Kevin Costner’s sprawling opening salvo of Western colonization falls far short of his previous Oscar-winning efforts. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 introduces a slew of archetypal characters in a three-hour narrative that’s oddly disjointed despite the early stated goal. A Donner Party premise follows disparate settlers lured by an alluring flyer’s promise of rich farmland in the unspoiled wilderness. There’s zero mention of the Indigenous population who already call it home and are willing to slaughter invaders to protect their land. Harrowing moments abound in the requisite scenic vistas with a muddled attempt at diversity and realism. Native Americans are fairly represented, but other races historically present at the time are sadly tokenized.
In 1856 Mesa territory (Arizona), Apache children watch as white settlers begin to survey a prospective settlement on a winding river. They’re confused about their actions, but the tribe doesn’t take their presence lightly. Years later, in 1863, more whites enticed by the popular leaflet arrive to Horizon. James Kittredge (Tim Guinee), his wife Frances (Sienna Miller), and their teenage children, Elizabeth (Georgia MacPhail) and Nathan (Hayes Costner), prepare for a community dance.
Meanwhile, in Montana, an abused woman (Jena Malone) takes drastic action to escape her circumstances. It’s a choice that will cause severe repercussions for innocents and strangers caught in the aftermath. Back in Mesa, the Apache make their presence felt and arouse the Union Army stationed nearby, who are vastly undermanned if a full-blown conflict escalates. Some time later in Wyoming, Hayes Ellison (Kevin Costner), a trader with a steady gun hand, finds himself in an unexpected situation while stopping at a two-bit mining town.
Horizon Plots a Clash of Civilizations
2/5
Horizon centers around fictional characters and takes place in pre- and post-Civil War America, and details the exploration of the American West. Depicting a twelve-year span, the movies feature an ensemble cast portraying various characters and their experiences pioneering into new territory from their homes.
Release Date June 28, 2024
Runtime 3h 1m
Studio New Line Cinema, Territory Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros.
Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures , New Line Cinema , Territory Pictures
Distributor(s) Warner Bros.
Pros
- The action scenes are excellent, and the pacing is smooth.
Cons
- There are too many characters and subplots with little depth, edited in a bewildering way.
- Aspects of the film don’t feel accurate to the period, and the ending falls flat.
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Costner’s solid opening takes a measured view from all sides of the brewing fracas. The Apache characters aren’t given nearly the same screen time, but their wrath and dismay is evident. While younger factions ache for war, the elders aren’t sure this continuing strategy is wise. The whites will certainly keep coming. Surely their numbers will become insurmountable. The settlers have a similar response to the danger, but the prize is worth the risk. This clash is the crux of the plot and sets the stage for all threads to be woven together.
Chapter 1 goes south when Costner and co-writer Jon Baird’s script puzzlingly deviates from the primary cast and focuses on supporting characters. They come and go as the plot bounces like a ping pong ball between different perspectives. These people will factor in the general overall storyline, the sequels, and possible future films, but it’s not clear why so soon here.
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Too Many People with Too Little Depth
Audiences will undoubtedly have a difficult time placing names to faces apart from the generic good and bad guy stereotypes. For example, the name of the native antagonist is repeatedly mentioned. His followers, family, and the other Apaches are a complete mystery. They have relevance but are only memorable for a specific reason. They’re meant to be adversarial to the established white leads. This is a significant early flaw.
The long runtime builds cast exposition without any real depth. There are many one-note performances based on pure looks. Sam Worthington’s Lt. Trent Gephart is the heroic officer who always does the right thing, commands with respected authority, and makes the ladies swoon like an 1860s Backstreet Boy. Miller’s the gorgeous blonde with pearly white, perfectly straight teeth in a time when most mouths were like rotten apples. They glaringly stick out from the dirty rabble surrounding them. Conversely, every villain is caked in filth. Baddies are crusty as they should be in a Hollywood Western. That’s obviously how to recognize them.
The casting becomes more problematic when you literally see one or two Mexican and Black characters milling about with nothing to do except tick the inclusion box. Think about that for a second, a dearth of Mexican roles…in Arizona. Of course, Costner shouldn’t open the coloring book just to satisfy any quotas, but you can’t claim period authenticity and be a country mile from it.
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Expert Gun Play but Average Filmmaking
The gun play and violence are highlights. Costner doesn’t shy away from massacres on both fronts. The Apaches and whites are brutal and merciless. There’s enough scalping to start a hair club. This is historically accurate as money was paid for scalps with the knowledge you really couldn’t tell where or who they came from, thus opening women and children to ruthless butchering. Costner and Baird deserve credit for not romanticizing the bloodbaths. Death wasn’t pretty or painless in the Old West.
Costner’s cinematography suffices, but you can’t help comparing the sweeping money shots to his better previous films. The horse chases and wagon trains aren’t nearly as awe-inspiring as similar scenes in Dances with Wolves and Open Range. Chapter 1 does beat Wyatt Earp in this regard, but that’s the lowest Costner Western bar to hurdle. John Debney’s (The Greatest Showman) score also sounds somewhat generic. It doesn’t stand out in climactic moments when musical accompaniment should be a major factor in the cinematic experience.
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An Unfocused Western
Despite the length, the pacing isn’t terrible. There’s enough going on to keep your attention. It’s the editing together of the various storylines that’s problematic. Each hour would have been better spent on a direct focus, then the characters would resonate and be recognizable. It feels as if Lonesome Dove or some other Western TV epic has been edited out of order and compressed into a film. Costner’s finale bewilders with a teaser montage for the next chapter. It’s dropped like a grenade out of the blue and makes the ending seem brusque and, again, like a TV show.
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 comes on the heels of Viggo Mortensen’s vastly superior The Dead Don’t Hurt. That Western was more intimate in its scope, but better executed in every regard. Costner’s fire hose approach pours too much across a wide swath. Chapter 2 must be an improvement.
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is a production of New Line Cinema, Territory Pictures Entertainment, and Warner Bros. It will be released theatrically on June 28th from Warner Bros.
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