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For several years, cowboy Charlie Waite (Kevin Costner) has been helping Boss herd livestock. Over the years, the two have become true friends and have great respect for each other. Assisting them in their work are two other figures: Mose and Button. Everything proceeds smoothly until a local rancher, a certain Baxter, decides that the nomadic herders cannot operate in that territory anymore. From this moment, a fight for rights begins. A situation that will bring old emotions back to the surface...
Kevin Costner returns to the western fourteen years after "Dances with Wolves," which earned him seven Oscars. However, the two films are quite different. "Open Range" presents itself as a film with a strong classic flavor, able to bring the main themes of the 1960s western back to the big screen: the not-so-honorable past of the protagonist, revenge, friendship, settling scores. Drawing from the masterpiece "Unforgiven" by Clint Eastwood, particularly its reflective spirit, Costner's film is also an indictment of the law. Paradoxically, those who live in anarchy are more "man" than those who exploit laws for personal interests. In a scenario of continuous law overreach, the injuring of Button will be the spark that makes the two cowboys reflect. As Boss (played by an extraordinary Robert Duvall) patiently waits for their friend to recover, the "lone" hero Charlie will relive his past, filled with blood and death. And in this ongoing reflection, meeting Sue (Annette Bening) will throw the tormented protagonist into even more turmoil.
Beyond references to the genre's classics, "Open Range" skillfully mixes ironic moments with more dramatic ones, creating an enjoyable film, rich with vast landscapes and great attention to framing. The third directorial work of old dear Kevin has the epic flavor of someone wanting to revive the past through a classic style, loaded with pathos and suggestion. A western where plotting behind the scenes returns, where ambushes are always around the corner, where love, along with friendship, represents the salvation of a life spent in cruelty.
"Open Range" is a slow, vast, reflective film. It is a classic western (both for location and themes) related to modernity. From the immense landscapes, to the long horse rides, to the continuous rain, everything speaks of freedom.
Some have called it the best western since "Unforgiven." "Dead Man" is surely superior, yet despite this, Costner has once again proven his directorial skills, creating an exciting film with sound ethical principles. A happy return to a genre that made American cinema famous.
"There are things that kill a man more than death."
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