Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 explores 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.
Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 covers a period of 15 years before and after the Civil War. Expansion into the West is fraught with challenges, from the natural elements to interactions with the indigenous peoples who inhabit these lands to the relentless determination of those who seek to colonize these lands.
The film was released on June 28, 2024, and “Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 2” will be released on August 16, 2024. The entire epic is expected to span four films and take a broad, multifaceted approach covering the 15-year period of the American West before and after the American Civil War.
Kevin Costner, who has been planning the project since 1988, directs, produces and stars in the films. The magnificent cast includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jeff Fahey, Will Patton, Tatanka Means and Jamie Campbell Bower.
Film Review for Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1
After innumerable accolades for portraying Montana rancher John Dutton in Yellowstone, Kevin Costner left that successful TV series to pursue his passion project: Horizon: An American Saga – four epic films about the settling of the West before and after the Civil War.
At three hours, one minute – the same running time as Costner’s Oscar-winning Dances With Wolves – Horizon: Chapter 1 was just released. Costner is – literally – betting the ranch on its success, having mortgaged his 10-acres in Santa Barbara to help finance this budding franchise.
Co-written by Costner and Jon Baird (Tetris, Filth), it’s directed by Costner, who makes the most of J. Michael Muro’s spectacular cinematography, beginning in an 1859 township called Horizon in Arizona’s San Pedro Valley, where White Mountain Apaches attack the homesteaders who are claiming ownership of their ancestral lands.
Escaping from the massacre that took the lives of her husband (Tim Guinee) and teenage son (Hayes Costner, Kevin’s real-life son), Frances Kittredge (Sienna Miller) and her daughter Lizzie (Georgia MacPhail) take refuge in a nearby fort, manned by Union Cavalry Colonel Houghton (Danny Huston), First Lieutenant Trent Gephardt (Sam Worthington), and Sgt. Major Riordan (Michael Rooker).
Meanwhile in Montana Territory, abused Lucy (Jena Malone) wreaks revenge on lecherous James Sykes (Charles Halford), fleeing with their infant son, infuriating the mean Sykes matriarch (Dale Rickey) who dispatches her other two sons, Caleb (James Campbell Bower) and Junior (Job Beavers), to bring back her grandchild.
Then there’s laconic “saddle tramp” Hayes Ellison (Kevin Costner) hooking up with opportunistic prostitute Marigold (Abbey Lee), who babysits for Lucy, now married to kindly Walter Childs (Michael Angarano).
Plodding behind, Matthew Van Weyden (Luke Wilson) shepherds a wagon train filled with even more settlers, including bumbling Brits (Ella Hunt, Tom Payne).
Bottom Line: Too many characters pursuing different storylines. Eventually, they’re bound to intersect but – in this incoherent Chapter 1 – they’re unstructured, clichéd and confusing.
All about Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 2 movie.
Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 (2024)
Directed by: Kevin Costner
Starring: Kevin Costner, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Sienna Miller, Michael Angarano, Isabelle Fuhrman, Glynn Turman, Will Patton, Kathleen Quinlan, Giovanni Ribisi, Abbey Lee
Screenplay by: Jon Baird, Kevin Costner
Production Design by: Derek R. Hill
Cinematography by: J. Michael Muro
Film Editing by: Miklos Wright
Costume Design by: Lisa Lovaas
Set Decoration by: Bryan Hurley
Art Direction by: Jarrette Moats, Billy W. Ray
Music by: John Debney
MPAA Rating: R for violence, some nudity and sexuality.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures (United States)
Release Date: June 28, 2024 (Chapter 1), August 16, 2024 (Chapter 2)
Views: 82
