“Men are going to get killed here today,
and I am going to kill them."
Open
Range
is your classic western. It’s the same as every
other movie in its genre. Although it introduces
us to new characters in a new location, the ending
and plot are as predictable and clichéd as they
come. But strangely, in every film of this nature,
these very crucial parts of the flick always
manage to strike us as being very fresh and new,
even though they aren’t anything special. We’re
always rooting for the “good guys,” and are
constantly worried that they will lose to the “bad
guys,” who both outnumber and outplan them. The
very reason why we feel the way we do is because
the given western nails the basics—it has sharp
acting, top-notch direction, and writing that
never bores us. Thanks to the fact that it is so
skillfully made,
Open
Range
always holds our attention and interest, and this
allows us to see what a beautiful motion picture
it is.
While this may not be a
great achievement for Kevin Costner the actor,
it’s a miraculous one for Kevin Costner the
director. We should be thankful for this, too.
With an all-star cast, including Robert Duvall,
Annette Bening, and Diego Luna, all Costner really
had to do performance-wise, was be subtle. He
accomplishes this. Behind the camera, his work is
flowing, not just subtle, though. Costner
obviously had the perfect vision for the look of
Open
Range,
when shooting it. Every frame of this film looks
strikingly beautiful; I haven’t seen one other
release this year that is this pleasing to gaze
at, even those that use whopping amounts of CGI,
like Terminator 3. Luckily,
Open
Range
isn’t just eye-candy; it balances visuals and true
substance quite well. I was pleasantly surprised
by how well it actually works.
If there’s one giant
standout in
Open
Range,
it’s Robert Duvall. His performance is
pitch-perfect, and definitely worth a supporting
actor nomination from the Academy. Duvall ranges
from being serious and stern to funny and
sarcastic to caring and sympathetic to old and
wise, in his role, and is usually amazing in doing
so. As an actor, he’s just as good now, as he was
thirty years ago (even though I still believe that
his biggest accomplishment was his work his debut
in To Kill a Mockingbird). He
balances all of the emotions of his character
nicely in
Open
Range,
and should be remembered for this performance. It
really does tie the entire movie together.
Even though there are so
many tremendous features in
Open
Range
that are appreciable, the set design, by Mary-Lou
Storey is my favorite. It enhances the wonderful
way that Costner photographs the film, more than
anything else. I can’t quite put a finger on why I
was so elated when viewing the beautifully done
sets—but one thing’s for sure—they’re absolutely
incredible. Another pleasing feature worth
mentioning is the art direction, by Gary Myers,
which is yet another thing that Open
Range deserves to win an Oscar for.
The R-rating that’s been
given to this film is just more proof that the
MPAA is an idiotic and clueless bunch of people.
Since when is an old-west gun-fight inappropriate
for children under seventeen? I’ve seen games of
“Cowboys and Indians” and “Cops and Robbers,”
played by toddlers, that have been more bloody and
harsh than the “very violent” content in
Open
Range.
Episodes of “SpongeBob Squarepants” have contained
worse material than what’s in this movie.
It’s a bit too long, and
the last ten minutes are considerably sterile, but
Open
Range
is still easily one of the best movies of the
year. Duvall gives a great performance and Costner
directs to near perfection. It’s a wonderfully
entertaining and stunningly well-made film. The
ten dollar ticket and the seven dollar popcorn are
definitely worth buying, for this flick offers a
superb night at the local cinema. One of the
summer’s treasures, Open Range is
certainly a movie to see.