From an elegiac beginning ,"Open Range" gradually builds up to a what is literally a gun battle rather than a gunfight then ,adrenalin spent, it relaxes in an almost post - coital manner to it's former pace and a classic ending for a "Western" picture. Following in the tradition of Ford and Hawks,two alpha males set out for revenge after an evil rancher and a corrupt lawman in concert who rule a town by terror kill one colleague and leave another for dead. Mr Costner makes wonderful use of the familiar frontier town location,bars that are merely drinking dens rather than glitter palaces with waistcoated piano players and girls with fancy garters,dirty muddy streets without drainage that flood after a storm leaving people unable to cross the street,livery stables that look as if they actually hold horses but - above all - a population of people anxious to put roots down and "civilise" the west but are in the thrall of 1880's "Big Business" in the form of the powerful rancher Mr M.Gambon,all hissing and threats with a good Amerirish accent. The plot is familiar enough,but,as they say,there is many a good tune played on an old fiddle. The battle itself is superbly choreographed(and I use the word advisedly ). It is bloody,brutal,noisy and indiscriminate,much,I imagine,like the real thing would have been. Eventually the townspeople turn on their oppressors and wholesale slaughter follows.They gleefully pursue one unarmed and fleeing gunman and shoot him down like a dog long after the main action is finished. An interesting subtext on the subject of "the first kill is the hardest". Mr Duval,Mr Costner and Miss Benning are exemplary,the cast as a whole has no weaknesses,the psycho killers look like psycho killers as they tend to do. I am grateful to Mr Costner for continuing in the Grand Tradition. The West of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry that so engaged my imagination as a boy may be long dead and heroes may have got a lot more tarnished,but the spirit lives on.

Open Range is written by Craig Storper and directed by Kevin Costner. It's an affectionate throwback to classic Westerns of the 1950s. The film stars Robert Duvall as Boss Spearman, an open range cattleman alongside his hired hands Charley Waite(Kevin Costner), Button(Diego Luna) and Mose(Abraham Benrubi) as they travel the west free-grazing with their cattle herd.After an altercation with ruthless land owner Denton Baxter(Michael Gambon) in a near by town. Baxter uses his hired guns to force them off his land, resulting in a fatal casualty. Launching Boss Spearman and Charley Waite into a quest for justice against Baxter, and the corrupt sheriffs on his payroll.There's a-lot to admire with Open Range. Firstly the cinematography by J. Michael Muro(who'd previously worked with Costner on Dances with Wolves.) is beautifully shot. Using natural landscapes, and a fully realised town, the film feels authentic in its setting. Robert Duvall also gives one his best performances ever, and at times he carries the movie(He should've received an Oscar nomination).The film does have some scripting and pacing issues though. Midway through the second act things slow down considerably for a under- developed love story between Waite and the town nurse Sue Barlow(Annette Bening). The acting and on-screen chemistry from both Costner and Bening is fine. This sub-plot however felt rushed, and only there to raise the stakes in the films climax. Also Michael Gambon is completely wasted in this film. He's barely given any material to work with, other then to just snarl at the camera which he does with joyous vigour.However as the film enters into it's third act and the showdown begins the film kicks in high gear. Costner directs a thrilling shootout in classic Western style. The geography of the shootout is excellent, as Boss and Waite navigate through the town, as they fend off the corrupt officials and Baxters hired guns.Open Range is a love-letter to classic Hollywood Westerns. It's a beautifully constructed film that's largely held up by fantastic acting and its thrilling climax. In the end the film suffers from pacing issues, and has too many side plots that are under-developed which stops the film short of greatness. The film doesn't quite have the depth or introspective stoicism of a film like Unforgiven that it thinks it does, to elevate itself beyond being a well crafted genre film.

Continuing my plan to watch every Kevin Costner movie in order, I come to his third directorial effort 2003's Open Range.Plot In A Paragraph: A former gunslinger (KC) is forced to take up arms again when he and his friends are threatened by a corrupt lawman.After his worst movie since the early 80's, KC responded with his best movie in 10 years. KC turned down the role of Bill in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 to do this movie, and I for one am glad he did. I'm also glad Robert Duvall took the role (within 24 hours of reading the script) as he was the only actor that Kevin Costner wanted for the role of Boss Spearman. He said if Duvall had turned down the part, he might not have made the movie at all. And that would have been a travesty. I can't praise the cast highly enough especially the two leads. Robert Duvall is perfect and KC fits this movie like a glove. It's beautifully shot and has a great score too. I'm not sure how many here will have seen it, but I love it!! At a little over two hours, this is the shortest of any movie KC has directed. I remember it took forever to come to the UK, about 6 months after its release in America, and I was disappointed (like with Thirteen Days) to find my screening less than half full, despite great reviews.

There are those who will disagree, that is fine. I believe everyone should be allowed to voice their opinion. So this is mine. "Open Range" is in my opinion one of the best movies I have seen on the silver screen since John Ford's westerns. It is definitely Kevin Costner's best performance and Robert Duvall, well, he is great in anything he plays in. Ever since his portrayal of "Boo Radley" in "To Kill a Mockingbird" I have been a fan. This movie is an absolute delight and the very best of western cinema. The character of Baxter (Michael Gambon)is spot on. He does so well at his craft that you cannot help but to hate him and enjoy what he is about to get. I watch the movie every time it is on. Great cast and great story.