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There have been westerns over the years but Mel Brooks with Blazing Saddles almost single handedly destroyed the genre. It is really a shame too because the Western has been replicated and used over the years to tell some of the best stories in film. With the exception of a few westerns like Young Guns, or more recently the Jackie Chan series of Shanghai Noon or Shanghai Nights there has been little to look forward too. There has obviously been hope but with some of the recent flops of Kevin Costner I didn't know if this was going to be worth it or not. One of the great things about the movie though was the supporting cast which includes, Robert Duvall as a likeable and wonderful Cattle Boss, called Boss Spearman, Annette Bening as Sue Barlow, and the late Michael Jeter as Percy.

The movie starts out innocently enough as we observe the epic scenery of Canada in the vast wide-open landscapes. Four cattlemen and a dog are taking their cattle across the plains and mountain foothills allowing the cattle to graze. Along the way, they realize the need for one of the men to go back into town for Mose played by Abraham Benrubi has a run in with a crooked marshal and a bunch of cattlemen who have taken over the town. Left nearly for dead Mose is taken to jail and Boss and Charlie, played by Costner go to town to find out what is going on. While there, they are reminded of the fact that neither they nor their kind are appreciated and told not only to leave town but also to leave the area with their cattle and not to come back.

Upon their arrival back at camp they soon realize that some of the town folk, controlled and run by Denton Baxter, played by Michael Gambon, have followed them back to their base camp. They four men sent by Baxter are seen sitting on their horses on a hill with their heads covered like demons or ghosts. The men are reminders of the demons that come to haunt, steal and destroy all life. The scene resembles the four horsemen of the Apocalypse mentioned in the book of Revelation.

Boss and Charley decide to take matters into their own hands late one night and decide to visit the four that are camping not far from their own camp. They know that these men are coming to destroy their livelihood and possibly even kill them. They decide to leave their two partners at camp and go execute a little vengeance on the four for the work they had recently done on their friend and coworker Mose. While executing some vengeance they soon realize that there was in actuality more than four and the others have gone to execute vengeance of their own on Mose and a young cattle hand named Button played by Diego Luna.

Upon their arrival back to camp they see that the thugs controlled by Baxter has killed one of their friends and their dog and left another for dead. Boss and Charley decide to revisit the town and take their partner to a doctor and his female colleague who had helped assist Mose previously. Along the way and during the journey we find out a great deal about Boss and Charley. We realize that there is much more to them than we had realized. In many ways Charley, played by Costner becomes a savior not just for his friends but for the town itself.

As it happens, the town is in reality filled by cowards who have come to accept the overbearing rule of Baxter and his thugs. With the exception of a few, Percy, played by Jeter, the local livery stable hand and the assistant to the Doctor, Sue Barlow, played by Annette Bening, there is not many in town who are willing to help. Charles and Boss have a way though of letting the people know that they are going to stand for justice and execute some vengeance of their own. They don't want to hurt any of the towns folk, just revenge the harm done their friends. What happens the rest of the way is pure story telling and wonderful character study. We see Costner's character Charlie and Duvall's character Boss as two whom, despite their objections to the way God works as two saviors for the town. They don't realize that they themselves are two that will be used by God to deliver a town to salvation, and a devil to Hell.

The truth is that this is one of the best westerns to come around in years. While the story line resembles the wonderful Magnificent 7, there is enough story telling and uniqueness' to have Open Range stand on its own. Costner, Duvall, Jeter and Bening are wonderful and it will be hard to overlook any of them come nomination time for awards. The final scenes of the movie are breathtaking and exciting. Don't get me wrong here, for the first two-thirds of the movie we are drawn primarily into character development and good ol' fashioned story telling. The last third though involves one of the most realistic shoot outs ever filmed in movies and it and of itself is breathtaking. I believe that Open Range will become an epic that will easily stand on its own two feet.

Regarding "Spiritual Symbolism," there is a great deal of symbolism included if looked for. From the need to shed blood to be forgiven, the willingness to make sacrifice for loved ones, making sacrifice to set others free, the need to retreat to the church for safety and I could go on and on. I must admit though, sometimes it is fun just to go to a movie to enjoy a great story, for me that was the case with Open Range.

If you are a western fan you will love Open Range. Not since Unforgiven with Clint Eastwood can I remember a better western. The only thing that comes close is another Robert Duvall film Lonesome Dove. My wife loves westerns and today we saw one that she loved, we laughed we cringed, we enjoyed a wonderful, wonderful movie.

On a scale of 1-10, as a result of being the best in its genera in the last number of years a fun, fun 10

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