OPEN RANGE

I am always hesitant to disagree with Wikipedia but I am not convinced that this film is a Revisionist Western.  Take out a lot of the violence and what is left would not look that much out of place in the 1950s, and indeed the story has echoes of two beloved classics of that era, ‘High Noon’ and ‘Shane’.

Certainly the underwhelming opening scenes feel very traditional as we are introduced to ‘Boss’ (Robert Duvall) and his main hired hand Charley (Kevin Costner, who also directs).

Boss is an “open range cattleman driving a herd cross country”, again according to Wikipedia, although a minor disappointment is that we don’t get to see much of the herd in action.  Boss and his three hired hands seem to spend all their time with their wagon, with no steer in sight.

Things start to pick up when we meet the main villain, Baxter, an uncouth Irish immigrant and rancher who controls the local town.  Baxter is played by Michael Gambon, a surprising casting choice.  His attempt at an Irish accent is a source of pleasure throughout but there’s no doubting his commitment to the role.

Things pick up still further with the introduction of the local doctor’s sister, Sue, played by Annette Benning.  Predictably she and Charley develop a mutual attraction.

A lot of the pleasure in watching this film derives from the performances of Duvall, Costner and Benning.

But the plot also bubbles along nicely as we head towards the inevitable gunfight, with the loyalties of the townspeople coming into focus.

The gunfight when it does arrive is impressive to start with but goes on a bit too long and becomes rather silly towards the end, not helped by Gambon’s over-the-top performance.

The film then takes an eternity to wrap things up, with one scene too many between Charley and Sue, so that much as I had enjoyed a lot of what was to me a rather old-fashioned Western I was left feeling a bit dissatisfied.

RATING: ✓ If You've Nothing Better To Do