User Reviews

¨Open Range¨ is a classic western. It's spectacular and riveting. The movie centers about facing off between settlers and cattlemen.

In the cowboys group we find an ex gunslinger(Kevin Costner), an old man (Robert Duvall) and a younger (Diego Luna). They'll have to fight against a landowner (Michael Gambon), a corrupt sheriff( James Russo), an assassin (Kim Coates), among others . Meanwhile the ex-gunfighter will fall in love with a spinster (Annette Bening).

The final showdown between the contenders is breathtaking, gunfight is likeness to "O.K. Corral duel¨.

The film is awesome , sets are extraordinaries and landscapes are wonderful.

The movie blends action, violence, a love story ,drama ,shootouts and is a fascinating film.

Direction by Kevin Costner is of first rate as ¨dancing with wolves¨. Cinematography by Michael Muro is glimmer and Michael Kamen's musical score is atmospheric. Runtime film is overlong however is neither tiring , nor boring but entertaining.

Rating: 7'5 /10 above average. Well worth watching.

They don't westerns that much anymore, at least on the big screen. People in the Baby Boomer generation grew up with them on television. Western films were big at the box office in several decades, too.

Well, at least Kevin Costner must have a heart for the genre as he been involved with several major western productions in the last 15 years, this the latest.

The best thing I can say about this film right out front is that it may be the best western I've ever watched. I can't give it higher praise than that! Since I've seen so many, for so long, it's especially high praise.

I make this bold statement because of the following:

1 - Fantastic scenery and beautiful cinematography. If it looks spectacular on my 24-inch flat-screen, I can't imagine how awesome it would be a big plasma set.

2 - Characters you really care about, led by three actors who almost always give solid performances: Robert Duvall (the best in here), Costner and Annette Bening. Duvall, by the way, gives one of the best short "speeches" I've ever witnessed in a movie. It was nice to see Bening actually play a wholesome woman for a change. The two men who are out on the range with Duvall and Costner also were excellent.

3 - Just the right amount of action. When the action does occur, such as gunfire, the sound is incredible. This might be one of the best movies, audibly-speaking, I've ever heard, which is another reason for ranking it Number One. There are no lulls but not a ton of action, either.

4 - Just the right amount of romance. It doesn't get sappy, it doesn't overshadow the basic story, but it adds a nice, soft touch to what could be a very rough and unpleasant tale. And, in a different twist, it's the romance, not the usual climactic gun battle, that ends this film.

I can't say enough about this movie except that I'm sorry more westerns like it aren't made today.

When this film reaches the climactic shootout, it is a real cinematic treat. Costner has a great feel for creating and choreographing complex action scenes. There is one wide shot in particular that contains many actors involved in a number of separate interactions carried out in a masterfully-planned sequence. It is worth watching several times and paying close attention to each individual shootout going on within the larger scene. Costner has mastered the art of filling the screen with complex action.

The cast is outstanding and the love story is compelling and not typical Hollywood. As a real Western fan, I enjoyed this one enough to watch it several times. I think the plot offers something for everyone and I think it is one of those rare films that appeals to both men and women. It is certainly worth checking out.

Personally, I didn't find it long. I've seen many great Westerns--such films as "Will Penny," "Shane," "The Unforgiven," and several other Eastwood movies spring to mind--and this was right up there with them. My thanks to Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall (of course), and Annette Bening for giving me a wonderful experience at the movies. It doesn't happen all that often anymore. To those who say, "They don't make 'em like they used to," my response is "This one's better."

Why studios don't make more westerns is beyond me. Some of them are downright unwatchable like "Young Guns" and its sequel but there have been some extremely well made films like "Unforgiven" and "Tombstone" so I'm at a loss as to why more are not made. Thank you Kevin Costner! This story is about four men who are herding their cattle through a certain area and they stop near a town to get supplies. The crew is headed by Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall) and his second in charge is Charley Waite (Costner). They send Mose (Abraham Benrubi) to get supplies and after a day or so he doesn't return. Boss and Charley go to find him leaving Button (Diego Luna) to watch the herd. In town they find Mose beaten badly and locked up in the local jail. A rich rancher named Denton Baxter (Michael Gambon) hates "Freegrazers" and tells them to take their man and keep moving. Baxter controls the sheriff (James Russo) and also has many thugs on his payroll. Back at the herd some of Baxters men have been following them so Boss has an idea of going after them instead of running. That night they confront them and smash their rifles but when they get back Mose has been killed and Button is wounded badly. They take him to the local doctor and meet his sister Sue (Annette Bening) and Charley takes a shine. Boss and Charley don't like to be told where to graze their cattle and they want revenge for the death of Mose. A final gunfight in town is inevitable and Charley reveals that he killed many men in the war. This film was directed by Costner and its very well made. He seems to have found his mark as a directer with this genre. Costner allows the story to unfold on its own terms and the pacing is deliberate which is welcomed after watching so many Hollywood films and their quick edits. The film should be seen on the big screen to be appreciated. The scenery is beautiful and their are so many shots with skylines and mountains and wide open prairies and these shots help tell the story in the film. The scenery is important and gives the film a look that helps you relate to the characters when they speak of not wanting to be told where they can go. The characters are well written and they let out things about themselves little by little as the story is told. Duvall's character is a man of high pride and also a stubborn side and he's not afraid to stand up for himself even if it means he might die. Costner plays a man with a hard past and he seems to be living his life and coming to grips with his experiences in the war at the same time. Charley states that he doesn't have a problem with killing and we believe him. The romance between Costner and Bening seems forced and Bening looks a little to old to be a woman that never married. The film goes on about 15 minutes to long and Costner has not one, but two goodbye scenes with Bening. This is a minor complaint because this is a very entertaining film and after a summer of watching hyper-kinetic Hollywood junk, It's a movie that is very welcomed. Hear that Hollywood?

Costner admitted early in his career he was not an "artist", but rather a commodity, or star. I don't disagree. He was a handsome face but he always had an authenticity in his performances too. Very natural on camera. In Open Range, he's at his best. He's the type of guy who is just comfortable in front of the camera and you look at him and feel he's being honest. An honest performance that makes you feel he's not acting in any way. He reminds me of Gary Cooper in that way. A guy who isn't bullsh**ting and you believe every word he says. I love him in this movie. I love the way he speaks to the woman he can't express his love to. I love her in this too.

It's probably well known that Kevin Costner once had Republican party sympathies , something that wasn't to fashionable in the Hollywood of the late 80s/early 90s . What might not be so well known is that he switched his allegiance to the environmentalists / greens at the turn of the millennium . This perhaps isn't so surprising because if you watch a film either directed by or starring Costner there always seems to be a running theme of the characters existing in a wilderness away from civilisation such as DANCES WITH WOLVES , PRINCE OF THIEVES and WATERWORLD alongside the philosophy that guns don't kill people , people kill people , or to be more accurate bad people kill people then good people kill bad people as seen in THE UNTOUCHABLES and THE POSTMAN with PRINCE OF THIEVES and WATERWORLD also coming into this category also

OPEN RANGE continues this Costner philosophy as we're shown men or horseback against a breath taking panorama of the untouched American wilderness . You can't help thinking that Costner would like nothing better to see the end of industrialisation and when landscapes are this remote and beautiful who can blame him . The story itself may be rather old fashioned almost in the vein of John Wayne but that doesn't stop it from being the best film with Kevin Costner for a very long time . The cinematography helps of course but the director's best idea was to employ Robert Duvall as co-lead Boss Spearman . Duvall of course is the type of very rare actor who can make a shopping list come alive and Michael Gambon is memorable as bad guy Denton Baxter

Some people might be put off by the fact that it stars and was directed by Costner and therefore expected a three and a half hour epic about nothing in particular . I also had these reservations but was glad I saw this . Duvall's performance and the bloody shoot out at the end had a lot to do with my positive opinion

I never get tired of this movie and I don't even want to count the times that I have seen it. Beautifully written, great acting, costumes, scenery. I cannot think of anything I didn't like about it. Annette Bening is definitely one of my favorite actors right along up there with Robert Duvall. Costner was great in this too. I was drawn into this from the opening and maintained the same level of interest until the end credits. I think this is one of the must see westerns and rate it up there along with such classics as The Searchers, Shane and High Noon. I am a huge western fan and when I come across a great one, I can be entertained by watching again as though it were the first time because with great writing, there is always a small part you might pick up the next time you see it that you missed the first time.

Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall) leads Charley Waite (Kevin Costner), Mose Harrison (Abraham Benrubi) and Button (Diego Luna) to drive their cattle across free grazing open range. They go into the town of Harmonville and are confronted by corrupt sheriff Poole and land baron Denton Baxter (Michael Gambon) who hates free grazers. Mose was severely beaten and arrested. Boss and Charley bring him to Dr. Barlow (Dean McDermott). Boss finds a kind soul in the doctor's wife Sue Barlow (Annette Bening).

This is an old-fashion western with a great open landscape and a compelling performance from Duvall. The plot meanders a bit going from romantic melodrama to brutal violence. The violence is brutal and realistic. I think shortening the over two hour running time would help increase the intensity.

We've watched Open Range at a movie theater in Turkey, with my campus buddies in my past university years. Then after a couple years, I found myself renting the DVD version to have some rest at my apartment in Canada. Staying lonely at my place, I thought to get some team spirit from this western. From my second view of the movie, I thanked God that I was not living in country; for Open Range has implicated metropolitan suburban solitude to a such good story.

Despite the storyline is worthy to get satisfied a little, the audience of Open Range must not have any technical and performance-based expectations. Cinematography and camera movements are low-class for a western. Plus, I am not pleased to find a silent-western. This silence has some remembrance from Dances With Wolves or Wyatt Earp, if you have expected to see Kevin Costner as the Kevin Costner we know. Even though, there is no heroic elements nor any sensational piece of news. Moreover, there was no harmony between Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall. It seemed to me, they were sullen to each other as long as the movie goes. We can count up the number of times they look at each other in the eye, being under-oath mates; that makes us remember the duo of Clint Eastwood & Morgan Freeman in Unforgiven, who were speaking the silent language of the friendship glances. Basically, the cast was not in the mood to make a Western, if their main purpose is not to make an migration-to-country Eastern.

Out of the duo of Costner & Duvall, there is a successful joint named Annette Bening. Sadly confessing am I, that she is the only contribution to the movie to make it worth-to-see. So by the acting aid of Annette Bening, I gave Open Range 5 out of 10. Because, every sketch and every mimic of her; bonds us back to the story at the point where we got lost and fell into sleep as I did each time I saw this movie. It is incontestably evident her self-denial rises up the dramas to the industrial Hollywood standards, clearly acceptable since her magnificent effort from the 1999 masterpiece American Beauty.

Costner's third film as a director, his fourth if you include his work with Kevin Reynolds on Waterworld (1995), is another Western. One says 'another', but upon reflection it is obvious that it's a genre that, creatively, he's hardly left. After the highly successful Dances With Wolves (1990) he directed with Kevin Reynolds - albeit in uncredited fashion - the critically mauled The Postman (1997). The latter was nothing less than a reworking of the familiar Pony Express story, and for good measure threw in explicit references to John Ford along the way. Waterworld's ocean setting did nothing to disguise the fact that that was a film that owed another massive debt to the great American genre: sea fort, lone riders, wide-open watery frontier and all. Costner also did sterling work as Wyatt Earp in Kasdan's 1994 film of the same name - a substantial project, and one close enough in manner to his own to suggest more than a passing creative influence from its star.

In Open Range, Costner again has the lead: as Charley Waite, former gunfighter, now sharing ownership of a free grazing cattle drive. Together with Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall), and two others they reach Harmonville where they soon encounter a corrupt town Marshal (James Russo) and rancher (an excellent Michael Gambon) who threaten their way of life. They also discover others who prove sympathetic to their cause, like the sister of the town's doctor Sue Barlow (Annette Bening). There's growing suspense as an inevitable showdown looms ("Men are gonna get killed here today, Sue, and I'm gonna kill 'em...") Waite's personal life, and his romance gradually comes to the fore until its crisis, as well as the combat, mark the end of the film.

On screen Costner shares equal honours with the septuagenarian Robert Duvall, whose personal philosophy that "Man's got a right to protect his property and his life, and we ain't gonna let no rancher or his lawman take either," informs much of the main action. Crusty and fearsome, Spearman's dauntless words recall those of John Wayne's J.B. Books in The Shootist (1976) who expressed broadly similar sentiments: "I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them." In either case its an old man speaking, one fiercely independent after a life of hardship and who won't be trifled with. Open Range takes its main impetus from exactly that sort of unwelcome interference, and resembles Eastwood's Unforgiven in that a good deal of the narrative consists of a determined settling of accounts, an unrelieved search for moral recompense outside the law after an initial trespass against the innocent. What is started almost casually is finished deliberately and by the authority given the wronged: "Ours ain't writ by no tin star, bought and paid for, Marshall. It's writ by us, and we aim to enforce it," says Boss. Like Eastwood's film, Open Range also features a retired gunman who has recourse to his skills to help salvage a situation, and some of the best scenes with Costner's character concern his dispassionate and professional preparation for gunplay. Like William Munny before, Charley Waite has something of an avenging angel about him, whose cold consideration of his trade is filmed completely without irony.

Open Range has all the hallmarks of Costner the western auteur: an expansive, almost leisurely tone, supporting roles for loyal canines, a certain solemnity and respect for his conservative cinematic predecessors being foremost amongst them. As others have said, Costner directs as if Peckinpah and Leone had never existed, and the present work is no exception. Characteristically, it contains none of the self-indulgent nostalgia or cynicism common in the genre since the 1960s. Despite a visual quote from The Wild Bunch (1969) for instance, as men take their long walk abreast to the confrontation, the final shootout of Open Range owes far more to the traditional showdown of Gunfight At The OK Corral (1957) than the apocalyptic finale of Peckinpah's masterpiece. Slow burning, character driven and ruminative, Costner's latest has been criticised by some for its too-deliberate narrative pacing. For an MTV-generation viewing audience, unused to an older, more leisurely way of showing things, such issues are understandable, although no one used to a filmmaker taking his time to tell a good story will complain. Indeed, part of the great success of Open Range is the way it single-mindedly sustains an atmosphere of fateful suspense.

One thing that no one disputes: Duvall is magnificent in his part, a performance that may well prove a capstone to a long and prestigious career. Costner apparently had the actor in mind for the part from the first, a decision justified entirely and one of the highlights of the film. In fact if the film's has a weakness it can be put down to that fact that Spearman holds the stage so successfully, and for so long. Waite's own romance, starting so tentatively, is somewhat overshadowed by the more urgent prerogatives of his partner and when it finally flowers, it leads to some scenes which could have, with prudence been cut back to greater effect. Having said that, Costner's awkward farewell to Miss Barlow, saying so much with so little, just before the fight begins, is another memorable scene where sentimentality is kept happily at bay. It is once the violence is over, and the great tension is dissipated, that matters are drawn out a little too much. A little stoicism might have led to a more memorable close.

Like many good westerns, Open Range's central concerns lie around personal freedom and moral rectitude - the balance between which gives a good deal of the narrative its necessary tension. Like crossing the flood, which pours down the main street of Harmonville, the participants have to choose one side or the other. It's a film ultimately less about a gunfighter settling down, than of how men abide their self-justified actions. In the disc extras, Costner draws an illuminating parallel between the scene in his film in which Spearman and Waite confront the jayhawkers and The Oxbow Incident. In Wellman's 1943 classic, a rushed lynching leads to a disastrous error and mutual guilt. In Costner's film, to whom guilt is assigned is never in doubt, and indeed Spearman initially has to hold Waite back from overstepping the mark - an action which he comes to regret. "I never had any problem with killing," says Waite at one point. Like Eastwood's Munny, once justified he seeks stark retribution without compunction.

There's only one gunfight in Open Range, but it is worth the wait. Spread out almost as leisurely as the rest of the film, Costner and his cinematographer James Muro use a range of shots throughout the violent events to achieve effects both chaotic and planned at the same time. (Incidentally for a filmmaker who prides himself on accuracy, Costner has his hero 'fan' off shots, a notoriously inaccurate way of discharging a gun, but that's a minor distraction.) It's a notable confrontation, an extended set piece sequence that is one of the director's best and confirms his film the finest western since Unforgiven.

There are those who will disagree, that is fine. I believe everyone should be allowed to voice their opinion. So this is mine. "Open Range" is in my opinion one of the best movies I have seen on the silver screen since John Ford's westerns. It is definitely Kevin Costner's best performance and Robert Duvall, well, he is great in anything he plays in. Ever since his portrayal of "Boo Radley" in "To Kill a Mockingbird" I have been a fan. This movie is an absolute delight and the very best of western cinema. The character of Baxter (Michael Gambon)is spot on. He does so well at his craft that you cannot help but to hate him and enjoy what he is about to get. I watch the movie every time it is on. Great cast and great story.

I've seen this movie at least ten times. I watch it whenever I stumble across it scheduled on a cable channel. I think it is the best movie Kevin Costner has ever made. I would not call myself a big Kevin Costner fan. I think he too often over reaches. This movie however he nailed. Duval is positively superb. I do not recall Duval ever bad, well except maybe his brief turn in To Kill a Mockingbird. I am not enough of a movie buff to be able attribute his performance in this film to Costner's direction or Duval's feel for the character. I cannot recall Costner ever playing a role as subtlety as he does in this. I think he understood this character and was willing to share the screen with his costars. I give MS Benning huge props for playing this film without apparent makeup. All credit to Costner for the mood of this movie never wavering. The cinematography was excellent.

Last night as I started to watch this I almost stopped during the opening scenes. The pace is slow, real slow. I tend not to tolerate slow moving stories very well. Yet as soon as I met Boss Spearman and Charley Waite I was hooked. Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner did a fantastic job of convincing me they were driving those cows through the open range. In fact by the time the two hours and nineteen minutes rolled by, I didn't feel it. I'm not saying that slower paced westerns are all I will watch now, but this one was worthy the viewing. May even find itself reviewed a few years down the road.

Great entertainment, and a movie to help one appreciate the slower pace.

"Open Range" is a very slow movie. I mention this upfront in case you are the type who won't watch a slow and deliberately paced film. But, and this is important, the film is pretty amazing.

The plot is one that is rather familiar to old B-westerns. There's a local rancher who controls everyone and when a cattle drive comes by HIS town, he sets out to destroy the cowboys and steal their livestock. The surviving members of the party (Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner) are naturally angry...and the local sheriff is bought and paid for by the evil boss. So what are these two proud, wronged men to do?

This movie works very well for a variety of reasons. The biggest one is that the acting is just superb...top notch. On top of this, the cinematography, music and setting all work to make a terrific movie...one that works very well if you give it a chance.

Westerns have run their course in Hollywood. Gone are the glory days of Sergio Leone's The Man Without a Name films or Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch. In the new age of film, it now seems we run years before we get mediocre films like Young Guns they seem to do enough harm to put the genre in a back room for another lengthy stay. It's not that any western produced within the past 20 years has been incredibly bad, it's just that the new generation of moviegoers don't seem to care. Kids on the street now play spaceman and aliens rather than the cowboys and Indians that we used to partake.

Then in 1985, Clint Eastwood tried again with Pale Rider, which was a moderate hit grossing in about $41 million dollars domestically. But still Hollywood did not jump on the chuck wagon to exploit the genre. Over the next few years, there were a handful of good western films (Dances with Wolves, Silverado) and a whole lot of bad ones (Trigger Fast, Bad Girls).

It took Clint Eastwood to come to the rescue again in 1992 with the critically applauded Unforgiven. The story about a retired gunslinger went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture and many people, including myself, thought that the flood gates for the western/frontier film was wide open.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the local saloon…years passed and no one studio seemed to greenlight any further westerns. Were there no good stores? Were they too expensive to make? Or was it simply that Schwarzenegger would just look stupid in chaps. Who knows?

One thing I do know for sure is that Kevin Costner's Open Range is one of the better westerns to be produced in many a Dakota moon. Starring Costner, Robert Duvall and Annette Bening, Open Range tells the story of two free grazers who take the law into their own hands after members of their posse are shot and left for dead. Sue Barlow (Bening) is the sister of the local doctor that cares for the harmed ranchers and soon finds herself the affection of Charlie Waites' eye (Costner). Together, they stand up to the sheriff and his local henchmen in hopes of seeking revenge for their fallen comrade and ensuring their right to free graze in the open country.

What made Open Range so unique is its honest depiction of the wild wild west. When a gun battle is about to erupt in town, the townspeople flee to the treeline rather than sit in their homes and become victims of stray bullets. And when the gun fighting begins, people actually don't get hit with every bullet leaving a gun. Even just ten to fifteen feet from each other, bullets fly by from the hands of nervous gunmen which is a far cry from the every bullet has an owner movies to which Eastwood has made famous.

Even the characters are more realistic than portrayed in most westerns. Our heroes are conflicted individuals whose actions are sometimes less than acceptable recourse. When Charlie shoots the bar mirror after being denied service, it reinforces the notion that in a lawless time, everyone just looked out after themselves and went to great lengths to see their own form of justice handed out.

Maybe most refreshing however was in the simple casting of the film. Costner and Bening as love interests are far more an acceptable possibility than having an almost 50-year old chasing down a twenty-something like we see in almost every other movie out there. And Bening, to her credit, also uses very little make-up to hide the fact that she too is in her forties. This lead to a more plausible affection, all do respect to Jack Nicholson and his harem of high school costars.

Kevin Costner had to put up a majority of his own money to get this film made, and although not a breakthrough success, the movie did make back its $40 dollar budget with a few extra coins for everyone to put back in their pockets with DVD and video rentals. However, this will do nothing to get the western back in our local theaters on a regular basis. Unless someone can produce a western with Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Keanu Reeves and Leonardo DiCarprio directed by Steven Spielberg, then I am afraid we are in for another long drought before we get to see our heroes ride into the sunset to cue the credits.

Once again, Robert Duval deserves Oscar consideration for this one. The dialogue was crisp so kudos to the writing team. The attention to detail must also be applauded. During the first walk through of the town, the realism was mind blowing. The detail of the main characters trying to cross the street as the water rushed by was incredible well done. Who couldn't relate to that?

This one is a must see. A true period film

It is sometimes easy to forget that Kevin Costner once had a reputation as an understated and smart Hollywood leading man, due to overbearing epics such as Waterworld and Robin Hood: Prince of Theieves. This tight, and character driven Western is a return to form, and once again shows his keen eye as a director, and his engagement with fellow actors.

I was impressed with the chemistry between Costner as Charley Waite along side Robert Duvall's seasoned 'Boss'. There was some fun knock about humour and sparks between the two, but also a gentle intimacy, and Costner deserves credit for his understated turn in allowing Duvall space to dominate the screen. Duvall has an air of subtle menace and charm as always, its a carefully built and commanding turn. It was also interesting how Boss become the more likable character of the two, having started out as a bit of a grumpy bore.

There is a nice earthy look to the visuals, and the pacing is cool and breezy, with a care to detail, but not overalLy fussy. It is also a rare aspect of the Western that there is only one major action sequence and as a result it feels like a more dramatic and crucial scene. Another surprising thing is that the romance between Annette Bening's Sue and Charley is not rushed or underwritten as it maybe in other films of this genre. It is a credible part of the narrative which is given time to build, and another plus is that Sue is invested with much greater agency than is the norm for female characters of the genre.

Its not all plain sailing, some of the dialogue felt jarring, Diego Luna's supporting character was a tad underwriter and felt like a plot device, and Michael Gambon's Irish accent was cartoonish.

However, for the most part, this was an enjoyable mix comedy, drama, and romance, neatly shot, and grounded.

This is one of those few(for me)films that I can watch several times each year. I still feel it is Kevin Costners best work,either in front of,or behind the camera. I feel that it is Annette Benings best supporting role in her career,and only her turn in "American Beauty" was as good,leading,supporting,or otherwise. Robert Duvall is fantastic,completely nominatable-but is'nt he always?. He is,to me,a treasure. Seemingly always considered strictly a supporting player,he is a better actor than a slew of "best actor" winners that come to mind. Oops,that sounded biased. The writing is beautiful,adopting a "less is more"character that is absolutely necessary for people from this time and circumstance. Honesty,loyalty,bravery,guts and most important of all,love,are all woven into this beautiful movie. I have been a movie fan my entire life,was given this gift by my father,who owned a business in L.A.,not far from Culver city. I have watched a lot of films. I was thinking about how many films I really DO watch multiple times per year. The number is roughly 10. This is one of them. It is a beautiful piece of work(did I mention the cinematography?beautiful!)in every way and it does the one thing that any film that I am going to call "good" must do...it moves me.I love it. B.E. Hews 3-16-08

"Open Range" (2003): Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, Annette Benning star in a film about honor, honesty, duty, guilt, and love of all kinds. Set in our 1880's West, a foursome of decent cattlemen find themselves coming near and challenged by a much larger town of paranoid, bully types who don't want the likes of "free grazers" anywhere near "their" turf. Push comes to shove. What I like so much about this "western" is it's focus not on action (although that is inevitable in this story) but thought, it's patient look at stoic men trying to do the right thing with the least amount of consequence. It's a very strong, accurate description of the classic American male, still alive in this country, but much less appreciated now. The photography is beautiful, the scoring is huge yet somehow not overwhelming (often used to remind the viewer that a simple moment has an epic point), the dialog is everything from funny and dry, simple and elegant, to deep and moving. There IS a "love interest" in here, but it is kept to a minimum, does not overshadow the larger issues of this story, and it has a non-glossy realism to it that was a GREAT relief. The sets and costuming - wonderful. The landscape - let me move there. It's totally unnecessary to think of this as a "Western", but if you must, think "Shane" and "Unforgiven".