Open Range (2004, VHS)

Somewhere in the midst of "Open Range," the more-grand-than-not, would-be epic cowboy film of 1882 Montana, Robert Duvall's grizzled "Boss" Spearman and Kevin Costner's jaded Charley Waite are astride their mounts herding cattle to market against a mountain range backdrop that takes your breath away.

Spearman makes a comment to the effect that the scene around them is "pretty as a picture." Waite chimes in with the segue, "And that's why someone once said a picture is worth a thousand words."

Before you rightly jump up and scream in disbelief that no smelly, semi-literate cowpokes somewhere in the middle of nowhere in the 1880s would use such modern cliches, screenplay or not -- or any semblance of any comprehensible words, for that matter -- relax. Thankfully that's one of the few gaffes in the latest of Costner's efforts to create a modern "Western" movie tradition.

Truth be told, and against long odds, "Open Range" is a serious and entertaining modern-day entry into the classic western film genre, and a definite step forward from Costner's overrated and much-ballyhooed, blow-dried, decade-and-half-old blockbuster and Oscar-laden western "Dances With Wolves," and his ponderous and cliche-ridden bomb "Wyatt Earp" that was nowhere near as bad as critics said it was.

If "Open Range" suffers from the same final 15 minutes of every Costner flick (a requirement that he be fawned over as a sex symbol matinee idol at some point as a matter of directorial hubris), the previous 120 minutes make the journey memorable and worthwhile.

Part "High Noon," part "Shane," part "Red River," "Open Range" shows two noteworthy sides of Costner -- the counter-intuitively respectful director who gives Duvall top billing and the room to be the movie's star, and the aging movie super star who finally realizes (other than in the regrettable closing scenes) that he can actually allow himself to be a character that looks like the cat dragged him in stinking to high heaven.

THE FILM:
Briefly stated, "Open Range" follows the two long-time cowpoke partners across the open range of Montana at the time when land speculators and railroad entrepreneurs are trying to close off the previously open plains to so-called "freegrazers."

Spearman and Waite send their trusty fellow cowhand Mose (Abraham Benrubi) into the corrupt town of Harmonville for coffee and supplies. When he doesn't return, they leave the cattle under the less-than-watchful eye of Button (Diego Luna) and head into town to see what's up. They find Mose in a cell, beaten to a pulp by the corrupt sheriff Poole (James Russo) under orders from the wealthy and psychopathic town boss and Irish mafia-styled wiseguy Baxter (Michael Gambon).

The classic plot pits Spearman, Waite and Button against more thugs than you can shake a stick at, with Sue, (Annette Bening) the beautiful sister of the kindly town doctor (Dean McDermott) the only person in town in their corner other than the Walter Brennan-styled stable operator Percy, played with gusto by the late Michael Jeter.

If the plot is predictable, it's supposed to be. After all this is a modern-day version of the classic western, complete with supremely effective, slow-but-steady narrative buildup, but this time culminating in an extraordinary series of violent scenes of mayhem as Spearman and Waite fight for their lives and against the inevitability of "progress."

WHAT WORKS:
James Muro's cinematography is suitably grand under Costner's direction that seems to revel in the great outdoors. Duvall is Duvall, which is all you need to know. He may be typecast, but then, there's a reason for that; he's perfect as the movie's conscience and moral center. Costner's Waite is actually played with a reserve that most of us don't expect from Costner, Gambon is a terrific villain, and Bening does a convincing turn as the Pioneer Woman who's equal parts grit and sex appeal.

The buildup in the first half of the movie is perfect, meaning that...

WHAT DOESN'T:
...the second half has to be a letdown, and to a degree, it is. If the shootout scenes are truly spectacular and edge-of-the-seat gripping, and the transformation of the townspeople from cowed sheep into independent thinkers is deftly handled, these are nonetheless clumsily introduced and out of synch with the movie's opening tale of range rovers and their herd of "doggies." Craig Storper's otherwise effective screenplay fails to make a smooth enough transition from the one storyline to the other, a lapse that sends the movie lurching when it should be gliding.

Ultimately, any and all of the movie's few sins are pardonable except the final one -- an inexcusably sappy and unnecessary coda of blooming love between Charley and Sue long after the credits should have rolled.

I guess Costner-the-emerging-artiste is still the self-indulgent and flawed icon Costner...so much closer to paydirt than ever, and yet still so far.

Yet "Open Range" is well worth the time and effort if you're a fan of Westerns, or a fan of any of the principal actors. It's also the best first run film in its genre in many, many years, with the exception of Clint Eastwood's 1992 masterpiece The Unforgiven.

Better-than-expected reviews and strong word-of-mouth have generated good audience numbers for this movie, and the matinee crowd that filled a large theater the day I went applauded lustily when it was over.

As did I. This one ain't no dog; it's a doggone good one.