Open Range

[HeinleinFan]

Went to see Open Range (Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall) this afternoon with the better half. To use an over-used cliche', if you see only one film this year, go see Open Range.

Robert Duvall was outstanding. He'll certainly win an award for this performance. This was an atypical Hollywood film. There was no skin - everyone remained fully clothed and vertical (unless they got shot, of course) for the entire movie. There was a great deal of intense violence, especially during the extended gunfight scene, but it was both realistic and non-gory.

The intensity stemmed from the fact that this was a character-driven film. It is about 2 1/2 hours long, so there was plenty of time for character development and time enough for the audience to begin to relate to the people on the screen. So, when the shooting starts, you care about who gets shot. Open Range is not for the faint-of-heart; there are some panicky moments during the gunfight, largely as a result of audience empathy with the characters.

The cinematography was great. It was set along the eastern slope of the Rockies (somewhere in the U.S., but never specified) and was filmed in Alberta, Canada.

It's not a perfect movie, though. At one point Costner's character fired ten shots from a six-gun (I hate it when that happens ) and there was one glaring editing mistake where one scene cut away, another was brought in for a split second, and then re-cut to the first scene again. But with all the positives I noticed, the minor gliches don't detract in any way from one's enjoyment of the film.

My GF gave it a thumbs-up as well. Go see it. It'll be money well-spent.

 

[crofootski]

I agree completely. My boyfriend and I went to see it and really liked it. It just flowed and we didn't notice the time passing. I found I developed empathy with many of the characters, and the scenery (and horses!) were just beautiful. It just 2 1/2 hours I think the movie showed what life must have been like for free grazers.

I'd recommend people give it a look, even if they're not that thrilled with Costner.

 

[GKarsEye]

I'm dying to see this. It's the first mainstream film I've been excitied about in ages. I've wanted to go all week, but something keeps coming up. Stupid life...

It's great that they still make a Western every once in a while.

 

[crofootski]

Me, too. I thought Silverado was a great romp.

 

[PillowRock]

There was a great deal of intense violence, especially during the extended gunfight scene, but it was both realistic and non-gory.

Well, given the weapons being used, the one (non-gory) pretty much negates the possibility of the other (realistic violence).

That aside, it was a good movie. It was a good way to pass an evening in Cleveland, Tennessee in between a couple of days kayaking on the Ocoee.


I have one question that is kinda spoilerish, though ... so ...

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Was anyone really clear on exactly where Boss was hit in the first flury of the gun fight? I thought that it was clear that he was hit. Originally it looked like it was a kidney shot, or close to it. That was inconsistent with all of the later behavior. So we were thinking that it must have been a shot to the arm, and he just held it so that it looked like he was holding his side (and bled on the front of his shirt). We weren't 100 % sure, though.

 

[GKarsEye]

I just came back from the film. I really liked it. A nice, patient pace set in a Western setting- just my kind of film.

I really need to see Wyatt Earp.

Robert Duvall is just a joy to watch.

What this film really excelled at was giving me a taste of the cowboy life. The beginning of the film served as a wonderful mood piece.

The romance aspect was down-played and mature, which is refreshing. It was a bit corny at the end, but that's OK.

Annette Boening looked beautiful.

 

[HeinleinFan]

Pillowrock: I got the impression when Boss was shot that he got hit in the side or gut, but later in the film he seemed to be favoring his arm. So your guess is as good as mine.