Open Range (2003)
I wasn’t really sure if I was going to like this movie, mainly because I didn’t know what it was going to be. It started out as a slow, rancher movie, but then it became a western rivalry revenge movie, and then a romance showed up! Turns out, Open Range is a lot like its title. It’s a mixture of different western elements, and the hodgepodge totally works.
Kevin Costner also directed this one, and he gives the same slow, steady hand to this movie as he gave to Dances With Wolves. The beautiful open country is captured with a realistic touch, and the small western town Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall travel to looks very authentic. Nothing is painted out to be more than it is, a theme in the filming as well as the storyline. Revenge is revenge, murder is murder, and love is love.
Even if you’re not really a fan of Annette Benning—it’s okay, I’m not, either—she won’t ruin the movie for you. Her character is written well, and even though her acting chops are better shown off in American Beauty, she’s easy to root for here.
I liked seeing Michael Gambon playing an unmistakable bad guy. I’ve never found him likable, anyway, so being able to root against him guilt-free for a change was very fun. And his Irish accent was really good! So, if you like westerns, shoot-outs, Kevin Costner, or Robert Duvall, watch Open Range during the next dusty fall afternoon.
DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, there’s one scene in this movie that won’t be your friend. Kevin Costner has a nightmare, and the camera gets a little fuzzy so it might make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Kevin Costner movies here!
Kevin Costner also directed this one, and he gives the same slow, steady hand to this movie as he gave to Dances With Wolves. The beautiful open country is captured with a realistic touch, and the small western town Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall travel to looks very authentic. Nothing is painted out to be more than it is, a theme in the filming as well as the storyline. Revenge is revenge, murder is murder, and love is love.
Even if you’re not really a fan of Annette Benning—it’s okay, I’m not, either—she won’t ruin the movie for you. Her character is written well, and even though her acting chops are better shown off in American Beauty, she’s easy to root for here.
I liked seeing Michael Gambon playing an unmistakable bad guy. I’ve never found him likable, anyway, so being able to root against him guilt-free for a change was very fun. And his Irish accent was really good! So, if you like westerns, shoot-outs, Kevin Costner, or Robert Duvall, watch Open Range during the next dusty fall afternoon.
DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, there’s one scene in this movie that won’t be your friend. Kevin Costner has a nightmare, and the camera gets a little fuzzy so it might make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Kevin Costner movies here!