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| Star-filmmaker Kevin Costner is the lone man in the wild west on this sparse poster for his Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 |
Along a river in the open desert range landscape of Arizona, settlers attempt to start a new life with a town called Horizon, but the surrounding Apache natives don't welcome their advance. In Montana horse trader Hayes Ellison meets beautiful prostitute Marigold and soon have to flee the mining town with her following the murder of local hood Caleb Sykes.
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is written by Jon Baird (National Parks (2022, executive producer)) and co-writer/co-producer/co-star/director Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves (1990)), with Mark Kasdan (Silverado (1985)) contributing story elements. It is the first in an epic 4-part film series devised by Costner.
If Costner succeeds in making and releasing 4 epic Horizon westerns, it is quite a feat, especially since the first one has not landed to the audience reception one would have hoped for but rather to widespread indifference, regrettably. Costner is an incredible character in the film world with both towering highs (Field of Dreams (1989), Dances with Wolves (1990)) and stupefying lows (Waterworld (1995), The Postman (1997)) in his long career. This western mega-project will be one for the history books, IF he succeeds.
Horizon moves along with what may be termed a 'luxurious' pace, somewhat akin to a fine TV-series, because it means to tell its multi-character tale over the course of not 90 minutes but rather something like 720 minutes (4 x 180 minutes). For those willing and able to appreciate fully immersing in an epic narrative, it is a luxurious treat to get into a work such as this. Horizon is a gift for every western lover out there, and one that demands to be seen on the big screen. Fabulous American landscapes are captured magnificently (by cinematographer J. Michael Muro (Parker (2013))), and the score (by John Debney (Luck (2022))) thunders appropriately up and down as suspense wanes and accelerates.
The impressive production has a fine cast behind Costner in the ten gallon hat: Sienna Miller (Live by Night (2016)), Sam Worthington (Lansky (2021)), Danny Huston (Succession (2019, TV-series)), Abbey Lee (Caprice (2018)), Michael Rooker (Fairfax (2022, TV-series)), Elizabeth Dennehy (Hancock (2008)), Jamie Campbell Bower (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)) and Charles Halford (Joe Bell (2020)) all give full, engaged, commendable performances. A large Native American cast also lend authentic feeling and insight into the film's fabric.
There's plenty to admire and become taken in by in the first part of Costner's opus magnum, and I will surely be ready to enjoy Part II as it releases in a good month's time.
Related posts:
Kevin Costner: Molly's Game (2017) - Chastain is luminous in Sorkin's great true-crime debut (co-star)
Man of Steel (2013) or, Superman v Zod: Sunset of Destruction (co-star)
2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
Open Range (2003) - Costner impresses with fabulous classic western
Thirteen Days (2000) - Electrifying Cuban Missile Crisis thriller (actor/producer)
The Postman (1997) - Costner's colossal apocalyptic turkey
Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: Reportedly 100 mil. $
Box office: 17.2 mil. $ and counting
= Too early to say
[Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 premiered 19 May (Cannes Film Festival, out of competition) and runs 181 minutes. Development of Horizon reportedly began in 1988. Costner has allegedly injected 38 mil. $ of his own money into the making of the film and reportedly also pays for marketing on top of this, possibly, although the details are hazy. Shooting took place from August - November 2022 in Utah. The upcoming Part II has been shot, and shooting of Part III is seemingly taking place right now. Whether all three remaining parts will see their day of release is unknown. The film opened #3, behind holdover hit Inside Out 2 and fellow new release A Quiet Place: Day One, to an 11 mil. $ first weekend in North America. The film's foreign numbers look abysmal so far. The film has one market yet to release in: Germany on 22 August. Costner returns with Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2 (2024), also as an actor. Miller also returns in that film; Worthington returned first in The Exorcism (2024). Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is rotten at 46 % with a 5.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1?
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