Open Range: Movie & DVD Review (2003)

(Originally published 2003)

Directed by Kevin Costner, written by Craig Storper, based on the novel “The Open Range Men” by Lauran Paine, 135 minutes, rated R.

In the Western “Open Range,” director, producer and star Kevin Costner casts himself in a variation of the role that has defined so much of his career, that of a troubled loner whose reluctance to become romantically involved is exactly the quality that makes him so irresistible to strong-willed women.

He’s Charley Waite, a quiet, brooding man guiding cattle across the wild West with three other free rangers—the patriarch of the group, Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall), gentle giant Mose (Abraham Benrubi) and the immature Button (Diego Luna).

After a leisurely opening that drags in spite of the welcome diversion of cinematographer James Muro’s stunning, wide-open landscapes (the film was shot in Alberta and its look is pure John Ford), the movie gets under your skin.

Working against the men as they move along the outskirts of Harmonville is a powerful, insidious rancher named Baxter (Michael Gambon), who detests free rangers so much, he employs several men to find Charley, Boss and the others with the intent to kill them.

What ensues is a gathering storm, one that culminates in a vicious, beautifully conceived gunfight that matches anything in “High Noon” or “Unforgiven,” along with a stiff romantic undercurrent that pulls the film together as Charley falls for Sue Barlow (Annette Bening), the local doctor’s handsome, headstrong sister.

Time and failure have turned Costner into a generous actor and director. Throughout “Open Range,” he literally hands his movie to Duvall, who runs with the film, doing some of his best work in years, walking a fine line between grounding the movie as Charley’s moral compass while offering several much-needed moments of comic relief. He’s terrific here, one of the best reasons to see the movie.

Some of the film’s dialogue is unfortunate (“I’ve been holdin’ my love a long time, Charley”; “Let’s go rustle up some grub”), and Costner remains the sort of cornball softy who can’t resist forcibly tugging at our hearts. Still, for the most part, he’s more sure-footed than ever, mining a memorable posthumous performance from Michael Jeter, delivering a solid turn himself, and finding in the Western something grand, familiar and new within a genre that clearly has some life in it yet.

Grade: B+

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