Open Range
2003
****
Director: Kevin Costner
Cast: Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall, Annette Bening, Michael Gambon, Michael Jeter, Diego Luna, James Russo, Abraham Benrubi, Cliff Saunders, Kim Coates, Dean McDermott
In the late 1800s, a group of open-range cattlemen want to move their herd across the land surrounding the town of Harmonville, but they end up in a violent confrontation with a ruthless rancher, played by Michael Gambon with the dodgiest Irish accent. Kevin Costner's second Western behind the camera, featuring a protagonist who unsuccessfully tries to leave his violent past behind, is reminiscent of Unforgiven, although the story here is more black and white and surprisingly romantic. All in all, however, this is a long but solid genre piece with a brutal climactic showdown. Based on Lauran Paine's 1990 novel The Open Range Men.
