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.

I never get tired of this movie and I don't even want to count the times that I have seen it. Beautifully written, great acting, costumes, scenery. I cannot think of anything I didn't like about it. Annette Bening is definitely one of my favorite actors right along up there with Robert Duvall. Costner was great in this too. I was drawn into this from the opening and maintained the same level of interest until the end credits. I think this is one of the must see westerns and rate it up there along with such classics as The Searchers, Shane and High Noon. I am a huge western fan and when I come across a great one, I can be entertained by watching again as though it were the first time because with great writing, there is always a small part you might pick up the next time you see it that you missed the first time.

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.