Open Range (2003) | Patricia Benedict, Annette Bening

Open Range (2003) | Patricia Benedict, Annette Bening | LOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Open Range (2003)

	Open Range (2003) Patricia Benedict, Annette Bening Walt Disney Video, 2004 average customer review:based on 356 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A beautiful and classic Western.

Rules of thumb are dangerous when it comes to movies, but the following one has never, to my knowledge, been disproven: Any movie that features Robert Duvall in a cowboy hat is likely to be a classic. That rule was certainly true of "Tender Mercies" and "Lonesome Dove," and in my opinion it's also true of "Open Range," the 2003 film that proved "Dances With Wolves" wasn't just a fluke for Kevin Costner. Costner directed this moving, atmospheric Western in which he co-stars with Duvall and Annette Bening. (Touchingly and appropriately, Costner gave Duvall top billing in this film.) In "Open Range," Duvall and Costner play Boss Spearman and Charlie Waite, two saddle tramps leading a herd of cattle to market with the help of Mose (Abraham Benrubi), a hulking giant of a man, and Button (Diego Luna), a semi-feral Mexican teenager. Unfortunately, the four inadvertently run afoul of evil rancher Denton Baxter (Michael Gambon) and corrupt Sheriff Poole (James Russo), both of whom consider it their duty on earth to kill all cowboys who follow the open range. But for Charlie this misfortune has a silver lining, because it brings him into contact with the beautiful Sue (Bening). Essentially the film is a three-character chamber drama between Duvall, Costner and Bening, though it contains enough excitement and color for three Westerns. All three give performances equal to the best they've ever given. The relationship between Charlie--a former soldier and gunslinger who strives to bury his more murderous instincts--and Boss, who generally advises caution but can turn dangerous when he has to, is as rich and enjoyable as that between Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call in "Lonesome Dove." Duvall's Boss can't help but put us in mind of Gus, except that Boss is more likely than Gus to think before he acts, to his ultimate benefit. The slow, halting courtship between Charlie and Sue is deeply moving; Charlie loves Sue more than any woman he's ever met, but feels unworthy of her kindness and gentility. These relationships play out against a backdrop of the murderous doings of Baxter and Poole, culminating in a long gunfight that, in its sense of chaotic danger, feels closer to the truth than any gunfight Randolph Scott ever appeared in. Sweet-souled yet breathtakingly exciting, with magnificent photography by James Muro and haunting music by Michael Kamen, "Open Range" is a true classic Western.

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LOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This has become our favorite film...we have watched this every time it came on TV and now at least one or two times every week....It is very well done and there are no lags in it, and was cast very well.

Duval and Kostner at their best

If you like westerns you must have this one. I watch it repeatedly. It is one of the best with Benning adding a great touch. It combines real sentiment, great role models, the meaning of real friendship and devotion and romance. It's more than I 5 star, it's a 10.

Just an excellent film

I love westerns, but even if you don't, this storyline translates well on its own. The film is well acted (both Costner and Duvall are excellent) with great cinematography. It is the kind of film that makes you yearn for the old days when people lived by the strength of their word and trust (perhaps just a Hollywood created notion, but I still like to think that we all try to strive for such a thing).

Many people buy this and Broken Trail, but by far this is the better one. Of course Broken Trail was a made for TV movie and as such was shot like it was a made for TV movie. The one saving grace of that movie was Duvall and Church (I have liked him since he first appeared in Wings, I think it is his voice and unusual speech pattern that is interesting to me).

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Too long, but ultimately worthwhile...

"Open Range" could have benefitted by one more film editing task, cutting it by perhaps 20 minutes. If you have the patience, however, the final rewards are many. The performances are uniformly good, with Costner, Duvall and Bening excellent as usual, and many fine supporting actor contributions, including Michael Gambon as the bad guy (Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series!)and Michael Jeter as a helpful townsman. It is fascinating to compare Costner's grizzled, disillusioned Civil War veteran here to the sparkling gunfighter he portrayed as a young man in "Silverado." The cinematography is glorious in this one, but the script wasn't quite tight enough to make this a masterpiece. The climax, however, is one of the best wild West gunfights I've ever seen, and at age 62, I've seen scores of them on screen. Give this movie's first 40 minutes the benefit of the doubt, and the final 100 minutes will reward you. As a bonus, Duvall rips off half-a-dozen hilarious lines, and a dozen wise ones, winning your heart and mind as an old cowhand who has learned life's lessons well.

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