Packed with epic action, OPEN RANGE is a powerfully gripping story that’s never been told until now, and stars Academy Award(R) winners Robert Duvall (1983 Best Actor, TENDER MERCIES) and Kevin Costner (1991 Best Director, DANCES WITH WOLVES), and Academy Award(R) nominee Annette Bening (1999 Best Actress, AMERICAN BEAUTY). A group of free grazers, four men trying to escape their past, are driving cattle and living off the land on the open range — a place where nature makes the only laws. When a ruthless, evil rancher tries to run them out of town, the men’s peaceful existence takes a tumultuous turn and ends in the grittiest, most explosive gunfight on film as two men battle a town for honor, justice, and a way of life that’s quickly disappearing.Released almost exactly 11 years after Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, Kevin Costner’s Open Range proved yet again that the Western is the classic American genre. While it lacks the thematic impact of Eastwood’s masterpiece, Costner’s first film since 1997′s ill-fated The Postman returns the actor/director of Dances With Wolves to the open prairies of America–in this case the free-range frontier of 1882–where legal “free-grazing” cattle drives were falling prey to empire-building land-owners. In the wake of territorial murder, free-grazing cowboys Boss (Robert Duvall) and Charley (Costner) seek vengeful justice against the ruthless rancher (Michael Gambon) who threatens their law-abiding survival. A feisty ally (the late Michael Jeter, in his next-to-final film role) and a doctor’s sister (Annette Bening) offer support during climactic shootouts, masterfully staged with the shock and suddenness of real-life gunfire. Rich in character development and thick-hided humor, this handsome production redeemed Costner’s directorial career with a well-told story (by Craig Storper, based on Lauran Paine’s novel The Open Range Men), flawless performances, and stunning Canadian locations. –Jeff Shannon
Buy “Open Range” For Only $4.45
January 26, 2006
#1
Kevin Costner (along with JLo and Tom Cruise) should be banned from making any more films in the future! Is it in his contract that every film he must make involve dirt, boredom and insignificance?
January 26, 2006
#2
I rarely don’t like a movie. This was one of the worst films I have ever been unfortunate enough to see. It’s not “slow” or anything else that might justify how aweful this film is, it’s just plain unbelievably bad. You’ll cry it’s so bad.
January 26, 2006
#3
This is possibly the worst movie I have ever seen. Don’t waste your time and especially don’t waste the money. Long, dull and A-stereotypical. Tries way to hard to be the westerns of old and goes over the top in the cheese catagory. The acting was beyond dismal and Kevin Costner is more in love with himself then he is making a good quality movie. Major stinker!
January 26, 2006
#4
“The Postman”, “Waterworld”, “Open Range”. What do these three movies have in common? They are the SAME movie!! Villain comes in and takes over the country/ocean/old West town. Good guy and friends must re-take country/ocean/Old West town by force. Jeez, just change the names, costumes and locale and you have a new movie!
I was able to sit through this re-hash for only 30 minutes and I left hubby and (…). Reason being it was complete cliche’. Robert Duvall as the old crusty cowboy/philosopher firing off euphomisms every few minutes that were about as profound as a fortune cookie message! And the cowardly hand with them, also a cliche’. When I came back to my husband at the end of “Open Range” I asked him if the kid redeemed himself by coming to the rescue. He said “You guessed it.” I didn’t have to guess. This story has been done a million times. I knew where the story was going, I just couldn’t bear sitting that long to get to where we all knew it would end up.
Kevin, pleeeeeease find another plot. Find another ORIGINAL gem like “Dancing With Wolves.” Put this oooollllllld, tired plot to sleep. Or stop making movies, OK? Deal?
January 26, 2006
#5
Too long, too drawn out. The love story had no place in the movie and Annette Bening was just too old for the role, it was not convincing at all. How unrealistic with everything going on that Costner’s Charlie would have any time at all to “fall in love”. An epic for scenery with no plot to hold it up.
Cliched story, bad cattle man etc. Nothing new here. Some pretty scenery, but boy it gets boring fast.
And such ringing of the audience’s emotions. Oh the soppy music playing when they pan over to their dead dog! They made more of the dead dog than the two dead friends.