Open Range

Review - Kevin Costner directs and stars in the new western, Open Range. A slow and deliberate tale of a small group of Free Rangers who happen upon an alienating town.

Open Range felt a lot like an old Disney western. Just sort of stepping into the lives of a few rangemen and witnessing about a week of their lives. It moves slowly like an old western does and delivers its story in a fashion unaccustomed to films today. I give Costner high praise for doing such a wonderful job at capturing that classic sense of filmmaking and delivery.

Robert Duvall, Annette Benning, Michael Gambon (BBC TV's The Singing Detective, Gosford Park), Abraham Benrubi ('Kubiac' from Fox's Parker Lewis Can't Lose) and Michael Jetter (in his final performance) make up the majority of the talented and charismatic cast. Everyone performs well inside the small box of the film.

Open Range is a very 'no nonsense film'. Running at about 2 hours and fifteen minutes it can be difficult for some to withstand. It's not flashy, action packed, or morally redeeming, as some might expect yet none of this hurts Costner's picture, nor does it make it anything resembling Clint Eastwood's 'Unforgiven'. Open Range stands on it's own.

And for all that standing it won't win any Academy Awards. In fact I'll be surprised if it's even nominated. Sadly, but perhaps expectedly Open Range will be long forgotten by filmgoers, Hollywood, and the Academy.

When you ask?

If not right after dinner, maybe by next weekend, or maybe under the Fall rush of films to close out 2003. Whenever it happens is really inconsequential because one day in the distant or perhaps not-so distant future someone will happen to see Open Range and think to themselves, "They just don't make 'em like this anymore."

-m-