Open Range
Kevin Costner directs and stars in the 2003 film Open Range. Based on the novel The Open Range Men by Lauran Paine, Open Range also stars Robert Duvall and Anette Bening. It is an epic western, filled with lots of dialogue and sweeping camera shots of the open range of the prairie. Shot with a similar feel to Costner’s other western epic, Dances With Wolves, Open Range builds with a slow grit towards an engaging and explosive climax.
The film centers around the range wars that took place in the American West during the late 1800s. These conflicts involved people that believed in the “law of the open range” and those that did not. The “law of the open range”, according to those that subscribed to it, held that the open range was essentially free land and was to provide free water and grass for everyone. The other side of these conflicts, often called “barbed wire men,” believed that they could use barbed wire fencing to defend their empire and actually own the land. Passing shots in the film of partial barbed wire fences drive home the nature of these range wars and set a framework for the plot of the film.
Robert Duvall plays Boss, a free-range cattleman who is driving a herd across the country with a few hired hands, including Charley (Costner), Mose (Abraham Benrubi) and Button (Diego Luna). Eventually the crew gets short on supplies, so they send Mose into a nearby town to refill. The town is controlled by a corrupt land baron (Michael Gambon), however, that hates free-rangers. Mose is badly beaten by the baron’s henchmen, leading to Boss and Charley to wonder where Mose has gotten to. Eventually they head back for the town, looking for their friend. One thing leads to another and Charley and Boss find themselves in a full conflict with the land barons of the town and their henchmen.
The conflict escalates beautifully, thanks to Costner’s gentle direction. He displaces the violence at first, leaving most of it off-screen for the first two-thirds of the film. Instead, Costner utilizes dialogue and visuals to provide a backdrop for the conflict. He even involves some personal interests by introducing Sue Barlow (Bening) as a love interest and a doctor’s wife. This adds to the stakes and ups the ante for the final conflict, as we truly care about the relationship between Barlow and Charley. The growth is so tender and subtle that the climax comes loaded with implications.
When the violent showdown at the end of the film does arrive, it arrives with such sudden explosiveness that it packs a wallop. Costner’s Charley is a former army soldier with a dark and deadly past, so he’s right at home in a brutal gun battle. Juxtaposed against that is Duvall’s Boss, who is no slouch with a rifle but has likely seen better days. Both men, however, have something to live for and that desire drives them through the climax with passion and power. It is truly one of the best gunfights I have ever seen in a film of this genre. The epic showdown of Open Range lasts well over ten minutes and is loaded with implications and personal touches by Costner’s expert direction.
Open Range features good character development, a beautiful and moving script, explosive action that works off of proper builds and effective moods and gorgeous scenery. It is the ideal prototype of a modern western, captivating audiences with true grit, passion and a love for the genre. This is truly Costner’s love letter to the western film and it is a treat to watch. It is one of the best westerns since Eastwood’s incredible Unforgiven.
Trailer:
