HORIZON: CHAPTER 1

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 is a love letter to a genre long forgotten by Hollywood that is beautifully shot and truly cinematic, but despite a talented cast and strong direction from Kevin Costner, this first film in this four part story is so exposition heavy that it fails to stand on its own as a film rather than a prologue for the rest of the story.

To say that Horizon: An American Saga is a passion project for writer, director and star Kevin Costner is an understatement. Costner has been working on the story since 1988, when it was envisioned as a single film. He tried once to get it made, but not getting exactly what he wanted from the studio system, he waited, and now it has grown into a four film saga that he himself is co-financing. It’s evident from the second the film begins how much Costner loves and appreciates the Western genre, as it's woven into every single frame of the film. Armed with a massive ensemble cast and a sprawling runtime of three hours, it’s an ambitious project that is kicked off with this month’s Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1. While it is clear that Costner is firing on all cylinders as a creative and a director, the story feels like an extended prologue for a much larger story, merely introducing all of the players without much story occurring. Sadly, this leaves the film a bit of a slog at three hours, but with the seeds being planted for the next three films, it’s a hopeful start for what will most likely be the most personal project of Costner’s career.

If there is one thing that I loved about Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1, it is the experience of watching the story unfold on the big screen. The entire film is masterfully shot by J. Michael Muro, and it is a stunning vision to behold. From sweeping shots of the American countryside, gripping shots of the attack upon the Horizon settlement or intimate frames focusing on the actors, it’s incredibly easy to get lost in this gorgeous looking film. The Old West truly comes to life on screen thanks to the cinematography, aided by excellent costume design and great locations for shooting. Supporting all of this is John Debney’s musical score, and Debney more than understands the task at hand. His compositions capture the grand, sweeping vision of Costner passion projection with a majestic musical score that creates the beating heart of the film, that without question is one of the best musical scores of the summer. It all comes together under Costner’s direction, as he balances all the technical elements of the film while laying the groundwork for his ensemble cast to start crafting their characters in this ambitious project.

What holds the film back is the screenplay, as it is so exposition heavy that the story never truly gets going as it’s so concerned with setting up a larger vision of the four film project. Clocking in at three hours, you can feel the film’s length as you never spend more than thirty to forty minutes with a character maximum, with many getting barely half that. There are four distinct storylines at play, and while all of them have enough to sustain themselves while on screen, it feels like you are missing the bigger picture of what Costner, Jon Baird and Mark Kasdan’s larger plan is for the overall story. There are some exciting moments, such as the harrowing attack upon the Horizon settlement in the first act which is the highlight of the film, and many quiet moments that let the actors discover their characters along with the audience, notably with Sienna Miller’s Frances. But, the overall feeling of this first film in the series is that it feels like an extended television pilot. You get a glimpse of the story’s potential, though the vast majority of the film is spent introducing the players and the forces that are eventually going to drive the individual stories together. It’s not enough to turn me off from looking forward to the second film, due out in August of this year, as hopefully the groundwork has been set for a more exciting second chapter, but as a standalone film there is not enough substance to justify its existence or its three hour runtime. I’ll reserve full judgment on the story until all four parts have been released, as what we’ve seen in this film is merely a fraction of the story, but unlike some outstanding first parts in trilogies or larger stories like The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Dune, or The Godfather which both lay the groundwork for a larger story while being incredible stories on their own, Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 struggles to exist on its own.

With such a large ensemble cast and multiple storylines playing out in isolation, not every cast member is given their fair share of screentime. Some get a larger portion of time, like Miller, Sam Worthington and Costner whose characters feature prominently throughout the film, while others are waiting for their larger role in future films like Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Will Patton and Tom Payne. Though despite the screen time restraints for some cast members, there is not a weak performance to be found in the film. Miller is outstanding as Frances Kittredge, a woman grieving the loss of her husband and son and trying to build a new home for her daughter with a quiet heartbreak, while sharing natural and smouldering chemistry with Worthington, who portrays her love interest. Costner is incredibly slick as the heroic gunslinger Hayes Ellison, instantly reminding you why he is and always will be a movie star thanks to his charismatic and stirring turn. Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker and Jamie Campbell Bowers are all great in their supporting roles which sadly will only be present in this film based on what unfolds in the story, with each delivering a captivating performance and truly bringing their characters off the page.

There is no denying Kevin Costner’s ambition or dedication as a filmmaker and storyteller, as there is something truly grand about Horizon: An American Saga that harkens back to a type of film we don’t see often enough these days. It’s a love letter to the Western genre, slowly taking its time to set up a larger story over the course of multiple films that Costner has been trying to make for years, and it’s easy to admire the talent behind the camera to make this film a reality. With a strong ensemble cast, excellent direction from Kevin Costner, outstanding cinematography and a terrific musical score from John Debney that all together allow the story to come to life on the big screen, Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 is the start of a promising Western epic that romanticizes the long forgotten genre with a cinematic vision that demands to be seen on the big screen, even if the screenplay of this first chapter is merely an exposition overload and is more concerned with setting the board for the rest of the films rather than flourishing as a standalone story.