Open Range - Collector's Edition  (2003)

Starring: Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening

Director: Kevin Costner

Rating: R

Distributor: Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Release Date: January 20, 2004
Review posted: January 21, 2004

Reviewed by Dennis Landmann

"Men are gonna get killed here today, Sue, and I'm gonna kill 'em." - Charley Waite

SYNOPSIS

A group of free grazers, four men trying to escape their pasts, are driving cattle and living off the land on the open range - a place where nature makes the only laws. When a ruthless rancher tries to run them out of town, the men's peaceful existence takes a tumultuous turn and ends in the grittiest, most explosive gunfight you'll see in a long time as two men battle a town for honor, justice and a way of life that's quickly disappearing.

CRITIQUE

I'm a sucker for good westerns, and last year I was highly anticipating the release of Kevin Costner's latest film, aptly titled Open Range. I walked in with somewhat high expectations, sat down, and walked out feeling pretty good. Costner's track record for the past eight years or so has been neither fortunate nor very interesting, save for 2002's intense Thirteen Days, so it's a very nice surprise to see him make a refreshing return with Open Range and have him back on the saddle, literally.

Costner returns to the Old West as Charley Waite, a free grazer who makes his living on the land. He is joined by Boss Spearman, a man with an interesting background, determination and high morals, played to perfection by Robert Duvall. Both actors do a terrific job of giving these two characters a real personality and true emotion, yet Duvall stands out. In fact, his performance is so "on the money" it's worthy of an Oscar nomination. Rounding out the group are companions Button (Diego Luna) and Mose (Abraham Benrubi). These characters are closely and carefully introduced in Craig Storper's screenplay. Most of the film moves slow, especially during the first hour, yet the payoff at the end makes it all worthwhile. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The script is not very innovative, but it gives the western genre a much-needed boost, especially since the genre is pretty much in the drain since the mid-90s. No, fluff films like American Outlaws and Texas Rangers don't get it done at all. Storper's script tells the story of two compelling characters whose peace is disturbed by an unlawful and ruthless Sheriff (Michael Gambon). The middle part of the script is where things start to seriously slow down, and a few scenes could've been trimmed. Some of the more memorable scenes, including the showdown at the saloon (chapter 9), give the second act a bit more dynamic. If I had to nitpick, I'd say the script lacks a sure subplot or two. Moreover, Annette Bening's character, Sue, is a little too underdeveloped to make an impact in the romance relationship with Charley. She feels somewhat like an afterthought, but Bening's performance makes the character more personal. Making his final appearance is the talented Michael Jeter, whose role at the end of the film is both rewarding and appreciated. The acting in the film is great overall.

As a director, Costner makes each scene count and feel important. He also delivers a film with a hard R-rating for violence, most of it is allocated towards the end. The cinematography by James Muro is quite beautiful, especially shots of the wide vistas. Michael Kamen's score adds to the film in many good ways also. Perhaps the most rewarding scene in the entire film, in terms of shock value and payback, is the much-referenced scene from the film's trailer, the one where Charley asks one of five men walking up to him, "Are you the one who killed our friend?" Then a gun appears and a shot sounds off. After the money shot, so to speak, get ready for a serious, thrilling, violent, and liberating climax featuring Charley and Spearman in a shootout with the town's bad guys.

In the end, Open Range ranks among one of my year's top ten favorite films. Like I said, I'm a sucker for good westerns, and Costner's film delivers. Despite its slow pace and the lack of a subplot, it's an engrossing drama featuring two great characters and a climax that's the ultimate cinematic "event" of 2003. I highly recommend this film. Welcome back, Kevin. Don't let up now.

THE VIDEO

Buena Vista presents Open Range in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors are bright and very well-saturated. The print image looks fairly clean, and the appearance of grain gives the film a certain identity. Detail is quite nice, while black levels and dark tones are solid. Sharpness appears in good condition, yet some images look a bit too soft. Edge enhancement wasn't spotted, neither were compression artifacts. Overall, this is a very nice video presentation.

THE AUDIO

Buena Vista presents Open Range in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. There's also a very solid and clear DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound option. Both soundtracks sound terrific and seem aggressive from time to time. Surrounds are active many times during the show. Rear speakers reinforce sound effects and dialogue with much detail and clarity. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand, very nicely reproduced across the two front channels. Some evidence of dynamic range is present, and the bass reinforcement is generally quite good. There's also some very nice ambience supported by the surrounds, especially during the heavy rainfall and thunder. Kamen's score comes across perfectly. Overall, this is quality soundtrack presentation; it doesn't get any sweeter than this.

A French Dolby Surround dub track is also available.

THE EXTRAS

"Man's got a right to protect his property and his life, and we ain't gonna let no rancher or his lawman take either." - Boss Spearman

The film did fairly good at the box office ($58m) considering the budget ($22m) and marketing costs ($20m), so it's really nice to see the effort on the parts of Buena Vista and Kevin Costner in making this a valuable 2-disc collector's edition DVD.

The bonus material begins on disc 1 with an audio commentary by Kevin Costner. He offers some insightful comments pertaining to the production and the film itself, such as the story, fellow actors, etc. I liked this track as a whole.

Now put in disc 2 and you'll find the rest of the extras. First is the comprehensive, informative, and revealing 65-minute documentary called Beyond the Open Range. In it Costner is quite candid as he talks about the production, financing, casting, script changes, locations, and many others things. He narrates most of the program as nicely-edited behind-the-scenes footage plays out in front of us viewers. I liked the rehearsal scenes, and most of the on-set footage. Aside from Costner, Robert Duvall and Annette Bening get to chip in a few times during the course of this documentary. The only drawback I can think of is some of the information here is repeated in the commentary, or vice versa. Still, this is quite the fulfilling documentary on the production.

All the more fascinating is the 12-minute documentary entitled America's Open Range, narrated by Costner and others, telling a historical journey back in time to the real open range of the 1800s. Next are 12 deleted scenes that run for about 24 minutes. These can be viewed individually or all at once by selecting "play all". Costner offers optional video introductions for each of them. Most of the scenes were kind of nice to watch, but their exclusion is rather obvious. Then, the six-minute Storyboarding: Open Range featurette takes a look at a few scenes from the film compared to the actual storyboards. The four-minute music video montage was nice to watch, especially because it's the last time we'll ever hear great music again from Michael Kamen who passed away from cancer late last year.

Overall, a pretty satisfactory special features selection for a deserving film like this.

A quick note about the DVD cover: The original poster for the film looked quite cool, and the three retro character posters looked even better, yet Disney decided to go with the "floating heads" for the DVD. I'm kind of disappointed by this, but I understand the reason is for marketing purposes. In that case, I hope the DVD sells well.

You can select to view the film with optional English and Spanish subtitles. The 139-minute feature is organized into a meager eighteen chapters. Menus are scored and easy to navigate. A paper insert lists scene selections.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Costner is back in form as he directs Open Range with a lot of heart and determination. His acting is very good, yet it's Duvall's performance that steals the show. Storper's script is not particularly inventive, but the story's purpose and the characters make this a compelling western drama. Disney's video/audio is really good, and the extras are very satisfying. Highly recommended. This 2-disc collector's edition DVD is a definite purchase.

VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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