This is an epic tale covering plots of several families who were involved in America's early expansion to the West, just prior to the start of the Civil War.
In one plot, a flier is passed around to people wanting to start a new life in the west. This flier promises good land and water for farming in an area of Wyoming called "Horizon." As the small town begins to grow, a tribe of warring Apache Indians instigate an attack on the small town, wiping out a large portion of the population.
The second plot concerns a woman who tries to kill a man; whose having an affair or being the mans second wife, and she escapes with their child into the wild. His two sons are sent out by the wounded man's wife to find the mistress and retrieve the baby. A third plots involves a wagon train that's headed west, the leader of the wagon train finds that some of the members of the caravan are up to no good an may cause harm to other innocent travelers. For all, the trip to Horizon is a long one; filled with deserts, wild indian's, and inner mischief.
THE GOOD - This movie is a cinematographers dream, the epic view of the Utah backdrop was breathtaking and well captured. This dark drama has it's moments, building up the negative energy and delivering explosive turn of events when the pressure can't take more building. The editing and sound is pristine, keeping the flow of the film moving in the right direction, keeping the three hour film viewable without any slow parts.
THE BAD - There are no memorable moments in this film, save the one shoot out that seemed real and delivered with gritty appeal. Expect to see some over-acting by a few actors who obviously have small parts in the film. There are points in the feature where the dialog goes on and on and on; probably needed to explain later parts to the two sequels that will be released later this year.
POST MORTEM - This is a gritty, dusty Western with dark drama that brings a different view of what people might have experienced or had to deal with in the real western era. Costner's performance is dry, but he delivers his part when the time arises. There's some romance, some honesty, but a lot of double-dealing and dark figures to fill this first part of the saga to keep you around for all three films. This was a tightly detailed first part. Kudos to Costner for putting this film together!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ [4 of 5 Stars]
