Lea xx

A new take on a genre that’s lazily resting on tradition. Knowing the about his intent of creating a four-part saga, Kevin Costner’s choice to create the first part as an introduction is a risky choice. Seemingly independent storylines being shown in a movie that we all expect to be one, coherent story may come off as confusing but it makes a lot of sense in the grand scheme of his saga. Putting women in lead roles that not only display the extent of support they showed their husbands but also the extent to which they contributed to developments individually, is a strong stance made by Costner who adds a lot of depth to this genre, that is so often centered around white guys shooting others for dominance in acts of blind violence. The complexity he creates, not only through extending the cast to vital female characters, but also through dialogues that go beyond the flatness and simplicity so many westerns inherently showcase, he lays the groundwork for what I believe will be a very well-rounded saga. The amount of money he himself poured into the project is reflected in the costumes, the busy scenes, the historically accurate set ups. Even if it takes some occasional mental gymnastics to stay on track with the first movie, I think his dedication to the genre and his commitment to re-invent it while staying true to its essence is remarkable and very well done. I went back to watch it on “the big screen” a second time yesterday and found it even more compelling. It’s not an easy movie to watch and that’s what I love about it the most. It’s not an easy part of history either, and if any Hollywood actor/ director/ producer can do a western like this justice, it’s him. I hope we get to see part 2-4!