Kevin Costner has made several major Westerns throughout his career, but Open Range deserves more attention than it usually gets. The 2003 movie may not have the reputation of Dances with Wolves, but it has something few Westerns can match. Its climactic shootout takes nearly 20 minutes to unfold and is one of the most memorable gunfights of Costner’s career.

Costner stars as Charley Waite, a former gunslinger who travels across Montana with cattleman Boss Spearman, played by Robert Duvall, Mose, played by Abraham Benrubi, and Button, played by Diego Luna. Their peaceful cattle drive falls apart when rancher Denton Baxter, played by Michael Gambon, decides that the men have no place on his land.

What follows gives Charley little choice but to return to the violence he has spent years trying to escape. Made for $22 million, Open Range grossed $68.3 million worldwide and became a box office success (via IMDB). Even so, it has been overshadowed by some of Costner’s other work in the genre.

Open Range’s Shootout Is An All-Time Great

The best thing about Open Range’s shootout is that Costner makes the audience wait for it. The movie spends much of its runtime showing what life is like for Charley and Boss before their conflict with Baxter reaches its breaking point. They move cattle, deal with bad weather, stop for supplies, and gradually realize that Baxter’s men are willing to use violence to force them out.

The slow buildup makes the gunfight feel like a consequence of the story instead of something added because a Western needed a big action scene. Charley also has a personal reason to fear what is coming. His experiences during the Civil War left him deeply affected by the violence he committed, and he has tried to build a more stable, quieter life since then. When Baxter’s men kill Mose and Charley’s dog and leave Button seriously wounded, his past comes rushing back.

Costner then gives the shootout room to breathe. Instead of rapid cuts between close-ups, the camera often stays wide enough to show where the characters are in relation to one another. Charley, Boss, Percy, and Baxter’s men move through the streets and buildings of Harmonville, taking cover and looking for opportunities to fire. The sequence to follow, location, and effects make the fight easy to follow.

Sound is just as important in this fight. The gunshots are loud and sharp, while breaking glass and wood splintering make the town feel like it is actually being torn apart. There is also very little music telling the audience how to feel. Costner lets the gunfire do most of the work.

The sequence is definitely violent, but it never feels like violence for the sake of just being there. People are injured, men die, and the town suffers damage as the fight continues. By the time Boxx confronts Baxter inside the jail, the conflict has been reduced to the two men who started it. Baxter is badly wounded and asks Boss to kill him, but Boss refuses, telling him he would not waste a good bullet.

Boss never wanted that fight; even after winning it, he still refuses to give Baxter the satisfaction of choosing how he dies.

Open Range Wrongly Gets Overlooked Among Kevin Costner’s Westerns

It is easy for Open Range to get lost among Costner’s other Westerns. Silverado helped establish him as a major Western star, while Dances with Wolves became one of the most important films of his career after winning seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director (via IMDB). Wyatt Earp was another large scale production that received plenty of attention.

In this film, Costner is not interested in making Charley another legendary gunslinger. He is a man who knows exactly what violence has done to him and would rather leave that part of his life behind. His friendship with Boss is just as important to the movie as the conflict with Baxter, giving the plot plenty of slower moments before the shootout begins.

Strong reviews were also received when the film was released. Open Range currently holds a 79% critics score and an 84% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, while Old West historian Michael Grauer gave the movie an eight out of 10 for historical accuracy. He specifically praised its depiction of cowboy life, free grazing, and corrupt lawmen (via Insider).

Costner has returned to the genre several times since Open Range, most recently with Horizon: An American Saga. However, Open Range remains one of his strongest examples of what he can do within this genre. The movie does not need a huge scale or constant action to make an impression. It takes its time, gets the audience invested in its characters, and delivers a shootout that feels like the payoff for everything that came before.

Release Date

August 15, 2003

Runtime

139 Minutes

Writers

Lauran Paine, Craig Storper