Horizon: A new Western, but is it good?

Kevin Costner's movie is a labor of love

Of all movie genres, the Western is the most American.

A view of the cliffs of Monument Valley, sneering villains and cowboys and Indians — they all take their place in the iconography of the Western film.

Enter Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1,” the first of a planned multi-film project that’s now appearing in theaters.

It’s an ambitious project, notably financed in part by Costner’s $38 million personal bankroll. But how does this movie rank compared to some of the great Westerns that have appeared on screen?

A poster promoting Horizon: An American Saga. (Photo by John Naughton.)

In my humble view — and I write with the perspective of having seen a lot of great Westerns — it falls short.

The characters are weak and clichéd and the 3-hour, 1-minute running time is long and inefficient.

To fans of the genre, the finer details may be annoying. Every costume seems to be impossibly new and stylish. In one scene set in 1863, a bad guy urinates and zips his zipper… the same zipper that wasn’t invented for another 50 years.

The visual look of the film is beautiful, and the best part of the project so far.

For all its faults, I still enjoyed the film. It’s just that I was ready to celebrate from my theater seat and was disappointed.

As I write this, I’m watching the 1956 classic “The Searchers.” It’s rated by many film scholars as one of the greatest Westerns ever made. While dated, it’s a fun and thrilling ride. And to Western lovers, watching John Wayne can be a lot of fun on the screen.