Open Range (2004)
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A cattleman and his hired hands must defend their livelihood against a ruthless rancher in a violent Montana range war.
The story
In Montana in 1882, "Boss" Spearman is an open range cattleman driving a herd cross-country with his hired hands, including Charley Waite, a former Union soldier burdened by the guilt of his past. When Boss sends Mose to the nearby town of Harmonville for supplies, Mose is badly beaten and jailed by the town's corrupt marshal after a confrontation with the men of ruthless rancher Denton Baxter. Concerned for their friend's safety, Boss and Charley retrieve Mose from jail, only to be met with an ultimatum from Baxter to leave the area immediately.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1882 Montana, cattleman "Boss" Spearman and his crew, including the guilt-ridden former soldier Charley Waite, are driving a herd across the territory. After Mose is beaten and jailed in Harmonville by the men of rancher Denton Baxter, Boss and Charley rescue him. They are forced to confront Baxter, who hates open-grazing. After a series of skirmishes where Boss and Charley capture the town's corrupt marshal and his deputies, they eventually engage in a massive gun battle in the streets of Harmonville. During the fight, Charley kills Baxter's gunman, and the townspeople join the fray against Baxter's men. The battle ends with Baxter wounded and trapped in a jailhouse, where Boss engages him in a final close-quarters fight. Following the victory, Charley proposes to Sue Barlow, the sister of the local doctor. Boss decides to retire from cattle ranching to take over the local saloon, and the group eventually moves on with their herd.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 139
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Kevin Costner
- Writers
- Craig Storper · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Robert Duvall · Boss Spearman / Bluebonnet Spearman; Kevin Costner · Charley Waite / Charles Travis Postelwaite; Annette Bening · Sue Barlow; Michael Gambon · Denton Baxter; Michael Jeter · Percy; Diego Luna · Button; James Russo · Marshal Poole; Abraham Benrubi · Mose Harrison
- Genres
- Revisionist Western; Western
- Themes
- Evolution of violence; Guilt; Retribution
- Tone and mood
- Tough; Muscular; Satisfying
- Setting
- Montana in 1882
- Premise and plot tags
- Range War; Western Romance; Frontier Life
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Open Range Men by Lauran Paine
- Content notes
- R rating
- Reception
- The film was a box-office success and was critically praised, receiving mostly positive reviews for its chemistry between the leads and its realistic gunfighting.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 79% · review count: 184; Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 40; CinemaScore · score: A- · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- MTV Movie Award · Diego Luna · 2004 · nominated; Taurus Award · stunt artist Chad Camilleri · 2004 · nominated
- Production trivia
- It was the final on-screen appearance of Michael Jeter.; Production spent over $1 million to build a town from scratch.; Duvall broke six ribs while practicing his riding for the role.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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