WubsTheFadger Short and Simple Review by WubsTheFadgerFirst off, the story is very simple. Some free range cattle farmers are told to leave because the owner of the land doesn't want these filthy free folk on his land. Things turn violent when the farmers want to settle things diplomatically. The story is told in a very slow fashion but is extremely powerful.The acting is the best part about the film. Kevin Costner delivers a stunning performance as a man torn between what he truly is and what he want to become. Michael Jeter also delivers an amazing performance. Robert Duvall, Annette Bening, Michael Gambon, Abraham Benrubi, and Diego Luna also perform well.The pacing is very slow until the end. The film wants us to connect and study the characters as real people. But the pacing can be seen as slow nonetheless. Also the runtime is overlong. Pros: Simple story, great ending, amazing performance by Kevin Costner and Michael Jeter, good acting, and great character studiesCons: Very slow pacing and an overlong runtimeOverall Rating: 8.4

paradux First of all this is piece of film history.Costner was just coming to the end of an extraordinary run where he was so popular with audiences that he was even playing parts which, with hindsight, were way beyond his range. (Like for example Robin Hood.) Here he was both in front of the camera and behind it. And doing great work in each position.Duvall had been working in films since the 1950s and was still carving out his legacy with extraordinary roles like this one.And Bening also was reaching the stage in her career where she would no longer solely provide the "love interest" for an entire film.But all that was yet to come. In 2003 these actors were the peak of their craft and they picked up this film and carried it to the finish line.The script is to die for. The sub-texts of loyalty, secrecy among men, and respect for your employer are rare, and to be treasured. The revenge theme is wonderful and deeply nuanced. The chocolate bar scene is unforgettable.An amazing movie and highly recommended.

winopaul What a great simple straightforward story, told well. No time-line chopping, just a nice linear story. No tragic hero that dies in the end. Just good guys and bad guys, and a happy ending, the way a Western should be. Can you believe the Hispanic kid was not killed off? What is remarkable is that I like the movie but I dislike Costner. Not as bad as I hate some other actors, but if you watch the bonus feature, he is almost as narcissistic as Tom Cruise in his bonus interview in The Last Samurai. It helps that Costner wears a beard so he is less recognizable to me, and his voice is not too obnoxious.Another really stunning thing is that they used an older Annette Bening instead of some barely-legal fluff babe as the female lead. Bening is at the height of her power as an actress. Small things she did were really expressive, it was a joy to watch. All the talent was great, as was the camera work and editing. Yeah, it moved slowly, but I didn't care, I so enjoyed being transported back there, watching something that seemed based on believable human behavior, not Hollywood action-porn. This was obviously written before the time of first-person-shooter video games and I love it for that.I still put True Grit as the best Western. After that, I used to put Tombstone. I never liked Unforgiven that much. So this was a great pleasure, as I would slot this in ahead of Tombstone, a solid #2. The voice-over in Tombstone makes it more like you are looking at the period. This movie immerses you in the period. You feel like you are living there back then.Last week at the library I was cursed by my selection of Child 44, Atonement, and Cowboys and Aliens. Now I knew C&A was a stinker, that is why I took it it out, but the other two were a real disappointment. So this week its this flick, Breach, and the X-men future passed movie. This movie alone was worth the trip to the library, and Breach was darn good as well. I am confident the X-men movie will be another teen fanboy movie that looks more like a first-person shooter than a movie. That's OK, that's what I expect. What was a joy was seeing a Kevin Costner movie I really liked.

slightlymad22 Continuing my plan to watch every Kevin Costner movie in order, I come to his third directorial effort 2003's Open Range.Plot In A Paragraph: A former gunslinger (KC) is forced to take up arms again when he and his friends are threatened by a corrupt lawman.After his worst movie since the early 80's, KC responded with his best movie in 10 years. KC turned down the role of Bill in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 to do this movie, and I for one am glad he did. I'm also glad Robert Duvall took the role (within 24 hours of reading the script) as he was the only actor that Kevin Costner wanted for the role of Boss Spearman. He said if Duvall had turned down the part, he might not have made the movie at all. And that would have been a travesty. I can't praise the cast highly enough especially the two leads. Robert Duvall is perfect and KC fits this movie like a glove. It's beautifully shot and has a great score too. I'm not sure how many here will have seen it, but I love it!! At a little over two hours, this is the shortest of any movie KC has directed. I remember it took forever to come to the UK, about 6 months after its release in America, and I was disappointed (like with Thirteen Days) to find my screening less than half full, despite great reviews.