“Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2” Review: Kevin Costner’s Bold Western Ambition Misses the Mark

There’s a lot to unpack in Kevin Costner’s beleaguered Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2, the second entry in his ambitious four-part Western series. Following the muted reception of Chapter 1 at Cannes, this installment also faced a lukewarm response as it premiered out of competition on the final day of the Venice Film Festival. While it doubles down on the first chapter’s occasional successes, it also exacerbates its major structural flaws. The film is a study in contradictions: it’s packed with incidents but strangely static; features a host of characters new and old but fails to develop them compellingly; and, at over three hours, it feels overly lengthy for a narrative that remains abruptly disjointed.

It’s no surprise that Chapter 2 picks up where its predecessor left off, given that the first chapter ended with a preview reel for the sequel. Viewers puzzled by the final image—a close-up of a mustachioed Giovanni Ribisi, who hadn’t otherwise appeared in the first film—will find some clarity as Chapter 2 opens in Chicago. Here, Ribisi’s enigmatic Mr. Pickering is seen coaxing a pair of local simpletons into investing in the land-grab scheme promoted by flyers enticing settlers to the promised land of Horizon. This sequence is narrated by Georgie (Aidan McCann), the young son of one of the investors. His sing-song Scots-inflected accent and dry wit are intriguing, making it a missed opportunity that his narrative perspective vanishes soon after. Instead, as expected, the story shifts westward, continuing the saga in the frontier’s rugged expanse.