 October
2003
This month's review:
The Open Range
Justice or Vengeance?
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for
tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone
strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if
someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your
cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him
two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from
the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:38-42)
Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount seem to be the
underpinning of a new western movie, The Open Range.
What exactly did Jesus mean when he told us to turn the other cheek?
Did he mean for us to be passive in all situations? Is retaliation
(if not revenge) ever justified? These questions figure into Kevin
Costner’s film about the conflict between freegrazers and ranchers
in the Old West in 1882. What would Jesus have done?
Kevin Costner not only directs the movie but also plays the
principal role of Charley Waite, who works for his long-term friend
Boss Spearman, played by Robert Duvall. Boss and Charley are
itinerant cowboys who freegraze a herd of cattle on the open range.
This is to the consternation of ranchers who believe that the land
belongs solely to them and who regard open range grazers as vermin
who should be exterminated if necessary. Free-range grazing is
legal, however, and thus the stage is set for the film’s major
conflict. After the evil henchmen of a villainous local rancher kill
one of Boss’s herd hands and severely wound another, Boss and
Charley decide that they must face up to this evil, and they proceed
to take things into their own hands. What ensues is a gunfight
reminiscent of those in High Noon and Unforgiven.
On the negative side:
(1) Some people who have seen this movie say it’s too slow. (though
I didn’t find it so.)
(2) There’s no denying that the gunfight scenes are violent (but no
more so than other cinematic gunfights) and are the main reason for
the film’s R rating.
(3) The Lord’s name is taken in vain several times, and there are
other swear words. There is absolutely no justification for this.
On the positive side:
(1) This is a simple, well-told story with a refreshing absence of
the special effects or gimmicks so commonly used to cover up a weak
script. This script, however, is more than strong enough to carry
the movie.
(2) The scenery is gorgeous and among other things reminds us of the
value of an uncluttered life.
(3) Westerns are rare these days, making this film all the more
welcome.
(4) The acting is uniformly excellent. In particular, Annette Bening
as the redemptive frontier woman Sue is luminous in one of her best
roles ever.
(5) The love story which parallels the gunfight is sweet and
inspiring and in no way objectionable.
(6) There’s an excellent scene where Charley Waite prays to the Lord
and Boss Spearman seems to be moving toward the Lord, whom he had
earlier scorned.
The issue of vengeance versus justice remains, however. In the
heat of battle, when Charley Waite is ready to kill everyone on the
evil rancher’s side, he is restrained by a friendly townsperson with
words to the effect of, “No, son. This is justice, not vengeance.
You’ve done enough.” Those are well taken words indeed, but is any
retaliation consistent with scripture? Do we have the individual
right to dispense justice? The jury is out on those questions, but
The Open Range certainly makes us think about them.
Rating: 3
stars
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Index of movie
reviews...
(2003 reviews through present)
Jay Maurer, a member of West Side Presbyterian Church, is
a long-term movie buff and former college teacher of The Film as
Literature. He has written movie reviews for The Good News
(West Side newsletter) since 2002.
If you have comments or questions
about the movie (or play) reviews, please contact Jay at
dramachap@msn.com.
Ratings are expressed in
increments of ¼ star.
A rating of 2 ½ stars or higher is meant to be a recommendation.
1 star: poor
2 stars: minimally satisfactory
3 stars: quite good
4 stars: superb
Criteria for determining the ratings:
- Reflection, either explicit or implicit, of Christian values,
including suitability of language and lack of gratuitous violence
- Quality of the acting
- Originality
- Unity of the entire picture
- Substance, or in the words of C.S. Lewis, weight
Other Christian movie review Web sites:
Plugged In Online
ChristianityTodayMovies.com
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