The Mosley Review: Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

Before Star Wars, before Marvel, DC or any type of superheroes, the true back bone of cinema was born in the wild west. No other genre has had the most influence and variety of stories based on fact, fiction and sometimes folktales. The majority of you would say that the Western film genre has been dead for years and you'd be right. Yeah, we occasionally get a film that's an modern day original story, a remake or biopic about the legendary gunslingers and lawmen of past, but those films are so far and between. Nowadays, they're mostly straight to on demand. Some films and shows like Deadwood, The Harder They Fall, Hell or High Water, Godless and recently the Yellowstone franchise have re-invigorated the genre. It brought a smile to my face to actually walk into a theatre and sit down knowing I'm about to see a Western on the big screen again and this film did not disappoint. What makes this film unique is that it feature at least 4 different types of classic stories that all have a similar destination. Something like this you would see in a long running TV series and to witness it in on the big screen is truly special.

This cast features just about every current and veteran actor that has ever been in or associated with a western. For that, I'll focus on the standouts from here on in. Sienna Miller was truly fantastic and strong as the widowed mother, Frances Kittredge. The emotional journey of loss and the amount strength she carries for her daughter was encouraging to witness. Sam Worthington was honorable and upright as First Lt. Trent Gephardt. He commanded his screen time with ease and I loved the chemistry that was built between him and Frances. Michael Rooker is always great and as Sgt. Major Riordan, I liked his more tender nature. His Irish accent was a bit spotty at times, but he was so great that I could understand what he was trying to convey for the most part. Luke Wilson was great as the frontier caravan leader, Matthew Van Weyden. I loved his portrayal of the guy that was thrown the position as leader and the all the weight that comes with it. He led with respect, but didn't hesitate to stand up to a challenger amongst the group. Jena Malone was a firecracker that never fizzled out as Ellen/Lucy. From the moment she was on screen, she gets your attention and her protective fury is felt. Jon Beavers was great and scary as the Junior Sykes. His determination and towering presence was intimidating and welcomed. His younger brother Caleb was wild and menacing as Jamie Campbell Bower brings the character to life. His devilish smile and petulant violent nature was fun to watch and brought great tension in one particular stand off. Kevin Costner was excellent as the quiet hero with a possible bloody past, Hayes Ellison. I always love when a hero is wanting peace and somehow gets pulled back into trouble and has to always look over his shoulder. Kevin did that expertly and his chemistry with the flirtatious and trouble seeking Marigold, played wonderfully by Abbey Lee, was cute at times. Owen Crow Shoe was great as the young and war mongering Pionsenay. He was the leader of the many indigenous raids on the American settlements and I liked his defiant nature. I sense we are about to get an interesting and sad story with him in the future.

The score by John Debney was haunting, emotional, fun and perfectly fit the era. What I loved the most is the visual representation of each territory. The Santa Fe territory was that amber and dry type of hot versus the cold, gray and cold bluish tone of the Wyoming territory. Now if you're wondering if there's action in the film, there is and it is not glorious. What was brilliant about it is that the horrific nature of the attacks on settlers was brutal, unflinching and purposefully made you uncomfortable because you're watching families die. The cycle of vengeance is explored through the eyes of the young in this film and that was a great perspective. In the end, this film was a great set up for the following second chapter and I can't wait to see how it unfolds and how each story ends up in the titular location. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!