Open range
ByI just finished watching “Open Range” and really enjoyed it. The premise is pretty simple: A roaming cattle crew is pushed hard by a local rancher and everything goes downhill from there. I agree, not the most original story but it’s OK as far as Western’s go. The best part about this movie is its pace: the director takes his time to tell the story and even the gun fights aren’t fast-paced. Instead of Die Hard-type shoot outs, you get the messy gun fights that are a whole lot closer to real life than anything Bruce Willis does. It’s still a movie, of course, but I liked that touch.
There are also some other points I enjoyed seeing in a big Hollywood production:
- The violence isn’t glorified; it’s ugly.
- Kevin Costner’s character had PTSD and he doesn’t really enjoy killing but is good at it.
- Instead of waiting to get ambushed, the good guys go after the bad guys first. Good thinking.
- But instead of going in blindly, they think about it first. They question their own motives.
- This comes back a few times in the movie: the characters don’t just go in guns blazing but realize they’ll probably die if they do. So they ask themselves: is this worth it?
- The way Kevin Costner opens the big gun fight is excellent. I won’t spoil it for you but I liked it a lot.
- Once the dust settles, you see the aftermath: the wounded get hurried off, retribution, burials, the works. Like Animal says: violence doesn’t begin with the first punch and isn’t over after the last.
All in all, a pretty good movie for a rainy afternoon. Nothing spectacular but I had a good time watching events unfold. Oh yeah, there’s also Annete Bening to drool over. Personally, I think she looks great in it but that’s just me. Her portrayal of a strong, independent woman is good too. Even though she doesn’t get as much screen time as I would have liked.
Annette Bening, looking mighty fine.
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