Horizon: An American Saga-Chapter One is the beginning of what looks to be a pretty engaging and beautifully captured film series directed by Kevin Costner. He also co-wrote the script Jon Baird as well as stars. The cast is huge and includes Sienna Miller, Luke Wilson, Sam Worthington Jena Malone, Will Patton along with many others.

The film begins in 1859 when the town of Horizon is established in the San Pedro Valley. Four years after that, the town is raided by a tribe of Apache. Many of the residents are scattered as the consequences of the raid start to unfold. This is one of those epics where there are many groups of characters to follow. Costner plays a horse trader named Hayes Ellison who gets caught up in one of the disputes. This leads to him killing a man who was about to threaten the life of a young woman he had met. Ellison and the prostitute named Marigold have to flee Montana before the dead man’s crooked brother catches up with them. Various groups of characters are apparently going to converge on Horizon as the series progresses.

I am not going to be too much into trying to describe this plot because that will really test my patience. Costner is attempting to revisit an epic style of cinema with this complicated, romantic western. Although the story could use a little tightening up in some ways, it’s still a laudable and mostly successful effort. The scenery and set design look gorgeous. I have no complaints about the cast or their performances. There’s a certain gritty feel to the piece that comes across quite authentically. Many important pieces to a good film do come together quite nicely.

It is still too easy to lose the timeline when watching this. There is the sense that Costner has bitten off more than he can chew at times. The shift from various situations and stories can be a little jarring and distracting. I almost felt like I needed to keep notes to make sure I kept some of the relationships straight.

I: do appreciate the ambition that Costner has displayed here, and he pulls off most of it. It could be that much of my impressions is influenced by this being a very early introduction to the overall story and the characters, and it will be easier to follow once the next films are released.

I do recommend that more people see this film because it is better than much of what has come out of Tinseltown lately. It is a celebration of American history and an homage to the grit and courage of those early pioneers. The Native Americans also are portrayed with some depth and complexity as well. Costner created something that attempts to avoid a lot of caricature and shallow stereotypes. There are moments of moving compassion in the midst of the cruelty of the times.

If nothing else, Costner did accomplish something in that I am certainly looking forward to seeing the next installment.