One of Kevin Costner’s best Westerns just got easier to watch.
Costner rose to fame in the 1980s with movies like Silverado (1985) and The Untouchables (1987). ’90s releases like Dances with Wolves (1990), JFK (1991), and The Bodyguard (1992) only further solidified Costner’s spot in Hollywood as a bankable movie star. Costner’s career has evolved over the past decade, and he has become primarily known for starring in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone. Though many now associate Costner with his small-screen character of John Dutton, movies from earlier in his career continue to resonate, including an acclaimed 2003 Western.
Kevin Costner’s Western History Goes Deep
After not being available on streaming for quite some time, Costner’s Open Range is now available to watch on AMC+. The movie, which Costner both directed and starred in, follows a former gunslinger who is forced to return to his violent ways when his cattle crew is threatened by a corrupt landowner.
Open Range was a box office success, grossing $68 million on a $22 million budget. Critics were also kind to the movie, praising the chemistry between Costner and costar Robert Duvall, as well as the satisfying storytelling.
Also starring Diego Luna, Annette Bening, and Michael Gambon, Open Range is part of an impressive history in the Western genre for Costner. One of Costner’s first big-break movie roles was as Jake in Silverado. Dances with Wolves, which Costner directed, earned him two Oscar wins for Best Director and Best Picture. Before Open Range, Costner also starred in Wyatt Earp (1994).
More recently, outside his role in Yellowstone, Costner returned to his Western roots with Horizon: An American Saga (2024), a film he writes, directs, stars in, and produces. The movie is intended to serve as the first installment in a four-part saga, but Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2‘s release has stalled following the first film’s poor performance. It’s unclear whether films three and four will get made.
Open Range Has Another Yellowstone Connection
In addition to Costner, Open Range is also connected to Yellowstone through Bening. Though Bening doesn’t appear in the flagship series, she has a starring role in Dutton Ranch, the most recent Yellowstone spinoff show.
Bening, who is also known for projects like American Beauty (1999), Captain Marvel (2019), and Death on the Nile (2022), plays Beulah Jackson in Dutton Ranch. The spinoff series sees the return of Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Rip (Cole Hauser), and Dutton Ranch season 2 is already confirmed following a popular first season.
Though Costner’s time in the Yellowstone universe is now over, the franchise continues to be a major hit. Dutton Ranch and the other current spinoff, Marshals, have been massive successes, and another prequel series called 1944 is also in development.
For Costner, Open Range may not have the reputation that Dances With Wolves does, but it remains a standout Western celebrated for its strong performances and gripping shootouts. It remains to be seen what the future holds for Costner in terms of his Western output, but his 2003 classic is evidently one to check out on AMC+.
- Release Date
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August 15, 2003
- Runtime
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139 Minutes
- Writers
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Lauran Paine, Craig Storper