If you love Westerns, then the first three minutes of “Open Range” will capture definitively both your attention and affection – with painterly images of soaring peaks and cattle herds grazing in lush, high country valleys, while saddle-sore cowpokes cast worried eyes at storm clouds on the horizon and then try to pass the time during drenching rain by huddling under a tarp and playing cards.

Having skillfully hooked his audience with such nostalgic and lyrical visions, director Kevin Costner never really lets us go, despite the stately, even plodding pace of his new cowboy extravaganza. He carries the film with his palpable, infectious infatuation with all its elements – the characters, the landscape (actually filmed in Alberta, Canada), the sets and costumes, the expertly staged climactic gunfight and, most of all, the cherished conventions of classic Westerns. To say that the great John Ford would feel proud of what Costner has created might be overstating the movie’s virtues, but at the very least Ford would recognize and appreciate many areas of continuity.

The story (based on a novel by the late Western writer Lauran Paine) centers around four cowboys in 1882 hoping to fatten their herd in the “open range” of the Great Plains. Robert Duvall leads the group with his customary authority and grit, bringing sly conviction to his constant banter with Costner’s character, a moody survivor who’s been riding with Duvall for a decade. They’re joined by an impetuous 16-year-old boy (Diego Luna of “Y Tu Mama Tambien”) and a good-hearted, dim-witted giant played by Abraham Benrubi (best known as Jerry Markovic on TV’s “ER”). After the rainstorm that opens the film, a trip to town for emergency supplies turns into a brutal nightmare in which the open range cowboys find themselves in a deadly battle with the minions of a corrupt, ruthless, Irish immigrant rancher (the always effective Michael Gambon). Annette Bening also turns up as the one citizen of the town who displays unequivocal affection for the persecuted newcomers.

Costner lavishes intense love on even the smallest details of his story – such as a cherished tea set Bening brought with her across the prairie, or the special purchase of imported cigars by Duvall and Costner so they can share a moment of pleasure before they face a vastly larger force in the brutal battle that concludes the story. In fact, the film suffers at times from the solemn, portentous treatment of pedestrian plot points or stilted dialogue (trying to approximate nineteenth century speech patterns) that doesn’t seem to deserve that much respect. Nevertheless, he beats the odds to make an emotional connection with his characters and with the audience – just as he did in his Oscar-winning vehicle, “Dances with Wolves.” If nothing else, the capable and undeniably sensitive direction in “Open Range” should allow Costner the filmmaker at last to escape the wreckage of his notorious post-apocalyptic fiasco, “The Postman.”

Duvall’s delightfully salty work will recall his triumphant TV performance in “Lonesome Dove,” as will this film’s focus on the grueling details of cowboy life. The underlying theme, with Costner grudgingly coming to terms with his own guilt and shame over his violent past, echoes Clint Eastwood’s “Unforgiven” – as does the theme of a corrupt lawman (James Russo here, Gene Hackman in the previous film) imposing his will on a defenseless town.

Of course, part of the appeal of Westerns involves their inescapable familiarity, and their inevitable recycling of well-known aspects of previous horse operas. Even if they don’t provide an accurate reflection of America’s history, these movies do recall our own pop cultural past – with so many hours of escapism following weathered gunmen defending honor and decency in an endless series of showdowns.

Religious believers may feel disappointed, or even hurt, at the film’s unnecessary insistence that its heroes reject conventional faith – a rejection dramatized at several key moments in the plot. The “R” rating for once seems excessive – the film contains only brief harsh language, discreet references to sexuality, and violent confrontations no more graphic or horrifying than in many other “PG-13” movies (including the slick recent police action picture, “S.W.A.T.” THREE STARS.

Michael Medved hosts a nationally syndicated daily radio show focusing on the intersection of politics and pop culture.  He's the author of eight non-fiction books, was co-host for 12 years on "Sneak Previews" on PBS, and is the former Chief Film Critic for the New York Post.