HOME |  CULT MOVIES | COMPETITIONS | ADVERTISE |  CONTACT US |  ABOUT US
 
 
 
Newest Reviews
American Fiction
Poor Things
Thunderclap
Zeiram
Legend of the Bat
Party Line
Night Fright
Pacha, Le
Kimi
Assemble Insert
Venus Tear Diamond, The
Promare
Beauty's Evil Roses, The
Free Guy
Huck and Tom's Mississippi Adventure
Rejuvenator, The
Who Fears the Devil?
Guignolo, Le
Batman, The
Land of Many Perfumes
Cat vs. Rat
Tom & Jerry: The Movie
Naked Violence
Joyeuses Pacques
Strangeness, The
How I Became a Superhero
Golden Nun
Incident at Phantom Hill
Winterhawk
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City
Maigret Sets a Trap
B.N.A.
Hell's Wind Staff, The
Topo Gigio and the Missile War
Battant, Le
Penguin Highway
Cazadore de Demonios
Snatchers
Imperial Swordsman
Foxtrap
   
 
Newest Articles
3 From Arrow Player: Sweet Sugar, Girls Nite Out and Manhattan Baby
Little Cat Feat: Stephen King's Cat's Eye on 4K UHD
La Violence: Dobermann at 25
Serious Comedy: The Wrong Arm of the Law on Blu-ray
DC Showcase: Constantine - The House of Mystery and More on Blu-ray
Monster Fun: Three Monster Tales of Sci-Fi Terror on Blu-ray
State of the 70s: Play for Today Volume 3 on Blu-ray
The Movie Damned: Cursed Films II on Shudder
The Dead of Night: In Cold Blood on Blu-ray
Suave and Sophisticated: The Persuaders! Take 50 on Blu-ray
Your Rules are Really Beginning to Annoy Me: Escape from L.A. on 4K UHD
A Woman's Viewfinder: The Camera is Ours on DVD
Chaplin's Silent Pursuit: Modern Times on Blu-ray
The Ecstasy of Cosmic Boredom: Dark Star on Arrow
A Frosty Reception: South and The Great White Silence on Blu-ray
You'll Never Guess Which is Sammo: Skinny Tiger and Fatty Dragon on Blu-ray
Two Christopher Miles Shorts: The Six-Sided Triangle/Rhythm 'n' Greens on Blu-ray
Not So Permissive: The Lovers! on Blu-ray
Uncomfortable Truths: Three Shorts by Andrea Arnold on MUBI
The Call of Nostalgia: Ghostbusters Afterlife on Blu-ray
Moon Night - Space 1999: Super Space Theater on Blu-ray
Super Sammo: Warriors Two and The Prodigal Son on Blu-ray
Sex vs Violence: In the Realm of the Senses on Blu-ray
What's So Funny About Brit Horror? Vampira and Bloodbath at the House of Death on Arrow
Keeping the Beatles Alive: Get Back
   
 
  Open Range The Cowboy Way
Year: 2003
Director: Kevin Costner
Stars: Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, Michael Gambon, Michael Jeter, Diego Luna, James Russo, Abraham Benrubi, Dean McDermott, Kim Coates, Herb Kohler, Peter MacNeill, Cliff Saunders, Patricia Stutz, Julian Richings, Ian Tracey, Rod Wilson
Genre: WesternBuy from Amazon
Rating:  7 (from 2 votes)
Review: Four cattle drivers led by Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall) and his righthand man of a decade or more Charley Waite (Kevin Costner) are bringing their herd across the plains of the Old West, as they have done for years. However, after a heavy storm one night they decide they will need more supplies, so the cook, Mose (Abraham Benrubi), is sent to the nearest town to secure what they need. This is what heralds a challenge to their way of life, as after a couple of days it becomes clear Mose is not coming back any time soon and Boss and Waite leave their teenage helper Button (Diego Luna) behind while they investigate exactly what is going on...

And what is really going on? Why, it's another resurgence of the western, of course. Ever since the Heaven's Gate fiasco, there have been films released that supposedly mark the return of the genre, whether it was Silverado (also featuring Costner), Unforgiven, Tombstone or the 3.10 to Yuma remake, so many in fact that it makes you wonder whether the western has ever been away. Certainly they hadn't been making the money they once had, but there was evidence that there was still an audience for this kind of thing, hence the cult following for an effort like Open Range.

If there's anyone who would like to see a revival it would be Costner, as he had done his level best to bring such films back into popularity over the years, directing as he did the highly successful Dances with Wolves and the, erm, not so successful science fiction-but-not-really The Postman. So it makes sense that he would have as his lead here Duvall, who might not be automatically thought of as a star of westerns, but a quick scan of his filmography showed he was happy to be associated with them, particularly in his earlier years: he appeared with John Wayne, dammit.

So with a solid cast of capable hands and script by Craig Storper from Lauran Paine's novel that understands the appeal of the themes and setpieces, why does Open Range fall a little short? Perhaps it's that very reverence which makes the drama look unwilling to take risks; Costner's film was compared to Unforgiven by some, but where the Clint Eastwood film had something to say about modern day violence, here it's more about the restrictions on freedom that bring men to fight for what they believe, which might be an up to date concern, but comes across as old-fashioned through and through with this handling.

The troubles our two heroes find when they reach the town are all down to the greed and gangsterism of a few who hold sway over the many - the many who have acquiesced to the strong armed will of these lawmakers. Mose has been beaten up and placed in jail on flimsy charges, but Boss and Charley realise that it's because of their status as "free-grazers", i.e. they don't have to answer to the leaders around these here parts, that they are being victimised. Slowly but surely the bad guys led by Baxter (Michael Gambon with an Irish accent) force Boss and his men to give up their cattle and threaten their lives, but this situation is a two way street and our heroes are not giving up without a fight. Open Range is exciting enough to almost overlook the heavy streak of sentiment running through it, from Charley's patience-testing romance with doctor's sister Sue (Annette Bening) to the Michael Kamen's sweeping score and a few too many misty-eyed gazes at the landscape, but Costner knew his audience, if not how to win over fresh converts.
Reviewer: Graeme Clark

 

This review has been viewed 4968 time(s).

As a member you could Rate this film

 
Review Comments (0)


Untitled 1

Login
  Username:
 
  Password:
 
   
 
Forgotten your details? Enter email address in Username box and click Reminder. Your details will be emailed to you.
   

Latest Poll
Which star probably has psychic powers?
Laurence Fishburne
Nicolas Cage
Anya Taylor-Joy
Patrick Stewart
Sissy Spacek
Michelle Yeoh
Aubrey Plaza
Tom Cruise
Beatrice Dalle
Michael Ironside
   
 
   

Recent Visitors
  Stuart Watmough
Paul Shrimpton
Darren Jones
Mary Sibley
Enoch Sneed
Mark Le Surf-hall
  Louise Hackett
Andrew Pragasam
   

 

Last Updated: