“Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” (2024) directed & starring Kevin Costner / Z-View

 

Director: Kevin Costner

Screenplay: Jon Baird, Kevin Costner, story by Jon Baird, Kevin Costner, Mark Kasdan

Stars: Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Tim Guinee, Giovanni Ribisi, Danny Huston, Colin Cunningham, Scott Haze, Tom Payne, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Will Patton, Jim Lau, Georgia MacPhail, Hayes Costner, Luke Wilson, James Russo, Jon Beavers, Dale Dickey, Charles Halford, Jamie Campbell Bower, Austin R. Grant, Ariel Llinas, David O’Hara and Jeff Fahey

Tagline: The story of a nation unsettled.

The Plot…

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 looks at the lives of those attempting to move west and settle on land already held by native Americans.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is, as the title indicates, part one of a four part story.  The movie doesn’t have traditional pacing or character arcs.  If you know this going in, you shouldn’t be disappointed when the film ends, since the story will continue.  However, if you go in expecting a complete story, you’ll be let down.

My expectation was we would get a big story with Kevin Costner playing the main character who interacts with a large cast.  This isn’t the case.  Costner doesn’t even make an appearance until 66 minutes into the movie.  There are multiple storylines in Horizon, Chapter 1 and Costner’s is just one.

The writing, acting and direction are all superb.  Many familiar faces appear throughout the film.  Jamie Campbell Bower and Jon Beavers are standouts in the roles as the antagonists of Kevin Costner’s character.

Kevin Costner took a risk by investing his own money to make the film(s).  Costner also had faith that audiences would accept a four part story where each chapter doesn’t follow traditional Hollywood pacing or structure.  I’m willing to go along for the ride.  Chapter One left me looking forward to the rest of the tale. My rating for Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is based on what we’ve seen so far.  I imagine once the full tale is told and we can view/rate the entire story, Horizon (the complete saga) will receive a higher rating.

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 (2024) rates 3 of 5 stars.