Horizon: An American Saga

A different kind of movie

Movies have changed over the years. Most are put up in streaming services and you can watch in the comfort of your home. Theaters have become a bit of an anachronism. But they are still out there. We don’t go very often but sometimes a movie comes along that sparks our interest. And there is just something about going to the theater, getting some popcorn, and enjoying a movie on the big screen in a darkened theater. It’s a bit of a throwback but enjoyable.

Sometimes movies lend themselves to the big screen. When I heard about Kevin Costner’s new movie, “Horizon: An American Saga” I had a sneaking suspicion that would be true. And did it ever live up to that thought! If nothing else, the cinematography of this film was breathtaking. It brought the West alive in spectacular ways. I admit to being a bit of a sucker for a Western, but this was something else. Big, bold, beautiful, rich in texture, and vast and awe inspiring vistas were everywhere. Also, be advised that this movie is 3 hours long. Pee before you go in!

But that is not to say the movie and the story wasn’t great. It was. If there is a knock, it is that the story so big that it takes time to figure out the characters, the scenes and how they all link to one another. It’s a two part movie and the second part will come out in August. But in truth, the story could encompass several parts. It could be a whole series. The acting was great, the emotions were deep and you really felt drawn in to the lives of the characters.

Another thing about it was that it was brutal. And raw. It told an unvarnished story of the movement westward and the dangers, the rewards, the difficulties of day to day life. The Indians were depicted as the barbarians they could be. But some of them were shown to be realists regarding the unending tide of arriving settlers. Although the settlers were depicted as sometimes naive and gullible, they also were shown to be as brutal, revengeful and bloodthirsty as their Indian antagonists. And they all lived an incredibly difficult life. There wasn’t a woke scene to be found. It was reality at its finest.

I have always been in awe of the Americans who could put all their earthly belongings in a wagon and set off for parts unknown in the West. The dangers were well known and uncertainty was with them every day. And yet they still came. It wasn't an old fashioned Western with the obvious good guys and bad guys, but it was a hell of a story. I came away wanting more and looking forward to part 2.