Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 4K 2024 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

1859. American settlers arrive in the San Pedro Valley to build the town of Horizon. However, a group of particularly aggressive Apache Indians living in the area are unwilling to give up their land to the Palefaces. They routinely kill all uninvited guests, including women and children, and burn the settlements. At the same time, in Montana Territory, a woman shoots a man, takes a small child and goes on the run. The sons of the victim are sent in pursuit of the fugitive. Later, in Wyoming Territory, horse trader Hayes Allison is unwittingly drawn into the story of the same woman, accidentally running into one of her pursuers.

Review 4K Movie

Kevin Costner has always had a special warmth for the western genre, because it is what eventually brought him worldwide recognition as a director, as well as an absolutely deserved Oscar award. His movie “Dances with Wolves” in its time became a big event and showed that Costner can be not only a talented actor, but is also a confident director. Subsequently, Costner once again turned to the western, directing the unhurried and profound “Open Space”, but that was not all he had to say in the genre. For decades Costner had been building up the idea of a grandiose Wild West saga, which finally began to take shape and in 2024 we saw the first chapter of this story, namely “Horizons: Part 1”.

The events of the movie take place in a period that clings to the Civil War, as well as the time that precedes it. It was a very difficult time, when many people did not know what to do and tried to find the reference points in their lives. And just then the gradual conquest of the Wild West began. This territory was huge and practically undeveloped. At the same time there were many prospects for doing business and building a new life, and people who wanted to take their fate in their own hands to try to build a happy future in a new land that can give great prospects to those who are not afraid of new challenges.... This is what the authorities emphasized when they launched an extensive advertising campaign encouraging people to go to the Wild West and join the population of Horizon City, which desperately needed new people.

Among those who went to the Wild West was former gunslinger Hayes Ellison, now a horse trader with many secrets and mysteries. He absolutely did not want to take up arms again, as in the past he has experienced many difficult, tragic moments, and yet he has not the best relations with the Sykes family, which considered itself too important in these parts and wants to get to Hayes' new acquaintance, Marigold, who hides some important secret. And therefore the villains need to be taught a rather convincing lesson in behavior, because despite the fact that Marigold belongs to the representatives of the oldest profession, no one has the right to threaten and intimidate her.

A young widow named Frances Kitridge has her own dramatic story, who is brought together by fate with Senior Lieutenant Trent Gephardt after an Indian attack on farmland. The lieutenant must get the surviving civilians to a safe fort and Frances and her daughter Lizzie are among those who make the journey. They are very different people, but at the same time they have much more in common than it may seem, and therefore acquaintance gradually grows into something more. And all this happens against the background of disturbing events that take place in the Wild West, because this is a place that the Apaches consider their home, and so simply from the local lands they will not leave. Also the orphan boy Russell gets his story, who together with a gang of mercenaries hunts Indians for profit, but not all the actions of his companions cause him approval. Finally, another storyline tells us the story of a young Indian who is thirsty for blood and refuses to understand those of his tribesmen who are in no hurry to get involved in a new massacre for their sacred land.

As you can see, Kevin Costner worked very carefully on the plot of his movie and presented us far from a typical western with one storyline, where enemies and good guys are clearly separated from each other. Here we are offered several stories, united by a common location and certain events that occur at the same time in one vast territory. Costner wanted to show us a global and well-crafted picture of the conquest of the Wild West, and he managed to intrigue me. Every character here is special, including Major Riordan (Michael Rooker) and Pilgrim settler Matthew Van Weyden (Luke Wilson), and I expect even more detail and scope from this story later on. One could even say that the first part of “Horizons” stopped at the most interesting part and further on the story promises to become even more intriguing. I personally do not doubt it, because Costner had a clear plan for the development of his new franchise, which he adhered to without compromise.

While the movie runs about three hours, I won't say that it is tiring or hard to watch. On the contrary, with an abundance of storylines and characters, this movie became engaging and suspenseful and also incredibly dramatic. And what I liked here is that Costner pays equal attention to both male and female characters, which is already unique in itself, as for the western genre. But at the same time it is fully justified and allows for a more detailed and emotional exploration of the history of the people who once conquered the Wild West. The movie has a lot of grandiose scenes, especially I was impressed by the Indian attack on the settlement - filmed very sprawling and spectacular.

As a result, I will say that “Horizons: Part 1” is a really powerful work from a man who invested in his project not only his own money, but also his soul. So I advise you to pay special attention to Kevin Costner's movie.