OPEN RANGE (2003) Decidedly “old school” in both content and intent, this adaptation of Lauran Paine’s The Open Range Men doesn’t expand the parameters of the Western but instead feels like a throwback to the types of genre flicks that populated moviehouses until their fizzle in the late 70s. Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall) and Charley Waite (Kevin Costner, who also directed) are “freerangers,” cattlemen who allow their herd to roam the land with no thought to manmade claims of property possession — a point of view not shared by a vicious rancher (Michael Gambon) in a nearby town. No scene feels hurried or forced, and even though the dialogue’s occasionally a bit clunky, there’s a genuine maturity in the tender romance between Charley and a town resident (Annette Bening), as well as a strong sense of mutual respect in the camaraderie between Charley and Spearman that harkens back to the approach taken in the classic Westerns of the past (primarily John Wayne’s numerous vehicles). As for the shootouts, they’re presented as clumsy and chaotic — gritty dances of death that aren’t commented upon (as in Unforgiven) but that aren’t glamorized, either. Extras on this two-disc DVD set include audio commentary by Costner, deleted scenes and a making-of feature.
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RUNAWAY JURY (2003) The most recent popcorn picture adapted from a John Grisham bestseller, Runaway Jury posits that there’s actually hope for ordinary citizens to take on the powerful gun lobby — and possibly win. It’s a fantastical concept — more far-fetched than anything exhibited in Star Wars or The Wizard of Oz — but that doesn’t make it any less savory a dream. And the flames of that dream are stoked to an inferno in this slick piece of entertainment, in which a jury member (John Cusack) and his girlfriend (Rachel Weisz) have their own reasons for wanting to sway the vote in a civil suit aimed at bringing down a major corporation that produces deadly weapons. Gene Hackman, who has the distinction of appearing in both the best Grisham screen adaptation (The Firm) and the worst (The Chamber), is all coiled menace as the consultant who has never met a jury he can’t manipulate from behind the scenes, while Dustin Hoffman (in the film’s least developed role) squares off against him as a principled lawyer who wants to win the case without compromising his own moral code. DVD extras include audio commentary by director Gary Fleder, a pair of deleted scenes, and interviews and rehearsal footage with Hackman and Hoffman.
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Extras: 1/2
— Matt Brunson
This article appears in Feb 18-24, 2004.
