Horizon: An American Saga- Chapter 1 (2024) Warner Bros./Western RT: 181 minutes Rated R (violence, some nudity and sexuality) Director: Kevin Costner Screenplay: Jon Baird and Kevin Costner Music: John Debney Cinematography: J. Michael Muro Release date: June 28, 2024 (US) Cast: Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Danny Huston, Jena Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Luke Wilson, Will Patton, Tim Guinee, Ella Hunt, Jamie Campbell Bower, Jon Beavers, Charles Halford, Joe Burns, Dale Dickey, Michael Angarano, Jeff Fahey, Isabelle Furman, Hallie Purser, Naomi Winders, Colin Cunningham, Scott Haze, Tom Payne, Jim Lau, Georgia MacPhail, Douglas Smith, Roger Ivens, Larry Bagby, Hayes Costner, Daniel Link, Claudia Conner, John Coinman, Etienne Kellici.
Rating: ** ½
A funny thing happened while I was prepping to write my review of Horizon: An American Saga- Chapter 1. I was under the impression Kevin Costner’s latest western opus was supposed to be a two-part project with Chapter 2 set to open on August 16. I was wrong. It’s actually a four-movie series. Chapter 3 went into production this past May and 4 is in development. WOW! Now that’s what I call ambitious. That bit of information compelled me to award Chapter 1 an additional half-star for effort. I don’t often do that as you know.
Now let’s talk about the film itself. Despite its lofty ambitions, I couldn’t get into it. I don’t mind that it’s three hours long. I have the patience to sit through lengthy movies at the cinema as long as my bladder cooperates. The story, which is all over the place, didn’t pull me in at any point. I was too busy trying to follow the convoluted narrative. This movie jumps around a lot. It doesn’t connect the stories and characters right away. It’s a slow build to something that doesn’t happen in this first chapter. It’s really more of an introduction to the characters that we will presumably get to know better over the next three films. Good luck with that. You’re going to need a scorecard to keep track of who everybody is.
What are the plotlines introduced in Horizon: Chapter 1? I’ll do my best to sum them up. The first hour mainly deals with a group of settlers who meet a grisly fate at the hands of Apache warriors in San Pedro Valley. Only a few lucky souls survive. Among them are widowed Frances (Miller, American Sniper) and teenage daughter (newcomer MacPhail). They are taken to safety by Union officer Lt. Trent Gephardt (Worthington, Avatar). Meanwhile, two brothers (Beavers and Bower) track down the woman (Malone, The Neon Demon) who shot their father (Halford, Outer Banks) to get out of an abusive relationship. She took their baby with her and Dad wants him (and only him) back.
In the second hour, Costner finally shows up. He plays Hayes Ellison, a horse trader who comes to a small town in the Wyoming Territory to do some business. While there, he has a run-in with a gunman who wants to hurt his new friend, local sex worker Marigold (Lee, Mad Max: Fury Road). They have to get out of Dodge and quickly. The final hour shifts its focus to a wagon train making its way through Indian territory in Montana. The leader Matthew Van Weyden (Wilson, The Royal Tenenbaums) has plenty to deal with on what could potentially be a dangerous journey.
The one thing connecting all the stories in Horizon: Chapter 1 starts off as a mystery as stays that way throughout. Somebody named Pickering is printing and distributing pamphlets for a place called Horizon. It promises to be a land of plenty, but one can’t help thinking there’s something sinister at play here.
Given the grand scope of Horizon: Chapter 1, it’s obvious Costner is going for something along the lines of 1962’s How the West Was Won. For those who don’t know, the 1962 epic western was shown in a three-strip Cinerama format. It features a high-powered cast that includes Jimmy Stewart, Spencer Tracy, John Wayne, Gregory Peck and Henry Fonda. It was a big undertaking that mostly worked. I only saw it on TV, but I can imagine it looked great up there on the big screen. I don’t feel that way about Horizon: Chapter 1. It’s more like a TV miniseries that got a last-minute theatrical release. It didn’t blow me away with its visuals or scale.
Costner has found his new niche playing grizzled older guys. He’s pretty good here playing the kind of laconic guy who doesn’t want to get involved in other people’s business. The acting isn’t too bad in Horizon: Chapter 1. The performances aren’t the problem. It’s that the characters aren’t developed too well. We get more character types than actual characters. This again can be attributed to the fact that this first movie is something of a preamble. Costner the director and co-writer is just getting started. He also ends it with the promise of events to come with a montage of scenes from future installments. It took me a minute to realize that’s what he was doing. It’s kind of cool actually.
The depiction of Native Americans in Horizon: Chapter 1 is markedly different from how they were shown in Costner’s directorial debut Dances with Wolves. They were portrayed more sympathetically in the 1990 Best Picture winner. Here, they’re mostly depicted as murderous savages who don’t want the “white eyes” on their land. I find that rather interesting given the director and star’s liberal politics.
I’m willing to give Costner the benefit of the doubt with Horizon: Chapter 1. I didn’t really care for it. It’s a chore to sit through, but I have to admire how he went all in with this project. It could either make him or break him. Only time will tell. Check with me again after I see Chapter 2 later this summer.
