Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

Explore the lure of the Old West and how it was won—and lost—through the blood, sweat and tears of many. Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, embark on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America.

  • Released:
  • Runtime: 181 minutes
  • Genre: Drama, Western
  • Stars: Dale Dickey, Kathleen Quinlan, Larry Bagby, James Landry Hébert, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jamie Campbell Bower, Luke Wilson, Thomas Haden Church, Jena Malone, Alejandro Edda, Tatanka Means, Isabelle Fuhrman, Michael Angarano, Abbey Lee, Tim Guinee, Scott Haze, Angus Macfadyen, Jon Beavers, Danny Huston
  • Director: Kevin Costner
 Comments
  • wlb - 4 July 2024
    Not your typical Hollywood western
    I read a professional review from the Wall Street Journal today where the reviewer complains that there's three separate storylines - none of which have a conclusion. And it really could've done with just two storylines.

    And what he says is true.

    And I watched it 2 nights ago with a different attitude

    What you're seeing developing is going to continue in the subsequent movies

    All that being said I still thought it was a great movie despite no plots coming to a conclusion

    My impression of it was beautiful music score, and showing the west in a real gritty way the way it really was in 1859.

    Seeing Indian attacks not only from the settlers viewpoint but the Indians

    Other than the characters all having nice clean clothes and the men other than beards clean shaven I thought it was really indicative of the West - particularly the pre-Civil War era which this movie bases it's timeline.

    And who wants to see actors and filthy clothes and in your imagination wreaking of BO for three hours?

    And it does seem to bounce around a bit. You're going from the town of Horizon in the American southwest and then the next scene is Montana territory and later Wyoming territory.

    Then back to Horizon.

    And later on in the movie we go to a wagon train

    So don't see this movie with the assumption you're going to see a beginning and an end it's the beginning - of a multi movie saga with beautiful acting, realistic scenery and beautiful music.

    When I was watching the movie it reminds me a bit of the 70s miniseries Centennial, based on James Michener's novel of Centennial Colorado. We go from the fur trappers of the early 1800s to parking lots in Pizza Huts.
  • drjgardner - 3 July 2024
    Not the worst...
    No, this isn't the worst film ever made nor it is the worst Western ever made. It is bad, really bad. I walked out after an hour. BTW - it takes nearly an hour before KC shows up, so I kept waiting in the hopes that when he arrived the film would pick up. It didn't.

    What's so bad. First, the music. It is constant and blaring and not particularly relevant to the action of screen. Then there's the photography. It is average at best, but occasionally it gets really bad, focusing in on strange things. This is not John Ford.

    Maybe the story is even worse than the music and photography. I should say "stories" because there doesn't seem to be a story per se. The film wanders around in various places at various times. In the hour I struggled to stay and watch, it wasn't clear what these disparate elements meant. Maybe they come together, but who cares.

    Maybe even worse than the story is the direction. Not sure what the director wasn't trying to establish, but there are simply too many repetitive shots that go on too long.

    Don't get me started on the acting. Only one person did a good job. The rest were so obviously actors acting as if they were in a western film. Even the Indians did a poor job.

    Avoid this film. Avoid the next chapter if they are dumb enough to film it.