“Trouble Ahead: Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ Faces More Setbacks”
I’ve been pretty excited lately about what seems to be a revival of the Western genre. Kevin Costner’s upcoming tetralogy, Horizon: An American Saga, looks fantastic based on the trailers (you can check them out here and here). And Viggo Mortensen’s The Dead Don’t Hurt—which he wrote, directed, stars in, and composed the music for—looks intense, even if it’s on a smaller scale. Meanwhile, Taylor Sheridan has been delivering great Western content with shows like 1883, which I find much more compelling than his more famous Yellowstone.
We’re almost set for a new series that channels the spirit of Deadwood, and maybe one more Clint Eastwood-directed Western could be the cherry on top, given that Unforgiven remains a standout in the genre. But I digress.
I’m here with some disappointing news to temper the excitement. Despite the buzz around the Western revival, the execution is crucial. Costner debuted the first part of his four-part movie anthology at the Cannes Film Festival, but the reception has been far from favorable. When I checked reviews on Monday morning, the film had a bleak 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on just six reviews. By Monday evening, it had improved slightly to 29% with 14 reviews.
The rating will likely shift as more reviews come in and once the film is released on June 28th (with the second part coming in August). Nevertheless, this is a rocky start for what was anticipated to be Costner’s next big Western hit, potentially on par with Dances With Wolves or Open Range. Instead, it’s looking more like Wyatt Earp.
It’s important to remember that critic reviews are just one perspective. As the BBC’s Nicholas Barber notes, while opinions vary, a Western typically needs a coherent plot, believable character development, and a clear structure. According to Barber, Horizon seems to fall short in these areas, lacking a defined beginning, middle, and end.
