Directed By Kevin Costner

Starring – Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington

The Plot – Explore the lure of the Old West and how it was won-and lost-through the blood, sweat and tears of many. Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, embark on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.

Rated R for violence, some nudity and sexuality

Horizon: An American Saga | Trailer 1 (youtube.com)

POSITIVES

Epic westerns are often the forgotten genre of time, but five years of commitment from Costner and his production might be the impact needed to bring it back to the mainstream, with the first of a proposed four films about the development of America. When Costner does something, he often does it completely, this time exerting not only the most ambitious scope and scale of any movie that he’s ever directed or starred in, but also an immersive quality to this detailed world that covers every angle that historians could ever truly ask for. Costner’s direction seamlessly captures the hope, dependency, and especially ferocity of the wild west, utilizing and appreciating the sacrifice of so many visionaries who dared to dream, all for the elements of our everyday lives that we currently take for granted, as a result of being born into them, but especially the bravery of those who took charge against overwhelming adversity, to which Costner brilliantly decorates with lawless unpredictability that encapsulates the tensely riveting action set pieces. Also adding to those appreciated elements is a remarkable abundance of thorough production values that boldly transform the canvas with this versatile element of believability that can be seen and heard in every frame of the film. The costume designs are impeccable with specificity in detailed design and thread consistency for the time, with soldier uniforms, three-piece suits, and free-flowing gowns making up the entirety of the expansive ensemble. Likewise, the sound schemes of editing and mixing audibly entrance our senses with every pulse-rattling blow of ammunition, with distinguished definition in echoing influence that unceremoniously capture audience attention with each blunt release, and the set decoration, while minimal for how little was developed for the time period, does offer insight into the air of possibilities that was permeating in the minds of its hopeful citizens, with this dream of a utopia named Horizon that took many cruel and winding roads of resiliency to get to. But my single favorite element of the technical production is easily that of the breathtaking cinematography from twenty year veteran, J. Michael Muro, who inscribes such awestruck wonder to the presentation of this experience. Between jaw-dropping scenery of western geography adorning the many backdrops permeating from beyond these wild card characters, the film’s subtlety for color grading is remarkable towards garnering a distinct look of aged photography for the presentation, playing a vital role not only towards the consistent believability of what our minds are interpreting, but also a registered atmospheric quality that effortlessly elicits all of the gritty grandeur of this war-torn territory, without sparing a cent of the confirmed 100 million dollar budget. Lastly, the canvas and its many riveting set pieces would be nothing without a talented ensemble leading the way, and while the performances are a bit imbalanced in their individualized quality, the best of those easily resonate between Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, and Jena Malone, who each did a remarkable job of maintaining my interests in their respective sections to the story, each with something uniquely vital to their portrayals. Miller is definitely the show-stealer for me, providing Frances with a stoic resiliency and sensitivity that the film is most in need of, among its dangerous mercenaries, in what is easily the most defined and thorough arc of the entire bunch. As for Costner, the meaningful decision to take a step back from being the film’s protagonist, despite top billing, is best served in small doses, especially in the mystique continuously measured towards the character, which might as well be the walking, talking embodiment of death, with Kevin’s cool bravado making it difficult to disappear into the role, but an undeniable magnetism that immediately perked up my interests when I saw him. Malone is also noteworthy as Ellen Harvey or Lucy, as she’s known in her newfound identity, brings enough intensity and bravery towards a gripping portrayal that didn’t need long-winded speeches or prolonged dramatics to capture the attention of her adoring audience.

NEGATIVES

The easiest thing to accuse this film of being is a bloated three hour mess of a film that could definitely use another edit to maintain the momentum that only comes in sporadic doses, but the even bigger problem is in the undeniable decision to shoot this as a TV series, before changing it to a feature length movie. While I don’t truly know if that was the original intention, it certainly feels like it, as everything from the structure of the screenplay, to constant set-ups with no pay-offs, creates a continuously tested and even boring series of instances that broke my attention, especially during the opening act of the movie, with little to no cultural backstory established in the depths of many character introductions. It does eventually improve, as the arrival of Costner’s character is a much-needed boost of adrenaline to the film, but far too often the film is muddled with too many characters and too many subplots that it has to continuously maintain and develop, resulting in prolonged time absences of drifting storytelling before the film eventually gets back to our favorites, with no elements of urgency to coincide with the vulnerability that is attained almost effortlessly in Costner’s direction. Likewise, the pacing obviously has hurdles to jump through with a three hour run time, but it’s practically abysmal, both in the plodding of the aforementioned opening act, but also during the film’s argued climax, which actually isn’t a climax at all without a noteworthy pay-off to its prominence. Because this is a four film epic, or TV series turned film, not every arc is obviously going to be resolved in the opening film of the franchise, nor should it, but each individual installment should conclude with some kind of exclamation point to the previous journey, and because this one surprisingly doesn’t, it somehow leaves the film’s execution feeling lackadaisical and strained under the same creative umbrella. Also, as previously mentioned, not all of the performances land with undistracted transformation, primarily with Sam Worthington and Luke Wilson, who each have such meaningful roles to the engagement. Worthington as the film’s main character is about as exciting as watching paint dry, with one level of emotionality throughout his turn that isn’t remotely gripping or compelling to watch, and Wilson’s poor attempt at accent, as well as the familiarity in his delivery tones, made me constantly see only Luke Wilson, which distracted away from what is arguably my second favorite arc of the entire film. Finally, like most westerns set in the development of western civilization, the film is a bit irresponsible in the aspects of its set-up, which obscure the sentiment that settlers stole native American land for their own opportunistic gain. While the film does obviously contain a conflict between sides that materializes because of this invasion, it’s framed in a way where the Apache tribe are cruel for their ruthless vengeance, and as a result it once again obscures and overlooks the reality of this side of the story that definitely deserves more focus.

OVERALL
‘Horizon: An American Saga Part One’ is the first epic western in a long time to attain the kind of immense scope and scale of its breathtaking production, but beyond that the big screen captivity of demanding to be seen on the biggest screen imaginable, with scenic splendor. While the film is an enthralling experience throughout the inception of the land of opportunity, it isn’t without the perils of a long-winded and set-up heavy three hour run time, as well as inconsistent performances that doesn’t exactly get this four film franchise off to the best of starts momentously, leaving it an ambitious exploration plagued by its own indulgence.

My Grade: 6/10 or C