For all its faults, that “Horizon” exists at all in its present form feels like a minor miracle and an undeniable win among those starving for adult-minded, genuinely thought-provoking original offerings. If that comes across like damning with faint praise, consider that this refreshing Western is the exact antithesis of all the generic studio-noted, focus-grouped, and cookie-cutter blockbusters us movie nerds complain about on the regular. That said, this unfocused and thinly-stretched version of the film can’t help but sag beneath the weight of its own unwieldiness.
The script, co-written by Kevin Costner and first-time scribe Jon Baird, takes an awkwardly episodic approach in the early stages and never quite seems sure of what to do with its very, very deep bench of character actors. We’re introduced to multiple groups of individuals all spread out in different locales of 1859 America, some of whom eventually factor into the story while others wind up little more than window dressing. In one corner, a homesteader’s mistress named Ellen (Jena Malone) shoots her abusive partner and flees from Montana to make a new start, incurring the wrath of his conniving sons Junior (Jon Beavers) and Caleb Sykes (Jamie Campbell Bower). Elsewhere, Costner’s Hayes Ellison and local courtesan Marigold (Abbey Lee) cross paths and wind up ont the run from the villainous Sykes brothers in a rare instance of one subplot intersecting another. Finally, we check in on a wagon train making its way through the Sante Fe trail, featuring Will Patton, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, and Ella Hunt. (Familiar faces Danny Huston, Michael Rooker, Giovanni Ribisi, Jeff Fahey, and Dale Dickey also appear in what amounts to cameos.)
The only unifying factor between these threads, if there is one, revolves around the idyllic promise of Horizon plastered on several pamphlets spread out in the Old West. This town takes centerstage for the film’s standout action set piece, set off when Apache warriors led by young hothead Pionsenay (Owen Crow Shoe) attack in a fiery extended sequence that’s thrilling and stomach-churning in equal measure. After the ash and smoke settle, it’s clear the ruined settlement symbolizes an ideal more than a place, a multifaceted reflection of the country’s blue-collar pioneering spirit … but one that’s also stained by the bloodied hands that stole Indigenous lands away from those who lived here long before. To his credit, Costner tries to contextualize the optics of making a yee-haw cowboy picture at a time when the general public has never been more cognizant of this nation’s colonial foundations. Unfortunately, when they’re not being depicted as bloodthirsty savages from the perspective of white settlers (which is all too often), the Native cast are shortchanged by the director’s unwillingness to spend enough time in one place to fully explore their concerns before moving on to the next.
The impending sequel may be better positioned to delve into the unsightly muck of how the West was “won,” but that only leaves “Chapter 1” with the bitter aftertaste of too much setup for too little payoff.
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