A Sweeping Western Epic
Summary
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 may be 3 hours long, but it deserves to be seen on a big screen with it’s stunning vistas and epic score by John Debney. In terms of action there are some spectacular shoot-outs with one near the beginning lasting around 20 minutes and the film is packed with tense moments. It may drag occasionally, but I still enjoyed every moment of it.
Plot: Families, friends and foes discover the lure of the Old West as the Civil War divides the country.
Review: It’s been a while since we’ve had the pleasure of seeing a sprawling epic Western on the big screen, so I was really looking forward to Kevin Costner’s latest Horizon: An American Saga.
It’s had very mixed reviews so far, but I’m not entirely sure why; I found it immediately engaging with an incredible cast including (aside from Costner) Will Patton, Jeff Fahey, Sam Worthington, Sienna Miller, Danny Houston, Luke Wilson and many more. Stranger Things star Jamie Campbell Bower is wonderfully unhinged as Caleb Sykes and a scene between he and Costner is one of the many highlights.
I loved being in the cinema and seeing an older audience of people mostly over 40 like myself who even gave the film a round of applause by the end.
It had far more action than I expected with a 20-minute shoot-out early in the film and several scenes of nail-biting tension. It really captures the savagery and hardship settlers had to endure during that time period never shying away from brutal violence.
Some have said this is slow burn and I’ll admit it does slow down occasionally, but I was never bored despite the fact the air conditioning wasn’t working in our theatre.
Kevin Costner doesn’t show up until about an hour into the movie and admittedly there are almost too many characters, but I was still involved with the story and found several scenes incredibly heartfelt. Costner clearly loves his Westerns, and I would have enjoyed seeing him do one with Eastwood; I know they did A Perfect World together, but an actual western could have been amazing.
John Debney is one of my favourite composers and he provides a suitably sweeping score to match the film’s stunning vistas; the main theme reminds me of classics like The Magnificent Seven.
The film feels like a throwback to legendary westerns like The Big Country and I honestly thought we would never see a film like this again; our theatre was nearly full which was encouraging as it shows there are still people out there who want more adult driven fare.
Overall, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is a sweeping Western epic the likes which we rarely see anymore and I’m so glad I got to witness it on the big screen where it belongs. Yes, the runtime may be too much for some tastes and at times the pacing slows down, but it’s never too long before a shoot-out occurs to keep things moving. I’ll be there opening weekend for Part 2 and can’t wait to see it.