Kevin Costner is the king of the modern western. His work with “Dances with Wolves” was his peak achievement, but you should also check out The Hatfields & McCoys” and “Open Range” for other examples of good westerns.

That’s not to say that he’s on the level of John Ford or Howard Hawks, but his accomplishments provide him with some leeway when it comes to judging his westerns. That leeway is needed with his latest passion project as seen here and at this time.

Horizon is intended to be a four chapter saga; hence the title.

This first installment is just that: the first chapter of a larger story. The viewer gets the impression that he’s just barely established the setting and the characters by the time the credits roll. That requires some investment by the viewer, because this chapter takes three hours to be told.

For a viewing public that hasn’t seen a western in the big screen in quite some time (and it was probably made by Quentin Tarantino when they did), this movie can be a challenge for some. That challenge was reflected in the poor box office results upon release, which has forced the studio to consider its next moves.

If any other person was at the helm, that would mean that parts 2-4 would never get released. But this is Kevin Costner, and I’m thinking he’ll risk many things to see his vision through to the end.

I for one will be there for it.