Open Range (2003) Rated: R for violence. Runtime: 135 min. Director: Kevin Costner Writer: Lauran Paine (novel); Craig Storper (screenplay) Cast: Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall, Annette Bening...complete cast Genre: Western/Drama
Tagline: No place to run. No reason to hide. Memorable quote: "Men are gonna get killed here today, Sue, and I'm gonna kill 'em. "
by Eric M. Croas John Wayne played the quinessential cowboy, and Open Range is a script that he would have enjoyed working with. The film is set in a time before there were cars and interstate highways. It was a time when a man could be measured by his grit as much as by his occupation.
Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall play those type of men. They lead a small band of free-grazing cattleherders. Things are going well until they send one of their men back into a small town for supplies.
When he does not return, Costner and Duvall backtrack to find out what went wrong. Upon arriving, they discover a corrupt lawman who has locked their guy up for a bar brawl he didn't start. They also meet the crooked rancher who runs the town, and after a thinly veiled threat is made, the crew make their way back to camp.
When the threat is acted upon, Costner and Duvall are forced to face their past demons and set things straight. While violence is not their first choice, it becomes the only way they can make things right for everybody.
Extras on the DVD include several featurettes, deleted scenes, audio commentary and a music video montage.
Eric M. Croas
See what other Frank's Reel Reviews critics have to say about Open Range. Read Frank Wilkins' review
Language and Sound: English: DTS 5.1 Surround; English: Dolby Digital 5.1 ; French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Extra Features: Color; interactive menus; scene access with 18 scene selections; audio commentary; historical documentary "America's Open Range"; "Beyond Open Range" director's journal; deleted scenes (with optional commentary); storyboarding feature; music video montage. .
Commentaries:
Director's Commentary: With Director Kevin Costner.
Sneak Peek: a look at additional Buena Vista releases.
Documentaries:
Beyond Open Range: 64-minute feature documentary about the making of the film. Costner discusses the technical details of bringing the film to the big screen as well as financial considerations.
America's Open Range: 12-minute spot narrated by Costner that discusses the history of the American West and the importance that barbed wire played in taming the Wild West.
Deleted Scenes: 25 minutes worth of deleted scenes with optional Costner commentary. 12 deleted scenes in all.
Storyboard: 5-minute sequence comparing the film's storyboards to the actual scenes that were included.
Video: 4-minute musical piece under a musical score.
Number of discs: 2 Packaging: Slimline with paper stock chapter title index
Open Range (2003)
