'Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1' review: Kevin Costner begins passion project
MANILA, Philippines — After 20 years, Oscar winner Kevin Costner is back in the director's chair to helm "Horizon: An American Saga," a passion project of epic proportions he's been eyeing for so long that it had to be broken into parts.
The first portion of this saga, aptly labeled "Chapter 1," serves as an introductory tale to an array of characters in multiple storylines across the vast American West.
Starting the film is the titular piece of land belonging to the Apache but still tilled by settlers, which anger the Indigenous, leading to a nighttime battle that leaves few survivors including mother and daughter Frances and Lizzie Kittredge (Sienna Miller and Georgia MacPhail).
First Lt. Trent Gephardt (Sam Worthington) takes in Frances and Lizzie, sparking romantic interest in the former, while others seek revenge on the tribe that struck down the would-be town, even though the Indigenous have split opinions on the incident.
Elsewhere, Jena Malone's character shoots her partner and escapes with their infant son, leading to a search led by Sykes brothers Caleb and Junior (Jamie Campbell Bower and Jon Beavers).
It takes a third into the three-hour film before Costner's character, the lonesome Hayes Ellison, strolls into town and catches the attention of ever-eager Marigold played by Abbey Lee.
Finally, in another part of the country, Luke Wilson's Matthew Van Weyden leads a caravan which includes the seemingly privileged couple Hugh and Juliette (Tom Payne and Ella Hunt).
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Westerns are quite dear to Costner's heart, with his Oscar-winning directorial debut "Dances With Wolves" and the equally well-received "Open Range," not to mention the genre's resurgence in "Yellowstone."
The genre itself is a symbol of ambition and an undertaking of this sort requires a high degree of such to pull off, especially in an era where streaming is the norm and Westerns are an absolute rarity.
With respect to Costner, his directorial boots may need a little dusting and the writing — Costner is a co-writer with Jon Baird and Mark Kasdan — can be forgiven a little since it's just the first steps.
On its own, "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1" has little meat to chew on and is a task on its own to keep track of the different storylines at play, though it is likely they will blend together in future installments.
As expected of Westerns, the film is beautifully shot, with cinematographer J. Michael Muro reuniting with Costner in his own debut in "Open Range," to give justice to the vastness of the America post-Civil War.
That impression may be the film's best justification to be seen on the big screen when every other factor points to it finding better success as a limited series.
Costner made a gamble, pouring his own money into the budget, to make this passion project of his come to life.
Realistically, it's still too early to say how good this saga can be especially as "Chapter 1" ends with a montage of what's to come.
"Chapter 2" is set for a mid-August release, while "Chapter 3" will enter production, and if all goes well, so will "Chapter 4" to properly bookend what Costner envisions — here's hoping the sun rises with good fortune.
"Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1" opens in Philippine cinemas on June 28.
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