Review of Open Range (2003) by Cameron J — 11 Jun 2014

"The sky was big and empty, my chest filled to explode, I yelled my insides out at the sun, at the wide open... range?" I thought I'd make that reference to The Triffids' "Wide Open Road" because I wanted to see just how much more esoteric I could get before referencing that Batman fantasy on the "Scrubs" episode "My Fifteen Minutes", in which J.D. was Robin, by blurting out, "Holy inferiority complex, Batman, how low is Kevin Costner's self-esteem that he's the sidekick in his own film?". Well, even Costner has to admit that Robert Duvall is cooler than he is, especially after years of having the critics beat him down for his lack of range as an actor and, well, for that matter, a filmmaker. Seriously, I don't know how many more westerns Costner plans to direct, and I don't suppose we'll find out any time soon, because he hasn't directed a film since this one. Just wait, Costner fan (Yeah, just the one), because Costner's big directorial comeback will see him going on an adventure to play baseball in the Old West, while simultaneously getting involved in some kind of government conspiracy. It can't be too much sillier than "The Postman" or "Waterworld", and I actually had fun with those films, at least a little more so than this film. No, people, this film is way better than "The Postman" and "Waterworld", but it's still not close to "Dances with Wolves", even when it comes to entertainment value.

Kevin Costner's directorial atmosphere ranges from subtle sobriety to overblown extremes, and whether it be because Costner is answering for the atmospheric extremes that were criticized as too overblown in something like "The Postman", or whatever, he tends to resort to that somberness which gets to be more dull than thoughtful, considering how draggy material gets to be. The film is the shortest that Costner has done, by a long-shot, but that's not saying much, as the final product still flirts with a runtime of 140 minutes, partly because it gets to be limply over-extensive with its telling of a story whose momentum was always to be limited to begin with by the narrative's being more chatty than the usual western. This intense western drama is characterized by, of all things, a lack of action, and while the action-packed pay-off which I will touch a little more upon later is ever so worthy of the wait, for the most part, this is a minimalist drama of only so much in the way of a feel for consequentiality, resulting in natural shortcomings that the writing make all the worse with the aforementioned structural pacing problems, and Costner's directions tries a little too hard to make up for. Like I said, when Costner doesn't get coldly subtle with his atmosphere, he usually gets overblown, and sure enough, in here, there are times in which Costner resorts to sentimentality that is not too disconcerting in a film that is arguably over-reliant on the thoughtfulness, but is nonetheless detrimental to a sense of genuineness that is already challenged by some thin characterization, made all the more contrived by melodramatics which aren't even refreshing. I suppose this intimate western drama challenges up formula by being more about the build towards action, rather than sheer action itself, but beyond that, this is something of a garden-variety half-traditional and half-revisionist western drama, and that establishes a predictability which a film this aimless probably can't afford to have. For the most part, the drama is very effective, for all of its natural and consequential shortcomings, but make no bones about it, this film is a little limp on paper, and a little flimsy in execution. Really, the final product comes dangerously close to collapsing shy of a rewarding point that is still well-secured in the end, by tasteful dramatic storytelling and, for that matter, tasteful artistic elements.

Composing his final score which would be unveiled in his lifetime, Michael Kamen, with his sentimentality and conventions as a composer, helps neither the sentimentality nor the conventions of the film itself, but he does help a great deal in flavoring up the film, with a taste and range that is both beautiful and complimentary to the drama. Just that can be said about the visual style of the film, as J. Michael Muro's near-impeccably lit and often grand cinematography falls over art direction by Gary Myers that, while not too intricate, does a fine job of restoring the era portrayed here comfortably enough to immerse, but not without Kevin Costner's usage of both style and substance. Costner turns in a directorial performance that is about as stylish as any by him, playing with the aforementioned musical and visual styles, as well as some snappy editing by Miklos Wright, in a manner that is subtle, but not so subtle that it doesn't make up for some entertainment value which is lost with the shortage on action, and when action really comes into play, in a lengthy climactic shoot-out, the flashy style bonds with impeccable technical value, airtight pacing, and punishingly tense and exhaustingly dynamic staging in order to craft an action sequence that, plain and simple, ranks high among the greatest in western film history, and is well-worth waiting for, yet not exactly preceded by great challenges to ones investment. Costner alternates between dully dry and overbearingly sentimental with his dramatic atmosphere, like he always has, and while his dramatic highlights are not as recurrent or as effective as they were in something like "Dances with Wolves", when he reaches a balance between the thoughtfulness and the color, as he often does, he compels, pretty thoroughly, enough so to match ambition with inspiration that a story of this type is worthy of. Formulaic and lacking in action to reinforce a sense of consequentiality, but still interesting as a many dramatically intimate western, this film's story concept, for all its natural shortcomings, is compelling, with a potential that Costner does much justice as director, and Craig Storper and Lauran Paine do a fair bit of justice as writers of a script that has some solid highlights in dialogue, as well as some decent spots in often thin characterization. Well, the characterization at least feels as though it has well-rounded aspects, thanks to strong performances that are found across the board, particularly from, say, Annette Benning as a wise and strong woman who still fears for the lives of good men whose portrayers are just as, if not more effective, with Costner being about as compelling as a strong, but flawed man who is anxious about doing yet more deeds he's not proud of, yet feels are necessary, as Robert Duvall is as the charismatic, but still unpredictably fierce older man of honor. Costner's and Duvall's individual charismas bond into electric chemistry, and if nothing else gets the film by when material lapses, it's the worthy leads who, make no mistake, don't endear alone, as there is enough inspiration to style and storytelling to overcome shortcomings, natural and consequential, and reward.

In conclusion, bland atmospheric dry spells make all the more limp a draggy structure to the telling of a minimalist and not-so-action-packed narrative, whose fair deal of sentimental touches and great deal of conventions leave the final product to run a risk of collapse into underwhelmingness that is ultimately overcome, by beautiful scoring, cinematography and art direction, sharp directorial style - especially during one of the great western gunfights at the climax - and thoughtfulness, and strong performances by and chemistry between Annette Benning, Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall that do enough justice to a worthy story to make "Open Range" a generally rewarding western drama.

3/5 - Good.