Michael Rooker defends ‘Horizon’

The 69-year-old actor plays Sgt. Major Thomas Riordan in Kevin Costner’s Western epic “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” and has blamed the underwhelming audience response to the three hour-long picture on the lack of appreciation that viewers have for “real cinema.”

Rooker told TMZ: “We’re used to 90-minute movies. Everything is 90 minutes. Give me a break. Get over that. … Let’s watch a movie that actually tells a story where you learn about the people and grow to like them or hate them. It’s not all fast and cut, cut, cut.”

The “Guardians of the Galaxy” actor also agreed with the theory that audiences have become “TikTok-ified” by watching short clips on the social media platform.

Rooker also praised Costner’s ability behind the camera.

“He is brilliant in this,” Rooker said. “He’s a brilliant director, and he has the ability to pick absolutely the cream of the crop.”