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Kevin Costner has a hit and miss record when it comes to movies, whether he's directing or starring in them. His last truly successful film was 1996's "Tin Cup," however even with that success he still had his second directing job, 1995's "Waterworld," hanging over his head. But, honestly, what can you expect? The first film this guy directed was the umber-successful, Oscar nabbing "Dances With Wolves," so any follow-up is going to be under par. Lately though, Costner has done average when it's come to starring in movies, excluding the disaster we've all probably forgotten about that was "3000 Miles To Graceland." Costner has recently starred in average films like "Dragonfly," "Message In A Bottle" and "For Love Of The Game," while his last directing effort was in 1997 with "The Postman," which many consider another dud of a film. Personally, I enjoyed "The Postman," as I found it to be something different and rather entertaining. "Open Range," Costner's latest acting and directing job, is a film that is very well made, however nothing spectacular. "Range" is not your standard Hollywood film; it's slow and quiet and it takes it's time telling us things about it's characters throughout the film, however even by the closing credits I'm not convinced we know these characters any better than we did from the start. What I found most appealling about the film was it's sense of realism. There's not a bunch of over-the-top action sequences within the film. In all honesty, the only real action scene in the film is a shoot-out towards the end that is just pure perfection to watch. I believe it may just be the best shoot-out in film history, as it's very realistic, yet also filled with tension and adrenaline. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for "Open Range" as a whole because I found the picture to be somewhat emotionless. The characters seem to just drift through the story doing what they're do because they believe it to be right, however never truly selling us on the entire deal because of their lack of passion for it. Bad acting isn't to blame either, because Costner and costar Robert Duvall are some of the best in the businesss. Another problem I have with the picture is the love story between Costner and Annette Bening's characters. It's intriguing, however it's not needed because the film is not as much about the man Costner is playing, as much as it is about what the man needs to do. Still with all of my reservations about "Open Range," I'm recommending it because there's a lot in the film taht I appreciate. I love the unconventional way the story and the film progresses throughout. I love the true realism of the characters and the events of the story, and as I said, the shoot-out is one of the best I've ever seen. Sadly, though, this film seems to be like most of Costner's previous work and it's going to be forgotten from our minds within the year. - SCF / January 2004 email this review to a friend
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