“Troubling Developments for Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ Western”

I’ve been thrilled lately about the Western revival trend. Kevin Costner’s upcoming tetralogy, Horizon: An American Saga, looks impressive based on the trailers (here and here). Viggo Mortensen’s The Dead Don’t Hurt—which he wrote, directed, starred in, and composed for—may be less grand but promises intensity. Taylor Sheridan’s 1883 also taps into the Western genre in ways I find preferable to his more renowned Yellowstone.

What we need now is a new series like Deadwood and perhaps another Clint Eastwood-directed Western, since Unforgiven is a standout in the genre. But I digress.

Unfortunately, there’s some disappointing news. Despite the buzz, the initial reception for Costner’s film hasn’t been promising. The first part of his four-part anthology premiered at Cannes and received a tepid response, with early reviews placing it at a low 17% on Rotten Tomatoes, though it rose slightly to 29% later in the day.

The number will likely shift as more reviews come in and when the film releases on June 28th, with the second part in August. Still, this rocky start is disheartening, as I hoped it would be as impactful as Dances With Wolves or Open Range. Instead, it’s currently reminiscent of Wyatt Earp.

Of course, we should keep in mind that critic reviews are just one perspective. For those skeptical, the BBC’s Nicholas Barber critiques that a Western “needs a plot, credible characterisation, and a structure with a beginning, middle, and end. Horizon lacks all of these.”