Westerns new and old

• Westerns have evolved from the early days of serials, where the good guys would wear ten gallon white hats and fire guns at the bad guys who sported nothing but black clothing. Gone is the period where John Ford would encourage somebody like John Wayne to participate in a gun fight to take down the bad guys in magnificent epics like Stagecoach. Now we are in the era of the contemplative Western. These are wonderful in a two-fold manner: (a) they introduce characters who live and breathe the violence they cause and (b) they require actors who aren't afraid to play their particular ages. This neo-Western, which essentially revived a film genre that was on its way out, got its start with Silverado. This is a wonderful "yuppie" Western featuring Kevin Kline, Danny Glover, Jeff Goldblum -- and a very young Kevin Costner. Released in 1985, this marked Costner's cinematic breakthrough as a young firebrand named Jake who was amazing with a handgun. Costner realized this was his shot at the big time and he seized the day. Fame, fortune and then failure followed. For every Dances with Wolves (Costner-directed, magnificent Oscar-winning epic Western) there is a Postman (Costner-directed, Razzie winner). With Unforgiven, Clint Eastwood cemented the contemplative Western, with characters who truly repented for their actions. It was refreshing to see Eastwood play who had not only a name, but a sense of conscience. Unforgiven showed audiences that the good guys could be just as bad as the bad guys -- allowing room for shades of grey. Herein lies the magic of Open Range, a nice Western bookend to Costner's career. In this film the characters, played by Costner and Robert Duvall, not only talk about their actions. They also talk about how they're going to commit them. It lasts a good two hours until the film's gun-blazing climax. There are some problems here, but Duvall's true portrayal of a cowboy saves the day. Costner is actually good here -- as a cowboy who has lived some glory but suffered a lot of pain (a parallel to his off-screen life). Check out these neo-Westerns and discover for yourself the true magic of character development. It can be as beautiful as the widest vistas.