Film Review – HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA – CHAPTER 1 (2024): Kevin Costner’s Ambitious Film is All Set-Up With Little Resolve Despite Adequate Acting
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 Review
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by Kevin Costner, written by Jon Baird, Mark Kasdan and Kevin Costner and starring Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Tim Guinee, Giovanni Ribisi, Danny Huston, Colin Cunningham, Luke Wilson, Scott Haze, Jeff Fahey, Tom Payne, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Will Patton, Jim Lau, Isabelle Fuhrman and Georgia MacPhail.
Kevin Costner begins his Horizon film saga with a three-hour introduction to the characters Costner plans on using in a series which is supposed to span several films (and 15 years). Judging from the first entry in the saga, this motion picture “event” will shift to Max (formerly HBO Max) unless the second movie (due this August) turns out to redeem Costner for this mediocre first effort.
Costner is an Oscar-winning filmmaker but Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 occasionally plods on with scenes that feel unnecessary. Although there are moments that work and the film is never really boring, it never feels like a complete picture. It’s not one and Costner made every one aware of that fact but the way the new film ends sets the stage for more character and plot development with no idea where, exactly, Costner is heading with the material. Had there been stronger character arcs, audiences may have been able to try to at least guess but, alas, people won’t have a clue what’s going to happen next in terms of the future character development by the time the end credits roll.
Set around the Civil War and the expansion of the American west, the biggest flaw is Costner’s absence from the first hour of the film. There are so many characters but no central hero until the arrival of Hayes Ellison (Costner) although a woman named Frances Kittredge (Sienna Miller) suffers some tragedy which makes her a sympathetic person within the movie. Georgia MacPhail’s young Elizabeth Kittredge, Frances’s daughter, is also quite easy to care for as well thanks to MacPhail’s sincere performance. As the seemingly noble Lt. Trent Gephart, Sam Worthington appears like he could be a pivotal part in the action in future series entries as well. Worthington is decent in his screen time but he doesn’t get nearly enough of it.
But, what to make of Marigold (Abbey Lee), a hooker with a heart of gold? She’s a much younger woman than the guy she takes a liking to, Hayes. Eventually, Hayes teams up with her as the plot proceeds forward. Marigold is taking care of someone else’s child in the early stages of the film and feels drawn to Hayes, for whatever reason. They form a bond but it never really feels genuine. A scene later in the movie where another man is dressing himself next to Marigold confuses matters more. Ditto a non-erotic, but brief, sex sequence between Marigold and Hayes. Hopefully, the next chapter clarifies things more regarding many of the featured characters in the first edition, namely the ones played by Costner and Lee.
Matters are not helped much by Jena Malone’s abused Ellen Harvey or Luke Wilson’s compulsive Matthew Van Weyden. Wilson’s character goes out with a gun when two guys watch a key character bathing herself. Van Weyden has a bit of an attitude even if he seems to mean well while other scenes with Ellen only develop her slightly as a character. There are simply too many characters here to go through each one individually. One sequence where a child is asked to use a gun is frightening and well-done but also, in the context of the movie, a bit inconclusive. What’s on the “horizon” for future chapters? Only Costner knows.
Westerns are always hit-or-miss and they are not my favorite film genre. To give credit where credit is due, Ella Hunt, Danny Huston and, especially, Michael Rooker are very good in terms of their performances. Rooker adds a significant amount of development to a character, Sgt. Major Thomas Riordan which is an essential part of the picture. Some Native American characters, on the other hand, feel vague and unrealized. There’s potential here but the second film will most likely determine what Costner’s grand master plan is with this film series. Jeff Fahey also bites into his role as the character, Tracker, but what Isabelle Fuhrman’s Diamond Kittredge will bring to the table is reliant on what comes in the second installment. Giovanni Ribisi looks like he will have a big role in the second chapter as well since the movie closes with his image.
Costner is better as a director than as an actor with this particular project but because we don’t know the directions the plot threads will ultimately take, all we’re left with is fine cinematography in a film with handsomely mounted production values. Sienna Miller gets a grasp on the tragedy the character she plays has endured. Miller is always reliable and her work in this film is no exception. Abbey Lee’s work here is strangely fascinating. Whenever she’s on screen, there’s never a dull moment but what does her role mean in the grand scheme of things? Hopefully, we’ll find out in August.
Ultimately, it is impossible to not appreciate Costner’s intentions as a filmmaker here. It may be a bit pretentious to think that you can get at least four films made on a specific topic but Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 feels more earnest than anything else. I will withhold further criticism until August until I see Chapter 2 and the fact that I want to see Chapter 2 may honestly make Chapter 1 a better film than I’m giving it credit for.
Rating: 6/10
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