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From Amazon.co.uk
Released almost exactly 11 years after Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, Kevin Costner's Open Range proved yet again that the Western is the classic American genre. Costner's first film since 1997's ill-fated The Postman returns the actor/director of Dances With Wolves to the open prairies of America--in this case the free-range frontier of 1882--where legal "free-grazing" cattle drives were falling prey to empire-building land-owners. In the wake of territorial murder, free-grazing cowboys Boss (Robert Duvall) and Charley (Costner) seek vengeful justice against the ruthless rancher (Michael Gambon) who threatens their law-abiding survival. A feisty ally (the late Michael Jeter, in his next-to-final film role) and a doctor's sister (Annette Bening) offer support during climactic shootouts, masterfully staged with the shock and suddenness of real-life gunfire. While it lacks the thematic impact of Eastwood's masterpiece, this handsome production!--rich in character development and thick-hided humour--redeemed Costner's directorial career with a well-told story (by Craig Storper, based on Lauran Paine's novel The Open Range Men), flawless performances, and stunning Canadian locations. --Jeff Shannon
Product Description
A group of men looking for peace and quiet, and an escape from their past lives as gunmen, drive a herd of cattle across the plains. When their paths cross a big-shot local rancher known as Denton Baxtor, the past catches up with the former cowboys and they find themselves taking part in a gunfight for justice.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 41 people found the following review helpful
By Graham Clews
Format:DVD
Well, what a pleasant suprise. I rented this DVD purely on reading reviews. For once, the critics got it right. Infact, some have drastically undersold this gem of a movie. You may know the story; two old friends driving cattle become entagled in small town injustice and bullying.
Ok, it aint original is it? Well, watch the movie and you will feel like this is the first time you have ever seen this plot. It feels so fresh and original. The vast majority of the credit should be given to Kevin Costner himself. On the directing side, he manages to use subtlty and reality in perfect combination. He uses the terrific landscapes spectacularly and allows the actors to instill a genuine sense of belonging to the area. The climactic gunfight is as thrilling as it is realistic. Five shots can be fired, one may hit the target (and that goes for good and bad guys).
Performance wise, Michael Gambon is wonderfully nasty in what is essentially a cameo appearance. Annette Benning plays her role neatly, sticking to the woman-with-morals line. But the two leads, Duvall and Costner, ARE the film. Duvall can do no wrong when playing the older, wiser friend. Here he adds a menace and power little seen before. Costner is breathtaking. The opportunities to glam-up his tough cowboy role are completely avoided in favour of a complex, shy and tortured man. A man who has fallen in love sits effortlessly with a gunslinger trying to forget his violent history.
Open Range should really have found its way to Oscar night. Costner has demonstrated that Dances with Wolves was no fluke. In my humble opinion, this film is better. It is a simple narrative, played honestly...and is all the better without any showey "oscar-look-at-me" moments.... Read more ›
Ok, it aint original is it? Well, watch the movie and you will feel like this is the first time you have ever seen this plot. It feels so fresh and original. The vast majority of the credit should be given to Kevin Costner himself. On the directing side, he manages to use subtlty and reality in perfect combination. He uses the terrific landscapes spectacularly and allows the actors to instill a genuine sense of belonging to the area. The climactic gunfight is as thrilling as it is realistic. Five shots can be fired, one may hit the target (and that goes for good and bad guys).
Performance wise, Michael Gambon is wonderfully nasty in what is essentially a cameo appearance. Annette Benning plays her role neatly, sticking to the woman-with-morals line. But the two leads, Duvall and Costner, ARE the film. Duvall can do no wrong when playing the older, wiser friend. Here he adds a menace and power little seen before. Costner is breathtaking. The opportunities to glam-up his tough cowboy role are completely avoided in favour of a complex, shy and tortured man. A man who has fallen in love sits effortlessly with a gunslinger trying to forget his violent history.
Open Range should really have found its way to Oscar night. Costner has demonstrated that Dances with Wolves was no fluke. In my humble opinion, this film is better. It is a simple narrative, played honestly...and is all the better without any showey "oscar-look-at-me" moments.... Read more ›
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:DVD
14 years on since Kevin Costner made his oscar grabbing Western Dances With Wolves, he returns with another dramatic Western tale, this time focusing on the freegrazers of the old West.
When freegrazers Charley Waite (Kevin Costner) and Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall) move into a new patch of territory with their companions Button and Mose Harrison, local rancher Baxter (a sinister Michael Gambon) begins to bother the four. After the killing of Mose and the injuring of Button, Charley and Boss Spearman go out for revenge and start making trouble for Baxter and his cronies.
Altogether, the film is well acted and doesn't get overly long, although some scenes could be edited, such as where we are first introduced to the band of ranchers on a rainy day in the hills.
There is never an unconvincing act from any of the cast, especially Duvall, whose form is brilliant as usual. Costner and Annete Bening are also shining in this piece as the rancher and the doctors sister who form the love story within the film. Michael Gambon is also great as the local rancher who rules the townsfolk, making himself fearful and evil.
But it has to be the fantastic gun fight which makes the film so good. So realistic and enthralling is the gunfight between Charley and Boss and Baxter and his ranchers that you know this sequence was worth the wait.
Whether your thing is romance or drama or action, Costner's directorial return is a true return to form. This film should not be missed, especially not by Western fans.
When freegrazers Charley Waite (Kevin Costner) and Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall) move into a new patch of territory with their companions Button and Mose Harrison, local rancher Baxter (a sinister Michael Gambon) begins to bother the four. After the killing of Mose and the injuring of Button, Charley and Boss Spearman go out for revenge and start making trouble for Baxter and his cronies.
Altogether, the film is well acted and doesn't get overly long, although some scenes could be edited, such as where we are first introduced to the band of ranchers on a rainy day in the hills.
There is never an unconvincing act from any of the cast, especially Duvall, whose form is brilliant as usual. Costner and Annete Bening are also shining in this piece as the rancher and the doctors sister who form the love story within the film. Michael Gambon is also great as the local rancher who rules the townsfolk, making himself fearful and evil.
But it has to be the fantastic gun fight which makes the film so good. So realistic and enthralling is the gunfight between Charley and Boss and Baxter and his ranchers that you know this sequence was worth the wait.
Whether your thing is romance or drama or action, Costner's directorial return is a true return to form. This film should not be missed, especially not by Western fans.
37 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Panned by the so called 'critics'and after apparently poor ticket office sales, I bought this expecting to be disappointed. How wrong I, and the critics were! On the reverse of the DVD it states 'A MASTERPIECE' & 'MAGNIFICENT'.For me,these sentiments sum this film up exactly.
Believe me,this film IS as good as that.It's at least as good as 'Unforgiven' and certainly better than 'Dances with wolves'.The acting from the entire cast is spot on, especially Bening who has a spell binding presence and natural stunning beauty. Duval is,as usual effortlessly classy and Costner does what Costner does best - makes you feel involved and care about the outcome.
The backdrop is simply stunning and shows off your Home Cinema brilliantly, not to mention the surround sound - wasn't that THE most realistic western gunfight ever? And as for the Thunder storm - I got soaked........
I could find no fault whatsoever in this film and have now watched it four times in the past month (I really must get a life!).
You remember when you used to come out of Cinemas and KNOW you'd been entertained whilst reliving the whole film in your mind - so OPEN RANGE was for me, and everyone I know whose seen it.
Just buy it,whatever the price, because class like this doesn't come along too often.
Believe me,this film IS as good as that.It's at least as good as 'Unforgiven' and certainly better than 'Dances with wolves'.The acting from the entire cast is spot on, especially Bening who has a spell binding presence and natural stunning beauty. Duval is,as usual effortlessly classy and Costner does what Costner does best - makes you feel involved and care about the outcome.
The backdrop is simply stunning and shows off your Home Cinema brilliantly, not to mention the surround sound - wasn't that THE most realistic western gunfight ever? And as for the Thunder storm - I got soaked........
I could find no fault whatsoever in this film and have now watched it four times in the past month (I really must get a life!).
You remember when you used to come out of Cinemas and KNOW you'd been entertained whilst reliving the whole film in your mind - so OPEN RANGE was for me, and everyone I know whose seen it.
Just buy it,whatever the price, because class like this doesn't come along too often.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
For those viewers who fondly remember, and miss, Robert Duvall's role as Augustus McCrae in the 1989 TV miniseries LONESOME DOVE, take heart. Duvall is back in the saddle again as "Boss" Spearman in OPEN RANGE. It's been way too long.
The lead role in this western actually belongs to Kevin Costner, who plays Spearman's trail partner and employee, Charlie Waite. Boss is a cattleman that practices free-range grazing, i.e. driving his herd from place to place, only staying long enough for the animals to deplete the available food supply. But it's 1882, ranchers are beginning to fence in the West, and freegrazers are an endangered species. So, its no surprise when Charlie and Boss are ordered to take their beeves and get out of Dodge, so to speak, by big time rancher Baxter (Michael Gambon), who also owns the local town and its sheriff. Waite and Spearman are soon backed into a corner when the latter's two other hired hands, Mose (Abraham Benrubi) and Button (Diego Luna), run seriously afoul of Baxter's thugs.
It would be hard to choose between the better performance - Costner or Duvall - both playing characters so strong, self-reliant and silent that neither knows the other's full name. And they've been riding the West together for ten years! Nor does Boss know Charlie's violent history, which included being a Civil War raider, and then a hired gun much like the ones now working for Baxter. When Charlie falls in love with Sue (Annette Bening), the spinster sister of the local sawbones, his guilt over his rough-edged past is a self-imposed handicap that Sue, who sees Waite's inner goodness, must overcome.
Moviegoers accustomed to a steady diet of mindless, FX-laden action thrillers may find the first three-quarters of OPEN RANGE slow going.
... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
great film this
great scenery, great acting, marvelous shoot out near the end, Annette Bening- wow what a looker. Highly recommended. reminded me a bit of the Magnificent Seven
Published 4 days ago by numptydad349
4.0 out of 5 stars
An eye for an eye Western
As always neither Robert Duvall nor Kevin Costner will give you a poor show.
A most entertaining show with lots of twists and turns--a must for Western Lovers
T.H.McC
A most entertaining show with lots of twists and turns--a must for Western Lovers
T.H.McC
Published 17 days ago by Trevor McClean
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a Western !
Western films come and go and there have been some great ones, but this encapsulates all that we can imagine was going on at that time. Read more
Published 19 days ago by David W. Cornwell
4.0 out of 5 stars
OK but not great
Good service and good price, arrived promptly and well packed. Product was exactly as described all in all very good.
Published 1 month ago by Sheila Rowbottom
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five stars for Mr. Duvall
Directed by, and co-starring Kevin Costner, this 2003 film treads familiar ground. Cattle herders, clinging to the long-held right to graze their animals on the open range of the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. P. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very enjoyable western indeed
This is western plot no 5.1b: rich landowner bullies town and meets his demise at the hands of a couple of strangers. Read more
Published 2 months ago by D. Rice
5.0 out of 5 stars
gritty western
very good western, acting good. The DVD was very good quality, the story was interestng, enjoyed it very much indeed
Published 4 months ago by jennifer lewis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Western!!
If you like westerns, especially those that are authentic, then this is for you. The gunfight at the end is amazing. Dont miss it.
Published 4 months ago by John Bowman
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 STARS FOR INCLUDING THE DOCO.
This is slow there's no doubt but my god Robert Duvall is good.This is a great western and i urge you to watch the documentary 1st,this will give you an insight into what's going... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Vlad the emailer
3.0 out of 5 stars
guns and kisses
I'm the world's soppiest man and any romance with Annette Bening gets my vote (see The American President for example). Read more
Published 5 months ago by Hill Walker
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