A One Mann’s Movies review of “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” (2024).
There I was, just two weeks ago reviewing “The Dead Don’t Hurt“, and I was bemoaning that “There are too few good Westerns around these days”. Then along comes the first episode of Kevin Costner’s ambitious “Horizon” quadrilogy. It is ambitious. It is very long. But its an impressive piece of work.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
It’s 1859 and an intrepid father and son are pegging out the land plots for a new frontier town called “Horizon”. But the remote land is in Apache territory and a violent clash of cultures is assured.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong violence, bloody images, sex”.)
Talent:
Starring: Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Tim Guinee, Giovanni Ribisi, Danny Huston, Abbey Lee, Tom Payne, Will Patton, Georgia MacPhail, Jeff Fahey, Luke Wilson.
Directed by: Kevin Costner.
Written by: Jon Baird & Kevin Costner. (From a story by Jon Baird, Kevin Costner & Mark Kasdan)
Twitter Handle: #Horizonsaga.
Running Time: 3h 1m.
“Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” Summary:
Positives:
- Interesting take on the “Western town” film.
- Truly spectacular scenary.
- A huge and eclectic cast.
Negatives:
- The pacing of the film is very variable, grinding to a halt at some points.
- Conversely, some scenes felt hurried and incomplete.
- I was missing backstory for some of the characters.
Review of “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1”:
In at ground zero.
Think of any movie western and they nearly always have the bustling western town, including at least the jail and the saloon. I’m not sure I’ve seen a film that features the actual foundation of a community, built up from nothing but prairie dirt. The opening scenes (and indeed the first hour) make you appreciate just how ridiculously brave (or foolhardy!) these early pioneers were.
From these beginnings we proceed into a sprawling tale comprising about 4 different parallel ‘streams’ that we keep cutting between. Most are compelling and I couldn’t wait to get back to that stream again.
The West in all its spectacle
Some of the scenary on show here is truly spectacular and its one of the reasons why this is a film that should be watched on the big screen. It’s not just the well-known spectacle of Monument Valley but it’s the vibrant colours of the Wyoming woods that stick in the mind. Kudos to the cinematographer, J. Michael Muro, for delivering some truly stunning and memorably framed shots. (Muro seems a curious choice for the film since his past CV is hardly A-list! So you wonder why Costner hired him?)
Also worthy of note is the score by John Debney which rollicks along in classic Western-score fashion. It’s not “How the West Was Won” or “The Magnificant Seven” (in that I can’t recall any of the main themes after the event): but it is worth a listen when the soundtrack album eventually appears.
An eclectic and extensive cast
For such an epic movie scope we obviously get an epic cast list. It says something about the scope of the film that Costner’s Hayes Ellison doesn’t appear until an hour in! Particularly well cast is Sienna Miller as Frances who epitomises the Western wife with both beauty and guts. Also very good is Georgia MacPhail, in her movie debut, as Frances’s teenage daughter.
Also popping up are Danny Huston, Giovanni Ribisi, Luke Wilson and Jeff Fahey (Lapides in “Lost”). (Giovanni Ribisi makes a curious appearance as the final – unexplained – face in the “Coming Soon” trailer at the end. Very odd!)
Boy, it drags in places.
At over 3 hours, this is another Costner bladder-tester. Curiously, it is EXACTLY the same length (3 hours and 1 minute) as “Dances With Wolves” (that’s the original cut – from memory, the director’s cut was 3h35m).
That length for such an epic film would be fine in my book if the script kept up a consistent beat. But the pacing is really odd. Some scenes drag on for ever. (Costner being introduced to the ‘tart with a heart’ Marigold (a very attractive Abbey Lee) goes on, and On and ON!! Come the fuck on Bridgit!!)
Conversely, in some of the action scenes, we are left grasping for a conclusion. (e.g. A young Indian squaw is pursued down a river by a guy on horseback…. presumably she is slain, but we never get to see it.) It’s almost as if Costner made a 4 hour film and then was forced at gunpoint to cut 25% out.
The script’s dialogue is also a bit creaky in places.
Are they married or not?
I was also frustrated that, for such a long film, we have precious little background on some of the key characters. There are romances on the cards, both for Frances and Fort captain Trent Gephart (Sam Worthington) and for the unlikely pairing of Marigold and Hayes. Yet I was never sure whether either man had a wife and family waiting for them somewhere back home.
Curiously…
The final action scene in the film is exactly the same as the final action scene in “Dances With Wolves”.
Summary Thoughts on “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1”
The film ends with a rather clumsy montage (containing what I suspect are more than a few spoilers) showing what will be coming in Chapter 2, coming to cinemas in August. (I was strongly reminded here of the end of “Back to the Future Part 2”!!) Despite all its flaws, the film’s stories will compel me to go back to the cinema to see Chapter 2. For example, you just KNOW that one or both of the posh British wagon-train couple (played by Ella Hunt and Tom Payne) are going to meet some sort of sticky end! And I can’t wait to find out how!
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCXYzpKS_P8. Note that this trailer has some scenes that are in Part 2, so this is not Part 1 specific.
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