Westerns

Last night I saw the Robert Duvall / Kevin Costner flick - Open Range. Quick review - it was way too long and except for the ending gun fight (which was pretty good) didn't really keep my attention. The main problem with the movie (and the quality that dragged it on) was the insistence of including a sapping love story.

I just don't get these things. Costner's desperate for a hit so he teams up with ultimate tough guy Duvall in what could be a promising western ... free rangers driving a herd north encounter a corrupt mayor and the largest land owner in a small mountain town. They don't like free rangers and instead of letting them go on their way, decide to steal their herd and kill their buddy. So far so good. We have some spectacular cinematography and the making of a good ol western. But Costner's nauseating PC sensibilities suddenly kill the movie.

In what I can only imagine is an appeal to women viewers to make the movie more inclusive of all, Costner ends up falling for that liberal swine Annette Benning. Puuuuyyyeeee!!!!!!
Please, give me a break. This is a western, chicks aint watching it, no matter what kind of sappy love story it includes. If they are, they want to see tough guys, not Clinton era sensitive metrosexual gunfighters. Pullllllleeeeaaaaassssseeee. When will Hollywood stop this crap? All it does is turn the male viewers off on a movie women ain't gonna watch.

If they had dropped the love portions, this would have been 90 minutes of entertaining western. With the love crap, we are left with 45 minutes of entertaining western framing 60 minutes of Oprah friendly schlock.

So, what's a guy to do when he is aching for a good ol fashion shoot em up guns and guts and glory western?

Well, today I returned the Costner flick and took advantage of the three rental special ... walking out with a trifecta of Western showmanship ... The Magnificent Seven, For A Few More Dollars, and The Good The Bad and the Ugly. I'm watching the Magnificent Seven right now.

Excellent!!!!