Movie Review: ‘Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1’
Plot: The first chapter in a sprawling four-part Western epic, Horizon: An American Saga chronicles several interlinking stories all centering on the frontier town of Horizon, located in the San Pedro Valley. Beginning in the middle of the Civil War, the film follows natives of Horizon including widow Frances Kittredge (Sienna Miller) as they look to rebuild the town with the assistance of Lt. Gephardt (Sam Worthington) and Camp Gallant. Meanwhile Matthew Van Weyden (Luke Wilson) leads a wagon train along the Santa Fe Trail and deals with his own set of issues including a pretentious British couple. Lastly and at the nexus of all three, is the story of Hayes Ellison (Kevin Costner) who, after an unfortunate encounter in the Wyoming territory, finds himself run afoul of the notorious Sykes clan, including the venomous Caleb Sykes (Jamie Campbell Bower).
Review: If I had to sum up the latest Western venture from actor/director Kevin Costner in one word it would be ambitious. A sprawling tale that at times can feel unwieldy, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, is just the first in Costner’s four-part epic Western tale. In fact, as my former colleague and film critic Chris Bumbray stated, this may be the most ambitious film project since Peter Jackson wandered into Middle-Earth for The Lord of the Rings over twenty years ago. Indeed, the Horizon experiment as a whole, is a grand escapade that may not fully come to fruition, with Chapter 3 currently filming and the fourth installment still looking to secure funding.
Having said that it would be a tragedy of titanic proportions for cinephiles everywhere if Horizon remains unfinished. This a true epic Western tale that simply isn’t made any more, one that owes a lot to Western directing greats Howard Hawks and John Ford. Indeed, if Hawks or Ford were alive and working today, Horizon is exactly the kind of movie they would have made. In an age where Westerns (if they get made at all) are made by directors too often aping Clint Eastwood or Sergio Leone, it’s refreshing to see a tale that harkens back to the greats of yesteryear.
Many critics have repeatedly written that Horizon should have been a miniseries due to its scope. I couldn’t disagree more. While you can make a case that the number of characters and storylines involved warrants the television treatment, Horizon exudes pure Cinema with a capital “C.” From the opening Apache raid, to the introduction of Costner’s Hayes Ellison, to the wagon trains along the Sante Fe trail, director Kevin Costner and cinematographer J. Michael Muro imbue Horizon with a grand majesty that’s reminiscent of Russell Harlan and Winton C. Hoch. This movie is so breathtakingly beautiful I could have enjoyed its three-hour runtime sans dialogue. It’s complimented by a haunting, rousing, and eloquent score from John Debney that’s equal parts Max Steiner (The Searchers) and John Barry (Dances with Wolves).
For better or worse, it seems like critics and filmgoers alike can’t escape the lens of identity politics in the film space. I’ve read several comments questioning if it’s even appropriate for a white man such as Costner to make a Western in the vein of Hawks and Ford considering they were often idealized forms of the Old West that were more mythical than historical. And—if we are being honest—Native Americans weren’t always represented in the best light in those films.
Well, if you thought Horizon was going to be the Western version of a hagiography, think again. Screenwriters Jon Baird and Kevin Costner have gone out of there way to make a complex and nuanced film. Horizon doesn’t shy away from the charged racial dynamics between Native Americans and settlers wrestling with the reigns of manifest destiny. Horizon (intentionally I believe) bookends with atrocities, one by the Apache and one by the settlers on an Apache village. Yet brilliant director that he is, Costner takes the time to examine the motivations and consequences of these actions. Pionsenay (Owen Crow Shoe) is chastised by his tribal leader for the attack, believing co-existence is the way forward. Meanwhile, the posse that forms to enact revenge for Pionsenay’s raid finds themselves unable to locate him and instead massacre an innocent village. There are real moral and ethical stakes at play in Horizon.
Not surprisingly, the performances in Horizon are top-notch. Costner leads the way as Hayes Ellison, a gruff and violent but ultimately moral horse trader who gets involved with Marigold (Abbey Lee), a prostitute who’s inadvertently found herself as a caregiver for a young child. In addition to Lee, Costner’s Horizon sports several strong female performances, most prominently Sienna Miller’s Frances Kittredge as a stalwart widow who suffers a horrific tragedy and sparks a budding romance with Lt Trent Gephardt (Sam Worthington). Jena Malone also impresses as spitfire Ellen, a frontier wife hiding a dark secret. The always reliable Michael Rooker brings a folksy charm and humor to his character Sgt. Riordan. Rooker’s Irish officer often provides the comic relief but also delivers some of the wisest lines in the entire film. Think Victor McLaglen in Fort Apache.
The standout for me though was Jamie Campbell Bower as the psychotic and ruthless Caleb Sykes, a scion of the Sykes crime family that rules the Montana and Wyoming territories. He’s horribly compelling, the kind of old school villain you love to hate. His confrontation with Hayes on a hill is one of the most riveting scenes I’ve seen in ages. Cinematographer J. Michael Muro’s Steadicam expertise ratches up the tension as the duo ascend the hill. It’s one of those movie moments that I haven’t been able to shake from my brain for almost two weeks.
I only had two minor issues with Horizon’s first chapter. Occasionally, there’s some melodramatic moments that while at home in a film from Hawks or Ford, don’t land as well in 2024. Additionally, there’s a plethora of characters to keep up with and a lot of setup in Horizon Chapter 1 that makes this feel like an incomplete story. However, the rest of the film is so compelling and well done that it overwhelms any minor gripes. When the film concluded if someone had told me “Step through this door to see Chapter 2” I would have happily walked over the threshold. Thankfully, audiences won’t have long to wait as Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 releases August 16th. *
*Welp life moves at you fast…Chapter 2 has officially been pulled from its original August 16th release date with no new date announced. To say I’m disappointed is an understatement.
If anything, Horizon: An American Saga proves that the Western is still alive and well and at almost seventy years of age, Costner still has the directing and acting chops to make something magnificent.
Now bring on Chapter 2!
My rating system:
1 God Awful Blind Yourself With Acid Bad
2 Straight Garbage
3 Bad
4 Sub Par
5 Average
6 Ok
7 Good
8 Great
9 Excellent
10 A Must See
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1: 8/10
