Horizon: An American Sag- Chapter 1

Synopsis: Families, friends and foes discover the lure of the Old West as the Civil War divides the country.

Movie Review:

"Horizon: The American Saga- Chapter 1" is directed by Kevin Costner, his big passion project spanning across 4 films. This epic western transports you to the years before the Civil War, with Costner doing an amazing job behind the camera and starring as Hayes Ellison, a loner cowboy caught up with gangsters and becoming a drifter. Costner doesn't appear on screen until an hour into the movie, but his performance is great.

My favorite storyline was between Lt. Trent Grephart (Sam Worthington) and Frances Kittredge (Sienna Miller), with Miller giving one of the best performances in the movie. Their evolving romance was a highlight. The movie features a stacked cast including Jena Malone, Luke Wilson, Michael Rooker, Danny Houston, Will Patton, and Ella Hunt, all getting involved in the Old West in some way. However, some characters don't get much screen time, making the movie feel a bit bloated at times.

Jamie Campbell Bower steals the show as Caleb Sykes, a crazy gangster gunslinger related to a dangerous family. He is a fantastic villain, brutal, unsettling, and delivering one of the best standoffs in a western in a long time. The movie starts with an intense and tough-to-watch scene of Indians attacking a village, setting the tone for the rest of the film.

My biggest issue with the movie is that it follows every western cliché by the book, making it a bit predictable. It also feels a bit too long, almost like the first episode of an 8-part mini-series. Overall, "Horizon: The American Saga- Chapter 1" is an emotional, violent, beautifully shot western that provides an enjoyable time at the movies.

I am giving it a 3.5/5 stars.

Director: Kevin Costner

Cast: Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Jenna Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jeff Fahey, Will Patton, Tatanka Means, Ella Hunt, Tim Guinee, Colin Cunningham, Jamie Campbell Bower, Scott Haze, Tom Payne, Alejandro Edda and Michael Angarano

Runtime: 181 Minutes