Horizon: An American Saga – Part 1
★ ★ ½
I’m going to reserve the right to amend my review of the first installment of Horizon because it’s not supposed to stand on its own. The film is meant to be a sweeping epic told in four parts. Part 1’s run-time is a whopping three hours, Part 2’s release is scheduled for the end of summer. Parts 3 and 4 will be released sometime in 2025 – presumably depending on box office success.
By itself, this first film is a messy assembly of several stories around 1860s San Pedro Valley, Arizona and Montana Territory. Each story thread is tied together with printed flyers advertising the town of Horizon. Even though the flyers are made of paper, they’re shown so many times – in an attempt to stitch the stories together – it feels like a blacksmith’s hammer is pounding it into your head.
Sam Worthington
© 2024 New Line Cinema
I normally like to give a summary of the plot, but it’s nearly impossible at this point, because as the first part of four films, the plot is just developing. The characters are just being introduced.
The film starts with a band of Apache warriors watching a surveyor and his son laying out plots for what presumably will be the town of Horizon, though I’m not sure that’s 100% clear. The Apache question why they would choose this land.
A missionary named Desmarais (Angus Macfayden) rides across the desert looking for Horizon (one of several characters who have seen the flyer). Desmarais comes across a disheveled man at a church-in-ruins only to be told he’s already passed through Horizon. Desmarais discovers the bodies of the surveyor and his son, and presumably, continues their work.
In Montana Territory, a woman named Lucy (Jena Malone) arrives on horseback at a remote cabin and almost fatally shoots the sleeping James Sykes (Charles Halford) with a shotgun. She then sets his horse free and takes a baby from the cabin, presumably hers. James is brought back to his family’s cabin by his adult sons where his wife orders her two sons to hunt Lucy down.
If you’re going “huh?” at this point, you’ll likely be saying this while watching the film. I certainly did.
Sienna Miller
© 2024 New Line Cinema
We next flash forward to 1863 in a small tent city that will eventually become Horizon. New settlers arrive, and the town has a celebration in the local dance hall. Frances Kitteridge (Sienna Miller) attends with her husband James, son Nat and daughter Elizabeth (Georgia MacPhail). Frances wants Nat to dance with her but he refuses. The family eventually heads back to their cabin just before the Apache group proceeds to burn down the town, kill most of its inhabitants and attack the Kitteridge cabin.
The attack on the cabin is a fight for survival that is brutal and captivating and sort of where the film starts to make sense, until we’re introduced to an entirely new town a bit later and we have a new set of characters to get to know.
The charred town receives the help of Union soldiers who know that the Apache will be back and will likely keep defending their territory against new settlers. They offer the remaining survivors to come with them to their military settlement several miles away. Some stay, many go, including Frances and her daughter Elizabeth, the two surviving members of the Kitteridge family.
The new town I mentioned earlier is where Lucy, who now goes by the name Ellen, now lives with her son and new husband Walter (Michael Angarano). They live with Ellen’s sister Marigold (Abby Lee), who makes a living as a prostitute in town. A horse trader, Hayes Ellison (Kevin Costner) arrives in town, and as he’s getting settled, is aggressively propositioned by Marigold to come meet her at the cabin later when Ellen and Walter are away. Marigold is supposed to be watching the 2-year-old boy, but she assures Hayes the boy is a heavy sleeper. Piece this together as you will.
I’ll leave the summary at the moment I found myself most invested in the film. While Hayes makes his way to the cabin to see Marigold, he’s followed by one of the brothers sent to hunt down Ellen.
Luke Wilson leads a wagon train
© 2024 New Line Cinema
This is only about halfway into the film, and we still have groups of characters to be introduced to, including an entire wagon train traveling through western Kansas led by Matthew Van Weyden (Luke Wilson). Of course, more than one of the travelers has a flyer for Horizon.
The movie ends with a preview of the next film, a montage of scenes put together. This transition occurs without warning, and it takes a moment to realize the first part of Horizon has ended and we’re getting a tease for the next one.
Again, Part 1 is a bit of a mess, at least as it sits right now. Each of the stories by themselves do become captivating, and each one could make for great western epics on their own. Whether they work stitched together remains to be seen.
That’s why I’m exercising my right to amend this review pending the remaining films.
Defending the wagon
© 2024 New Line Cinema
By itself, Part 1 will leave you confused and frustrated. Will Part 2 bring it all together? Time will tell, and box office results might dictate how much of the remaining parts will be in theatres or immediately released to streaming or abandoned altogether.
Horizon could be great. It might remain a scattered mess. Attempting to make such an epic is admirable. Costner has reportedly invested $38 million of his own money into the $100 million project.
As someone who admires a good western flick, I really hope Horizon pans out. The filmmaker in me fears the project won’t get better from here. I hope I’m wrong.
Rated: R (Some Nudity and Sexuality|Violence)
Running Time: 3h 01m
Directed by: Kevin Costner
Written by: Jon Baird, Kevin Costner
Starring: Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jenna Malone
Western, History, Drama
