History Film / OpenRange

But overall, the film is more interested in using these to add more realism and a sense of being an actual time in history to a classic cowboy story. For all its DarkerAndEdgier take on the cowboy hero, it is ultimately an idealistic tale of good men doing something and not allowing evil to triumph.

A 2003 {{western}} film directed by and starring Creator/KevinCostner alongside Creator/RobertDuvall, Creator/AnnetteBening, Creator/MichaelGambon and Creator/DiegoLuna. The film is partially a {{deconstruction}} of many old western films where a lone hero rides into town and stands up for the downtrodden townsfolk against the mustache-twirling villain.

* BottomlessMagazines: Played straight in the final showdown. On various occasion, Charley fires a lot of more than 6 shots from his revolver. He's even fanning it to fire faster. When he switches the Winchester Repeating Rifle to engage targets from further away, he also fires a lot more shots than the magazine capacity allows. The movie occasionally shows characters reloading their firearms and switching guns, but most of the time they don't seem to need reloading.

* CharacterWitness: Charley saves the dog of Mack from drowning. Later, the barkeep refuses to serve Boss and Charley. Mack then tries to convince the barkeep to serve them. Later, Mack and his sons helps Boss and Charley in the shootout.

* DaydreamSurprise: Charley falls asleep at the doctor's. A masked man enter the house and approaches him. Charley wakes up suddenly and brandishes his gun toward... Sue. It was just a dream.

* GunsAkimbo: Charley in the final show down towards the end of the scene is shown with a revolver in both hands.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Charley is called ''Waite'', but his real name is ''Charles Travis Postelwaite''. ''Button'' is a nickmane too, and Boss and Charley do not know the real name of their companion.

* SacrificialLion: The death of Mose changes the way Boss and Charley behave. Now, protecting the herd and even saving their own life are secondary. Their primary goal is to avenge his death.

* ArmorPiercingSlap: Delivered by Sue to the corrupt town marshal in the middle of the final show down.
--> "You're a disgrace, Marshal Poole! [''smack''] You always have been!"
--> "I know it. That's just the way it is..."

A 2003 {{western}} film directed by and starring Creator/KevinCostner. The film is partially a {{deconstruction}} of many old western films where a lone hero rides into town and stands up for the downtrodden townsfolk against the mustache-twirling villain.

* NotSoDifferent: Charley acknowledges that he worked for men like Baxter and that he committed the kind of atrocities that Baxter's henchmen do.

* RetiredGunfighter: Charley was a commando trained to fight behind the lines during the Civil War. Then he became a dreaded hired gun. But for ten years, he has worked as a peaceful cowboy.

** Later, when Boss and Charley go to Harmonville for the second time, a second storm is coming.

* BullyingADragon: Baxter's gang was rather eager to pick a fight with the 6'7 Moses, setting off the events of the movie, and leaving several of them heavily injured.

* MuggingTheMonster: Baxter thought that bullying four cowboys would be easy. He did not know that one of them was a RetiredBadass and another one was a determined CoolOldGuy.

* RetiredBadass: Charley was a commando trained to fight behind the lines during the Civil War. Then he became a dreaded hired gun. But for ten years, he has worked as a peaceful cowboy.