This was an interesting film, part "Shane", part "The Unforgiven." You have a basic setup - a group of good guys are set upon by the evil rancher who thinks he owns the range just because he's big and powerful. With a little better pacing and some better dialogue, it could have been a very good film.
My main fault with the film was that it moved at a glacial pace for about an hour and a half. You have the conflict established in the first twenty minutes, then it just crawls along at an excruciatingly slow pace. The director was trying to establish a mood, that of slower times in the late 19th century, but he overdoes it.
My other complaint was the insertion of a romantic interest in the person of Annette Bening. The theme was about "free rangers", cowboys who roamed the great plains and made a living for themselves off the land, conflicting with big business in the form of the rancher who claimed the land for himself. A little romance might have been OK as a thematic sideline, but Annette Bening is the best actor in the film so her part swallows up what it took an hour to establish.
Other than that, this is a pretty satisfying film. Kevin Costner is very good as Charley Waite, an ex-gunman riding along with Boss Spearman, played ably by Robert Duvall. They play off each other fairly well throughout the film, though the dialogue is so stilted at times that the flow is destroyed.
Annette Bening is excellent in her part, despite some funky dialogue she must have had trouble saying with a straight face. Her romance with Costner's character takes over the film midway through, which renders Duvall's character to a secondary status.
The climax at the end between Duvall, Costner and the rancher and his gang is exciting and makes the film worthwhile. The bad guy, played by Michael Gambon, is a bit cartoonish, but he's sufficiently evil that the viewer savors his demise.
Not a bad effort, but certainly not in a class with either of the two films I mentioned earlier. Westerns depend on moral certitude, and with the relativism we live with nowadays, they're really hard to pull off. This one succeeds partly.
My main fault with the film was that it moved at a glacial pace for about an hour and a half. You have the conflict established in the first twenty minutes, then it just crawls along at an excruciatingly slow pace. The director was trying to establish a mood, that of slower times in the late 19th century, but he overdoes it.
My other complaint was the insertion of a romantic interest in the person of Annette Bening. The theme was about "free rangers", cowboys who roamed the great plains and made a living for themselves off the land, conflicting with big business in the form of the rancher who claimed the land for himself. A little romance might have been OK as a thematic sideline, but Annette Bening is the best actor in the film so her part swallows up what it took an hour to establish.
Other than that, this is a pretty satisfying film. Kevin Costner is very good as Charley Waite, an ex-gunman riding along with Boss Spearman, played ably by Robert Duvall. They play off each other fairly well throughout the film, though the dialogue is so stilted at times that the flow is destroyed.
Annette Bening is excellent in her part, despite some funky dialogue she must have had trouble saying with a straight face. Her romance with Costner's character takes over the film midway through, which renders Duvall's character to a secondary status.
The climax at the end between Duvall, Costner and the rancher and his gang is exciting and makes the film worthwhile. The bad guy, played by Michael Gambon, is a bit cartoonish, but he's sufficiently evil that the viewer savors his demise.
Not a bad effort, but certainly not in a class with either of the two films I mentioned earlier. Westerns depend on moral certitude, and with the relativism we live with nowadays, they're really hard to pull off. This one succeeds partly.