Chronicles a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west.

Kevin Costner has never been a man to accuse of a lack of ambition, and ‘American Horizon’ might just be his biggest swing yet. Attempting to tell the story of the American West over the course of four epic movies, two of which have been filmed, with the other two in production, is an ambitious effort that dwarves even ‘Dances with Wolves’ and ‘Waterworld’ in scope and scale. The first chapter has arrived in cinemas, with the second to follow in a few weeks, and it’ll be intriguing to see if ‘American Horizon’ proves to be more of a ‘Dances with Wolves’, or more of a ‘Waterworld’.

The first chapter introduces us to several characters in several different locations across the American Midwest, who I expect we’ll follow over the course of the next few chapters of this story. To a degree we’re just dropped in and expected to get up to speed over time, and I think this approach worked well instead of spending lots of time on exposition. It is clear from the outset that this is old fashioned filmmaking that harks back to a different era when Western movies were the biggest draw in town, and Costner’s passion for the genre and the time period shines through. It is a stunningly shot movie, using the vast expanse of the American plains to great effect and acting as a reminder (if it was ever needed!) that a lot of the appeal of any Western movie is in marvelling at the landscapes on display.

The approach to follow different storylines gives us a rounded introduction to this world as we see different perspectives and the different types of people trying to make a life for themselves in this harsh environment. Speaking of harsh, it doesn’t shirk on the bloodshed, with an early Apache raid on a settlement brutally brilliant, tense and shocking, with no quarter spared. It is a visceral sequence that draws the audience right into the story and reinforces just how difficult it was trying to live in this environment at that time. It isn’t a movie without its faults – at 3 hours long it is certainly a little self-indulgent and some story strands feel better developed than others. It also has a combination of some really strong performances (Sienna Miller, Costner himself) and some acting that is a little below par shall we say. And that’s without mentioning Michael Rooker’s attempt at an Irish accent!

The challenge I think these films might have is the length and subject matter may put off an audience who are used to sequels and comic book movies, and that’d be a shame as I thought this was a stirring first chapter and I’m intrigued to see where Costner takes it next. As I mentioned at the start of the review, Costner is a filmmaker who often swings big and when it hits, it hits big (‘Dances with Wolves‘), but equally when it doesn’t, the results aren’t great (‘Waterworld‘). On the evidence of ‘Chapter One’, I’ve got high hopes that ‘American Horizon’ is more likely to fall into the ‘Dances with Wolves’ camp.

Rating: 4/5

Directed By: Kevin Costner

Starring: Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Jena Malone, Michael Angarano, Abbey Lee, Jamie Campbell Bower, Jon Beavers, Owen Crow Shoe, Tatanka Means, Luke Wilson, Ella Hunt, Tom Payne, Georgia MacPhail, Will Patton, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jeff Fahey, Gregory Cruz, Scott Haze and Angus Macfadyen

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt17505010/