Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1

Well my wife expressed interest in this Kevin Costner western, and since I am a pretty big fan of 1990's "Dances With Wolves", especially the four-hour director's cut, I was willing to invest the 180 minutes that the film's run time promised in this movie. FWIW, I have never seen the "Yellowstone" TV show that Costner has done in recent years, so can't compare it to that.

Anyway, I had mixed feelings about "Horizon", mostly on the negative side. The movie is a three hour western, that part of the billing is confirmed. But the "Saga" part, not nearly so much. "Horizon" does not IMO have any kind of compelling stories. Western cliches abound in this film. And while the movie reportedly cost $50 million, I didn't see it on the screen. I know $50m doesn't necessarily go far in today's movie making environment, but I was unimpressed by "Horizon's" production values. It has the look and feel of a TV show moreso than a real film. Maybe the money went to the cast - in addition to KC himself, we get good character actors like Luke Wilson, Danny Huston, Jena Malone, and Sam Worthington in various roles. But with so many great western epics, "Sagas" to compare it to, Horizon just doesn't come off looking very good.

That said, Costner has always had a knack for making commercially appealing movies, and Horizon has some of that. While the film was utterly surface level and unsurprising, I was never bored, never dozed off during the entire 180 minutes. And, I will probably end up going to see "Chapter 2" when it is released in a couple of months. So there obviously was enough entertainment value there, for me at least.

C .... Can't recommend it on the merits, but I also can't dismiss it either.

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

• Rotten Tomatoes 51% (160 Reviews)

• Metacritic: 49 (47 Reviews)

Reviews

The Hollywood Reporter:

Working from a discursive screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Baird, Costner is not at his best as a director with this kind of multi-branched narrative. He struggles to keep all the story’s plates spinning, as characters are sidelined and resurface with too little connective tissue.

Deadline:

For Costner, this is an impressive beginning, with the promise of more to come.

Variety:

There’s a hallowed place in cinema for multi-character dramas. But “Horizon,” simply put, doesn’t feel like a movie. It feels like the seedbed for a miniseries. Much of what happens is wispy and not very forceful; the film doesn’t build in impact, and it seldom seems to aim in a clear direction.

The Telegraph (4/5):

The film is earnest yet hopeful, with crisply drawn characters - but perhaps its full grandeur won’t be fully realised until part two.

Total Film (4/5):

A rigorous and handsome drama, finely hewn by Costner and his cast, this is an absorbing ride into the Old West.

Screen Daily:

Beautifully shot, with a deft command of period detail and a starry ensemble cast, Costner’s Civil-war set epic offers an old-fashioned celebration of the pioneer spirit – and a clutch of storylines that never quite have time to engage before the film moves on.

The Playlist (C-):

Despite the shootouts, some epic vistas (frankly, not as much as you’d expect), and a few fleeting moments of genuine tension, it all feels flat.

Indiewire (C-):

These aren’t characters so much as the spokes of a plot in human form, each of their storylines moving as if being pulled by horses across the entire span of the American West.

The Guardian (2/5):

In some ways, Horizon reminded me of Costner’s 2003 western Open Range, but that had a much more interesting performance from Costner and first-rate support from Robert Duvall and Michael Gambon. The acting here is far less impressive, and less directed. There isn’t much on the horizon here

Collider (4/10):

Credit where credit is due, Kevin Costner has made what is essentially a three-hour prologue into something that is occasionally moderately entertaining. However, just as often, Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 woefully wanders every which way.

The Daily Beast (Skip This):

The biggest problem with Horizon is that, even with its lengthy running time, Costner has only scratched the surface of the “saga” he’s trying to tell. There is no arc to what happens, just the seemingly unending introduction of characters.

Vanity Fair:

At least Horizon accomplishes one staggering feat: it makes one wonder if we were maybe a little too hard on The Postman.

Synopsis:

In the great tradition of Warner Bros. Pictures’ iconic Westerns, “Horizon: An American Saga” explores the lure of the Old West and how it was won—and lost—through the blood, sweat and tears of many. Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, Costner’s ambitious cinematic adventure will take audiences on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.

Cast:

• Kevin Costner as Hayes Ellison

• Sienna Miller as Frances Kittredge

• Sam Worthington as First Lt. Trent Gephardt

• Giovanni Ribisi as Roland Bailey

• Danny Huston as Colonel Houghton

• Michael Rooker as Sgt. Major Riordan

• Jena Malone as Ellen/Lucy

• Michael Angarano as Walter Childs

• Abbey Lee as Marigold

• Jamie Campbell Bower as Caleb Sykes

• Jon Beavers as Junior Sykes

• Owen Crow Shoe as Pionsenay

• Tatanka Means as Taklishim

• Wasé Chief as Liluye

• Luke Wilson as Matthew Van Weyden

• Ella Hunt as Juliette Chesney

• Tom Payne as Hugh Proctor

• Will Patton as Owen Kittredge

• Isabelle Fuhrman as Diamond Kittredge

• Jeff Fahey

• Thomas Haden Church

• Alejandro Edda

• Tim Guinee

• Colin Cunningham

• Scott Haze

• Angus Macfadyen

• Douglas Smith

• Michael Provost

• Kathleen Quinlan as Annie Pine

• Larry Bagby

• James Russo

• Dale Dickey as Mrs. Sykes

• Hayes Costner

• James Landry Hébert

• Dalton Baker

• Georgia MacPhail

• Naomi Winders

• Austin Archer

• Charles Baker

Directed by: Kevin Costner

Written by: Jon Baird and Kevin Costner

Story by: Jon Baird and Kevin Costner

Produced by: Kevin Costner, Howard Kaplan, Mark Gillard

Cinematography: J. Michael Muro

Edited by: Miklos Wright

Music by: John Debney

Running time: 181 minutes

Release date: June 28, 2024