male cast. Costner directs with
the same assured hand that he had on Dances With Wolves. He uses the gorgeous
Canadian locations to great effect, and the film is well balanced with humor and subtle
character moments. The climatic gun battle is also expertly and realistically
handled; it's filled with the sudden-shock moments that you would expect from a
real gunfight.
The two-disc set is loaded with features, including an audio commentary by
director Kevin Costner, "America's Open Range", a historical documentary of the
era the movie is set in, and "Beyond Open Range", a look at Costner's direction
of the film. There are also deleted scenes, storyboards, and and music video montage. --SF