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When the weather turns and the men are left
stranded, Mose is sent to the nearest town to gather supplies and
equipment. When he doesn't return, the rest of the group heads off
to find him. With guns at ready, they come upon Harmonville, a
town where corruption, evil and violence control the town.
Justice is non-existent and fear swells in the hearts of its residents.
Mose is discovered, battered and bloody in the town jail, the cause of
which is unknown. Once rescued by Charley and Boss, they set out
to find who committed this heinous crime. One by one, the
townspeople point to non-other than the cowboy-hating Denton Baxter.
Despite their strong belief in the Cowboy
Code, Charley, Boss, Mose and Button decide to take matters into their
own hands and bring justice to Harmonville, no matter what the price -
even if it means going against the very core of their beliefs to engage
in what is destined to be, one of the cinema's classic gunfights of all
time. As they prepare to face the ultimate enemy, they
find themselves confronting something with even more potential
destruction than Baxter - their own demons. Adding to the mix is
the kindness and affection afforded by townswoman, Sue Barlow, a kindred
spirit who becomes romantically involved with Charley.
Impeccably directed by Kevin Costner, who
already picked up Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture for another
epic, "Dances with Wolves", "Open Range" steps
outside of the stereotypical bang-bang, shoot ‘em up western.
Using the camera, Costner adds a depth and dimension to the characters
never before seen. As he has opined in recent interviews,
"You wonder. What do they do when it rains? When they
run out of food? They've got to forage for themselves. They
had to be very resourceful. We have this very romantic view when,
in fact, it was very difficult." With tedious patience,
Costner focuses on what some may consider insignificant detail, but
which when viewed in light of the film as a whole, add a nuanced
picturesque quaintness that takes your breath away.
Finding a soulmate in screenwriter Craig
Storper, together the two use language as a means of setting the tone,
showing the characters - how men deal with each other, their problems,
life and with women. Without losing sight of the classic
themes of the genre - freedom, justice, honor, love and friendship -
they expand on the accepted cowboy stereotype, giving us details not
normally seen, resulting in character growth and transformation.
And with the care in which he portrays
his characters, the same is done with action - and never moreso than
with a gunfight. Again, breaking from stereotype, Costner shoots
action and violence in a style all his own. With a disturbing
edginess, quick snippets, and at times, almost at a distance as if a
surreal experience not to be believed, the effective is engagingly
mesmerizing.
Former cameraman James Muro makes his
debut here as Director of Photography. Extremely sought after for not
only camera work, but steadicam operation, Muro has long been a favorite
of directors having worked with James Cameron, Oliver Stone and numerous
projects, as well as Costner on "Dances with Wolves." Already
a man in sync with Costner, with his visionary eye, Muro excels with his
cinematography here. From the most panoramic vistas of a prairie
sunset to characters self-absorbed in quiet thought, the effect is
beyond description. Simply spectacular.
The icing on the cake is the cast.
Costner is, of course, exemplary as former gunslinger, Charley Waite.
In a league of his own, few can compare with Costner's
characterizations. Be it John Dunbar, Crash Davis or Frank Farmer,
Costner has this rare ability to become one with the character.
Here, Costner gives another classically thoughtful, expressive, somewhat
tacit performance of a character balancing the calm and quiet with an
explosive past. And who better than Robert Duvall to slip
into character as Boss. A cowboy if ever there was one, Duvall
sits tall in the saddle as Boss; wise to the ways of the world and the
west, witty, fatherly and still quick on the draw. Diego Luna and
Abraham Benrubi as Button and Mose provide a nice balance to the more
mature pairing of Costner and Duvall. But when it
comes to bad guys, the casting coup of the year is in the form of
Michael Gambone as Denton Baxter. He plays menacing evil
with a conviction like no other. And let's not forget the ladies.
In a strikingly different role for her, Annette Benning steps in as Sue
Barlow. While Annette herself gives a fine performance, her
chemistry with Costner is noticeably lacking (probably one of the only
flaws I could find in this film). And not to be left out, the
always wonderful Michael Jeter, in one of his final roles, gives an
Oscar caliber performance as curmudgeony ranch hand Percy.
Completing the picture is Michael Kamen's
hauntingly beautiful orchestral score."Open Range".
Introspective. Retrospective. The Old West. The
American Cowboy. A part of our heritage for which America has an
enduring love. This IS the Best Picture of the Year.
Kevin Costner: Charley Waite
Robert Duvall: Boss Spearman
Diego Luna: Button
Abraham Benrubi: Mose
Michael Gambon: Denton Baxter
Michael Jeter: Percy
Annette Benning: Sue Barlow
Directed by Kevin Costner. Written
by Craig Storper based on a book by Lauren Paine. A Buena Vista
release. Rated R. (138 minutes)
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