Westward expansion. A period in American history that resulted in the horrific displacement of the Indigenous people, along with the emergence of frontier towns and outlaws. This period is explored in “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1,” a longtime passion project for Kevin Costner and his first directorial work since 2003’s “Open Range.” 

The first installment in a proposed four-part film series of the same name, “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” contains three storylines. These all take place during the period of westward expansion in the United States, with two of the storylines revolving around the titular town. 

“Horizon” (Publicity Image from Paramount Pictures)

The main storyline follows Hayes Ellison (played by Kevin Costner, who also directed and co-wrote the screenplay), a horse trader who, while stopping in a town, encounters Marigold (played by Abbey Lee), a prostitute. As a result of this encounter, what ensues is a tense standoff between a deranged man named Caleb Sykes (played by Jamie Campbell Bower) — who has a history with Marigold — and Hayes, which would change the trajectory of Hayes and Marigold’s lives. This entire scene, which utilizes Marigold’s house as the location for the showdown, along with Hayes and Caleb walking in the same direction towards it, turns out to be one of the film’s better sequences. The usage of tension in this sequence turns out to be one of the film’s very few bright spots.  

One of the film’s other storylines focuses on Frances Kittredge (played by Sienna Miller) and her daughter Elizabeth, who are the only survivors in their family after a brutal attack by the Western Apache due to the town of Horizon being on Apache land. As a result, they end up relocating to Camp Gallant to begin a new life. This storyline also includes Tatanka Means, who starred in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” last year, as Taklishim, a member of the Apache band.      

The third storyline involves a wagon train led by Matthew Van Weyden (played by Luke Wilson) heading west towards Horizon. The wagon train features a plethora of passengers, including the British couple Hugh Proctor (played by Tom Payne) and Juliette Chesney (played by Ella Hunt).

While this film offers an impressive ensemble cast with some good performances, such as Kevin Costner’s gruff and rough portrayal of Hayes (which is a dead ringer for his character John Dutton on “Yellowstone”) and Sienna Miller’s portrayal of Frances Kittredge, it doesn’t salvage the biggest issues with the film.

The entirety of the film feels like exposition due to it not having a conclusion — as it all appears to be set up for Chapter 2 of the film series. The three central storylines of the film feel more like pilot episodes for a miniseries rather than the epic cinematic odyssey it was attempting to be. Instead of the epic cinematic scope of other Western films from filmmakers such as Sergio Leone, John Ford, and Clint Eastwood, “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” comes off as a glorified television miniseries — being displayed with the baffling choice to include a downright egregious montage that is incredibly out of place for a film which left me extremely frustrated. If anything, this film feels more like a diet version of a Taylor Sheridan television project than a theatrically released film, which is especially ironic considering Costner left “Yellowstone” before he began filming “Horizon.” The cinematography is also rather flat at times, not capturing the sheer scope that a film like this should have. 

Instead of the Western epic that hasn’t graced the cinema in many years, “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” delivers a disappointing experience that feels more like the start of a television miniseries rather than a sprawling cinematic experience. With an unfinished narrative and plot techniques that are more appropriate for the small screen, “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” is a rough start to this film series. Hopefully, “Chapter 2” will be a lot better whenever it receives a release. 

“Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” is available for streaming on Max.

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