Horizon: An American Saga opens in theaters on July 4th
Say “Kevin Costner” and you think of a guy who acts – and who starred in some of the most successful films of the 1980s and 1990s, before declining and making a comeback in recent years thanks in part to his forays into TV. But defining Costner “only” as an actor is limiting, and perhaps the most correct definition would be “man of cinema”: he directed, wrote and also produced a long series of films which can therefore be defined as his own creations. Horizon: An American Saga is just the latest example of a list that includes great successes and also, alas, some flops. In general, however, we are talking about a person whose name has always been a guarantee of quality, and certainly of great heart and passion.
On the occasion of the release of Horizonso, we thought we’d take a look at his alternative career, putting in order from worst to best the films that Kevin Costner has directed, written and/or produced. Inevitably, the list also includes films that he has acted in, but what can you do? He’s someone who likes to have more or less total control of his work, and this sometimes also means writing a character on himself. You can find our ranking below: we’ve excluded only a couple of titles for which he appears as executive producerand which are less “his” than the 12 you find below.
12. Black or White
Michael Jackson’s song? No, Mike Binder’s film, produced and wanted by Costner who plays a widower who finds himself forced to raise and educate his granddaughter, while dealing with his alcoholism. Thought to end up at the Oscars, it is actually a concentration of rhetoric that is easy to forget immediately after watching it.
11. Thirteen Days
The story of the Cuban Missile Crisis seen from the point of view of the American political establishment. A rare case of a film appreciated by critics (especially American ones, who always go crazy over these projects) but snubbed by the public, so much so that it grossed 66 million dollars against a budget of 80.
10. The words I didn’t tell you
On the contrary, this romantic meatloaf did great at the box office but was trashed by critics. The fact that we used the word “meatloaf” should tell you where we stand.
9. The Man of the Morning After
Another sensational flop, and it’s a shame – not because it’s a great film (it’s not, even if it has some good staging ideas), but because it’s a post-apocalyptic western, and for this alone it would have deserved its success . Unfortunately, questions of principle do not automatically make a good film.
8. Swing Vote – A Man of 300 Million Votes
Kevin Costner’s other great passion besides westerns is politics. Swing Vote it starts from a very strong idea (American elections are determined by the vote of a single person) and expresses it adequately, even if not as insightful as it would like. Incidentally, it is the film that demonstrates how Kevin Costner is becoming Vasco Rossi as he ages (see photo above).
7. Mr. Brooks
It was supposed to become a trilogy, but instead it remained a one-shot. Too bad, because seeing a usually good guy like Kevin Costner playing a serial killer is very fascinating, even if not necessarily as effective as he would like.
6. Rapa-Nui
Kevin Costner became friends with Kevin Reynolds thanks to Robin Hood – Prince of Thieves, and wanted him to lead this historical adventure based on the legends of Easter Island. Reynolds hates it, we respectfully disagree.
5. Bodyguard
Say what you want, which is corny, corny, rhetorical, all the bad things that have been said about this movie over the years. But a producer has first of all the task of making his project an unforgettable success by all possible means, and who doesn’t know I Will Always Love You?
4. Waterworld
To be rewarded even just for the courage, or rather the reckless ambition of shooting an environmentalist post-apocalyptic film in 1995. There is a lot Mad Max in Waterworldamong other things, which can only be a good thing.
3. Wyatt Earp
We have already told you about the story here Wyatt Earp and of his more or less desired rivalry with Tombstone. Regardless of the production issues and the flaws we have already highlighted, it remains a great film, and proof that Kevin Costner is one of the most important faces of the modern and contemporary western.
2. Borderland – Open Range
Speaking of modern and contemporary westerns, here is a film that will deserve further study in the coming months (that’s a promise). In the meantime, let us say just one thing: the final shootout is one of the best in the history of cinema.
1. Dances with Wolves
Could it have been otherwise? Dance with wolves is the film with which Kevin Costner forced the United States of America to confront its colonial past, and with which he redefined the figure of the cowboy and the relationship between white men and natives. It is not only a film of colossal dimensions, it is also one of the most important works of the century for American culture, whose effects are still felt today.
 movies ranking | Cinema){kind=link}