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Open Range on DVD

Open Range on DVD

You don’t see too many epic westerns any more, and that’s a shame. The Western genre – like science fiction - is perfect for telling allegorical stories or social commentaries where you can tackle contemporary issues in a fictional setting.

Not that Open Range necessarily does this, though its theme of personal responsibility regardless of what the status quo thinks is right and/or possible echoes strongly today – an age with little personal responsibility.

But it’s an epic western in look and feel if nothing else, a visually gorgeous movie that really deserves to be seen on a large widescreen television, and with thundering audio that cries out for a good 5.1 surround system.

We’re a tad prejudiced about this movie, we must admit. We wanted to like it, since it was shot about half an hour west of our Calgary headquarters in some of the most beautiful countryside you can imagine: the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. And we could plainly see in the background of a few shots the last mountain we attempted to climb (well, we took the footpaths as far as they went, then turned around when continuing on would have meant real climbing).But of course it takes more than a vested interest in the scenery to make a good movie. Fortunately, Kevin Costner has brought us a fine film as well, with believable, three dimensional characters and situations with which we can identify.

After all, who’s never been in an intolerable situation where, no matter how peaceable you may want to be, you’re just dying to turn around and smack the bugger who done you wrong. You may not do it, but you sure want to!

And that’s basically what the story line for Open Range is: some peaceable folk forced against their better nature to stand up and be counted, and to smack down the bugger who done them wrong.

Robert Duvall stars as “Boss” Spearman, free ranger who, with three employees, is meandering across the old west with his herd. Free grazing is a dying profession in the west of 1882, and alas, they run afoul of the reasonably stereotypical evil rancher (Michael Gambon) who don’t cotton to free rangers in his neck of the woods and who has the local Marshall in his pocket and the townsfolk in his thrall.

You’ve seen this type of situation before and there isn’t really a lot that’s new so far as this aspect of the plot is concerned. But this is really a character-driven story and it’s Spearman, his second in command Charlie Waite (Costner) and the townsfolk (especially Sue, the lovely “old maid” sister of the local sawbones - beautifully played by Annette Bening).

What brings push to shove is Boss’s big mule of a worker, Mose (Abraham Benrubi) who upon being sent back to town is set upon by Baxter’s boys and ends up brutalized and in the crooked Marshall’s jail. When Boss and Charlie spring Mose, Baxter tells them in no uncertain terms that he’s going to send his men to kill them and send the herd packing.

So Boss decides to be proactive, as it were, and he and Charlie leave Mose and their other compatriot, a youth named Button (Diego Luna), with their wagon while they sneak back and rough up Baxter’s boys before they can do them wrong.

This turns out to be a mistake, because when they return to their wagon, it’s in tatters, Button is hanging on to life by a thread and Mose is dead.

So it’s back to town to settle the score.

Duvall is outstanding as Boss Spearman, a decent man who knows his time is past but who just wants to be left alone. Except that circumstances force his hand. Costner’s character has a lot more to him than initially meets the eye and the actor/director does a good job with it. Both men are the strong, silent type, bonded by years together on the trail but who respect each other’s "personal space" so much they don’t even know each other’s real name.

Bening lights up the screen when she’s there, and there are several other good supporting roles including Michael Jeter as their ally in the local livery stable.

If you’re looking for lots of action, you’ll have to sit through most of the movie disappointed. There’s definitely action in Open Range, but it comes in spurts and, while the climactic gun battle is predictable, it’s well staged and quite enjoyable.

The ending, after the gun battle, is a tad schmaltzy, but we’re glad things worked out the way they did for all involved.

Open Range is a tad slow moving, but it never drags. Rather, instead of hitting us with “whiz bang” action, Costner and screenwriter Craig Storper let the story unfold, evolve, in a laid back way that reflects its characters and their lives – or at least the way they’d like their lives to be. So sit back, relax, and let Open Range envelop you in its atmosphere and images.

It’s inevitable that this film be compared with Dances With Wolves, Costner’s Oscar-winning epic, but it shouldn’t be. They’re both epic Westerns, and that’s really all they have in common. It’s actually closer to Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, with a healthy dose of High Noon thrown in for good measure.

The DVD features a spectacular picture, though we thought the color was a tad thin. This isn’t a problem with the DVD, but rather is the look chosen for the film – and since it deals with a couple of washed up and worn out cattlemen we can’t argue about its appropriateness.

Overall picture quality is terrific, with lovely sharpness (though we detected some edge enhancement on the titles) and clean color. The picture is presented in anamorphic widescreen, 16x9 TV compatible.

Then there’s the audio. It positively sizzles! There’s a lot of rain and thunder in Open Range and both the Dolby Digital and dts 5.1 surround soundtracks do a wonderful job of rumbling through the home theater.

And the gunfire packs a wallop you can feel viscerally. This is a very well done soundtrack.

Extras include a running commentary accompanying the movie, with director/star Kevin Costner, and a second disc of stuff. The best is an hour-plus series of "making of" featurettes narrated and hosted by Costner that gives some excellent insight into the movie, its creation, and Costner himself. It's very interesting and quite entertaining, though we would have liked to see it in proper anamorphic widescreen (this is a common oversight with DVD supplements).

There's also a short featurette on "America's Open Range," several deleted scenes with optional commentary, "Storyboarding Open Range," and a music video montage.

It's a shame this movie didn't do better when it first came out. It's a good flick, well worth seeing - even if you don't live in beautiful Alberta.

Open Range, from Touchstone Home Entertainment
139 min. anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1, 16x9 TV compatible), Dolby Digital and dts 5.1 surround
Starring Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening,
Produced by David Valdes, Kevin Costner, Jake Eberts
Written by Craig Storper, Directed by Kevin Costner

 

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