Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 Review

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is the start of a four-part Western epic and a passion project for Kevin Costner, who takes the director’s chair for the first time since 2003’s Open Range.

In 1859 more settlers are coming to the American West. Many are drawn to a new settlement called Horizon, but it is a settlement on Apache territory. These characters include Frances and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Kittredge (Sienna Miller and Georgia MacPhail), a mother and daughter who survived an Apache attack, Lieutenant Trent Gephardt (Sam Worthington) who sees the increasing amount of settlers as an unnecessary provocation, Pionsenay (Owen Crow Shoe), an Apache warrior who is leading a campaign against the settlers, a caravan of people travelling from Kansas to Horizon, and Ellen (Jena Malone), a woman hiding in the Wyoming territory after crossing the Sykes family.

As a filmmaker, Kevin Costner has never lacked ambition. His previous directional efforts included two three-hour epics, Dances With Wolves and The Postman, both ranging wildly in quality. He has shown a love for the Western genre since all the films he has directed have been Westerns in some form. With the Horizon series, Costner invested $38 million of his own money, Chapter 2 is set to be released later in 2024 and Chapter 3 is in principal photography.

Horizon’s ambition was felt across multiple fronts. It had an ensemble cast of recognisable actors. The cast list includes Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Walking Dead), Danny Huston (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Luke Wilson, Jamie Campbell Bower (Stranger Things), and Isabelle Fuhrman (The Novice). It was a film that spanned the sun-drenched landscapes of New Mexico, to the snowy hills of Wyoming. There were big themes about the Westward expansion, the dangers of the West, the futility of revenge, and the continuous cycle of violence. This was a film that showed violent retribution would be met with more violent retribution, whether it’s the war between the Native Americans and the Settlers or a personal conflict between a small group.

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 was a handsomely made film. It had production values that could match any other historical epic. There were great sets, costumes, and scenery, and the film’s world had a gritty, lived-in look. It felt authentic. There was a great sequence early in the film where an Apache warband attacked the Horizon settlers which showed many atrocities being conducted. It was an exciting if shocking sequence and felt like it came from a ‘90s/early 2000s historical epic. There were some great moments of tension like when Hayes Ellison (Costner) and Caleb Sykes (Campbell Bower) confront each other. There were individual parts to admire.

The problem with Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 was its storytelling. The scope was too big, even for a three-hour-long film the story was too wide and meandering. There were copious storylines with so many characters across Western America that it was hard to keep track. There was no narrative focus since the net was spread so wide. The film’s large scope would have worked better as a TV series. A long-form series can have a large cast and multiple storylines simultaneously, whether it’s a big story about the potential war between settlers and indigenous people or a more intimidate story like a budding romance between a widow and an army officer.

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 aimed to have grand ideas about why people were drawn westward and the upcoming conflicts within the United States. This led to a lot of philosophising and theorising amongst the characters, as well as moments of sickly-sweet American cheese. It ended up giving Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 chucky dialogue due to the characters speaking the writer’s musings instead of sounding like real people. It was also a case that the film was spelling out its themes and ideas instead of leaving the audience to figure it out for themselves.

The ambition and the production values are easy to admire, but hard to love. There was too much story for Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, and unfocused, even for a film with a long run time.