Horizon: An American Saga Part 1 Review: Kevin Costner’s sprawling western is better fit for small screen glory

Kevin Costner‘s Horizon: An American Saga is full of ambition, captured beautifully by Costner and his cinematographer, J. Michael Muro. However, the disparate storylines never coalesce into a satisfying whole. Just as the film begins to find a groove with a particular group of characters, a new storyline is introduced.

Horizon: An American Saga feels more like the start of an excellent TV series than a movie. Every hour or so, a new storyline is introduced with its own group of characters. The only thing that may bind these threads together is the ultimate destination, the land called Horizon.

The first hour centers around a settlement in the up-and-coming frontier town of Horizon. A war band of Apache destroys the village for trespassing on their land. Costner and screenplay partner Jon Baird tell this story mainly from the perspective of the Kittredge family. Following the attack, Frances Kittredge (Sienna Miller) and her daughter are taken in by The Army. A love story begins between Frances and First Lt. Trent Gephardt (Sam Worthington). In addition to the love story, Costner also follows a separate group of survivors seeking revenge against the Apache.

The second hour introduces Costner’s Hayes Ellison. He protects Marigold (Abbey Lee) and an infant after another family tries to get revenge against the child’s mother. Costner has an incredible scene opposite Jamie Campbell Bower as Caleb Sykes. However, the relationship pales compared to the Kittredge romance, which has more time onscreen, and the upcoming wagon train storyline.

The best storyline is introduced only at the 2-hour mark. Matthew Van Weyden (Luke Wilson) leads a wagon train towards Horizon. Joining the caravan is a Costner mainstay in Will Patton, an ignorant British couple in Juliette (Ella Hunt, excellent) and Hugh (Tom Payne). This storyline has the least amount of time in Part 1, but the diverse characters make it the most intriguing storyline in the film.

The action sequences are terrific. The best is probably the Apache attack on the settlement, but Costner’s shootout scene is also incredibly tense. Sound design is top-notch as well.

There are intriguing moments in this first part of four possible stories, but the fact that none of these storylines connect means just as you begin to hone in on a character or story, the movie shifts focus to a different set of characters with a slightly different tone.

There’s also a wild montage towards the end that appears to preview an event in Part 2. If there’s a time jump, it could also be a way to move the story along faster ahead of Part II. Outside of picking up the pace, this sequence also reaffirms the feeling of a TV series previewing what’s to come in the next episode.

I’m still interested in what Costner has in store after Horizon: An American Saga Part 1.

Following the overview and ranking of Horizon: An American Saga Part 1 6 out of 10 (Above Average), let’s explore the quests for revenge, finding love again and a Wagon Train to Horizon.

Pursuit of Vengeance

Three different parties in Horizon are pursuing vengeance. All of them can be viewed as mistakes.

The Apache war band that destroys the settlement on Horizon is a form of revenge. From the band leader’s perspective, the land belongs to the Apache, and they’re just taking back what belongs to them. This form of justice or vengeance leads to more carnage. The tribal elder even points this out to the leader who splits from the tribe.

The survivors of the assault split into two camps. Frances and her daughter choose to start over by joining the Army community. In contrast, the other group decides to hunt down the Apache. One of the best scenes involves a standoff between a young man, Russell), who survived the raid, and an Indigenous man in a gun shop.

The other vengeance-fueled story eventually intersects with Costner’s Hayes. Lucy (Jena Malone) shoots James Sykes (Charles Halford) in his bed in Montana. An injured Sykes orders his sons Caleb and Junior to track Lucy down. Lucy is the mother of the child Hayes and Marigold end up protecting. Caleb’s violent predisposition finds him on a collision course with Hayes.

Finding Love Again in Horizon: An American Saga Part 1

Frances and her daughter Elizabeth accept sanctuary with the Army at Camp Gallant. Both find kinship again in different ways. However, one is more bittersweet than the others.

Frances ends up falling for 1st Lt. Gephardt (Worthington). Elizabeth befriends a few younger soldiers and is left heartbroken when they head off to fight in the civil war.

Meanwhile, there’s also a difference of opinion among the army ranks on dealing with Native Americans. Gephardt takes a non-interventionist moral perspective, while Col. Albert Houghton (Danny Huston) believes in Manifest Destiny or American Exceptionalism. The different perspectives are interesting, but Part 1 doesn’t dive deep into these differences.

Wagon Train

A Wagon Train led by Weyden is traveling from Santa Fe to Horizon. On its journey, it encounters a few obstacles. However, the biggest may be a pretentious British couple.

Juliette (Hunt) and Hugh (Payne) are unfamiliar with the Wagan Train’s rules. One misconception involves a couple of peeping toms who catch Juliette bathing using the drinking water. Juliette reports the situation to Weyden. He’s a bit frustrated at Juliette not knowing the rules but does talk to the men responsible. They throw attitude at him for trying to use his authority but seem to come to an understanding.

Wilson is terrific as the leader of the Wagon and excels at playing everyman-type roles. He can provide a stern hand when necessary but also seems decent. Payne is fine as Hugh. Hunt makes an impression immediately as Juliette. She’s more aggressive than Hugh but just as clueless which should make her development more interesting in the next film.

Horizon: An American Saga Part 1 Final Thoughts

Costner unleashes a vast story. Even in its current incarnation, broken into parts, there are too many disparate storylines and characters for a movie. Yet, Miller, Costner, Hunt, Wilson, and Worthington have great acting moments that help connect to each storyline. I’m excited for Part 2 despite the horizon line being beyond Costner’s grasp in Part 1.

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