“I’m so tired of everybody trying to be so delicate about things.” Those are the words ofHorizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1’sfilmmaker and star,Kevin Costner.Costner’s newWesterndoes present the Apache as being angry with and violent toward the Horizon settlement’s people, as the movie’s brutal massacre plainly presents. But Costner doesn’t want audiences to get the wrong idea and thinkHorizonis another stereotypical representation of Native Americans. Costner said in an interview withEntertainment Weekly:
“I’m just so tired of everybody trying to be so delicate about things.[The Native Americans] were pissed.I don’t feel like I have to [hold someone’s hand].‘Oh my God, here we go again. Indians are the bad guys.‘Of course, they’re not the bad guys.But if you’re going to be limited,if people aren’t willing to watch how something unfolds, I don’t know what to say.”
Horizon centers around fictional characters and takes place in pre- and post-Civil War America, and details the exploration of the American West. Depicting a twelve-year span, the movies feature an ensemble cast portraying various characters and their experiences pioneering into new territory from their homes.
Costner’s Westerns (Wyatt Earp, Let Him Go, Dances with Wolves, Open Range) arguably may not compare as favorably to his well-received baseball movies over the years (Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, For Love of the Game, Chasing Dreams). However, the Hollywood icon does have a firm understanding of and grasp on the Western genre. And withYellowstonein his rearview mirror, Costner hopes audiences will understand that Native Americans were angry over losing their land, and that his depiction of them inHorizonisn’t an incorrect or stereotypical one to present on-screen. Costner said in the same interview:
“I’m not interested in spoon-feeding people.The reality is it was one tent too many, and the [Apache] went down there, and they tried to wipe the [settlers] out.Their anger is they’re not able to hunt.They have to go and interact with tribes when they had long ago settled those issues.”
Kevin Costner Set His Sights on Horizon Nearly 40 Years Ago
Kevin Costner announced he will not be returningto Yellowstone,even to make a special cameo in which to kill off his character, John Dutton. But Costner will be exploring the Old West for quite a while, as the filmmaker and star plans to expand onHorizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1by at least three, possibly four, more projects.
Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2opens later this summer on August 16, and Costner has teased up to five movies. When he appeared two days ago (June 25) onThe Rich Eisen Show,the brains behindHorizonelaborated on how far his 1988 idea has come. Costner said:
“Well, there was a fifth one.The first one represents the fifth one.I don’t know that I’ll ever do it, but that one started in 1988[…]So, in ’88, I had this idea for this Western.Couldn’t make it [in] 2003, couldn’t make it, you know?Then I had the brainiac idea of making, ‘Well, I’ll make four more.’That’s like so American [laughter].‘Nobody wants that first one, dude [smiles].’ It’s like, ‘Wake up, Kev.’”
45 Best Western Movies of All Time, Ranked
The Western genre has a rich history of films, and these are 45 of the best movies of all time in this important genre.
During the interview, Costner inferred his intention to make fourHorizons.For the time being, though, only two are in the can and set to be released this summer. But before fans head out to watch the film in theaters, be sure to check outMovieWeb’s review ofHorizon,which declaresChapter 1“disappoints.”
Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1opens in theaters June 28.
