Film Review

Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1 (2024) — Western offers little reason to mosey down to a multiplex

Chronicling a multi-faceted, 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west.

The quality for which Horizon: An American Saga will likely be best remembered is the overreach on the part of its producer, star, co-writer, and director, Kevin Costner. His current plan for his latest Western is to release it theatrically in four separate chapters over the next few years. Altogether, that could amount to a 12-hour running time.

With the first two chapters completed, and the third currently in production, the fate of chapter four seems uncertain considering the lukewarm reception the first chapter has received thus far. In another indication of the film’s uncertain future, the company that runs the two cinemas in my town elected to screen Horizon at its smaller screen venue instead of the main screen.

Based on that, and my experience watching it, the outlook appears bleak.