Genres

Visitors Review

2013-05-22 04:33:32

A First-Rate Western

Led by an all-star cast, Silverado takes the viewer back in time to the classic wild west western, complete with barroom brawls, gunfights, stampedes, and wagon trains.Emmett (Scott Glenn) has just been released from prison after serving five years for a "crime" committed in self-defense. While on his way to Silverado, he's attacked by a group of outlaws. He's unsure why he was attacked, but as time goes by, he realizes they were hired guns of Ethan McKendrick (Ray Baker). Ethan's father was the one Emmett killed in self-defense.Soon, Emmett comes across Paden (Kevin Kline): a man left to die in the desert after being ambused by his own group of outlaws. After freeing Paden, the two ride to Turley to bust Emmett's kid brother Jake (Kevin Costner) out of jail. He has also killed in self-defense.The last rider of the group is Mal (Danny Glover), a meat packer from Chicago who's heading back to Silverado to help his family out on their farm. During the course of the movie, Mal saves the group on several occasions.Upon arriving in Silverado, the foursome finds out that the McKendrick clan has a firm grip on the town and have even instilled thier own sheriff, Cobb (Brian Dennehy), a former friend and riding companion of Paden. Emmett and Jake realize that the longer they stay in Silverado, the more danger they are getting into. What will happen between Paden and Cobb? Will Emmett and Jake make it to California safely?This is a movie that has all of the elements of the classic western from the 50s and 60s. Loaded with gunfights, brawls, horses, and bad guys, this movie has everything that the western fan will enjoy. There's even a showdown on the main street at high noon! I give this movie my highest recommendation. Although I'm not a real big western fan, this movie really caught my attention, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Watch this great film and get a sense of what the wild west was really like.

davion-2 2013-05-21 20:54:43

Band of four friends defend themselves and town against bad guys

Roger Ebert said this movie made him think of going to Saturday matinees tosee westerns and "choosing up sides" for the walk home (from the charactersin the film). It made me feel the same way. The cast works very welltogether, and Kasdan keeps the tone balanced between light and serious allthe way through. The music is phenomenal, and the cinematography isfantastic. You won't be sorry you rented it.

2013-05-18 22:31:05

What's next?

Loved the film and the return to the classic western. It left me wanting more . . . wish they'd have made a sequel. The talent in the film was too good to have left a second film un-produced.If you want a film that hits all the touchstones of the classic westerns, Silverado is the film for you.My score = 75/100

Christine Garcia 2013-05-18 10:19:23

Great Cast!

This movie has a great cast and a pretty good plot. It's the classic goodguys versus the bad guys. My interest was high throughout the movie. Fifteen years later, it's fun to see Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner, DannyGlover, etc. before they became super stars. This is goodentertainment.

amerlyn 2013-05-17 18:29:26

Not a "classic western" by a long shot

What a shame that Mr. Kasdan couldn't repeat the excellent writing andstory he had with Body Heat. In my opinion, in no was is this evenclose to "a classic western". This kind of sham is likely what didwesterns in after all. John Ford, Howard Hawks, Henry Hathaway andothers who really knew how to make westerns must have spun in theirgraves with this piece of stuff came out. Kasdan manages to lift/copymany classic elements from really great westerns: an over-the driversshoulder shot from inside a covered wagon, from Hawks Red River, thedoor frame shot near the beginning from Ford's The Searchers, and theline "Start the ball" near the end from Peckinpah's Ride the HighCountry, just to name three. The cast, most of whom are quite good,never really gets to shine, having to constantly gun down so manyothers. The number and consistency of killings is mind-numbing and evenboring after two plus hours. It's like a cartoon. Apparently there werean almost endless supply of villains to be killed. And also apparently,said villains couldn't shoot worth a hoot, hardly ever hitting or evencoming close to the heroes. If the old west was really like this, noone would have survived. Everyone would have been killed. In summary,Silverado is a weak story, of nearly continuous episodes of killingsand violence, too infrequently punctuated with dialog or any meaningfulexposition.

2013-05-17 15:30:28

Four who ride together

"Silverado" is a classic Western redone for our day, and it succeeds beyond all reason, considering that by the time it came out, 25 years ago, the genre was already out of fashion. It takes the classic figure of the "lone drifter" who gets involved in a situation more or less out of inertia or because something offends his sense of right and wrong, then multiplies the drifter by four and gives us a quartet of unforgettable heroes--Emmett (Scott Glenn), just out of five years at Leavenworth; Jake (Kevin Costner, who was 30 when it was released but manages to play a very credible early-20's-ish part), his hard-riding, fast-shooting kid brother; Paden (Kevin Kline), a sad-eyed, soft-spoken gambler with a dubious past; and Malachi "Mal" Jackson (Danny Glover), a black Georgian who's a whiz with a rifle. Coming together more or less by accident, the four first become involved with a wagon train fukll of would-be homesteaders when Emmett, Paden, and Mal offer to recover their stolen stake money, travel with them to Silverado where Emmett and Jake's sister and her family live, and find that the district has birthed a monster--land-grabbing ranchowner Ethan McKendrick (Ray Baker), whose father Emmett killed because "he was about to shoot [Jake] in the back," and whose hand-picked sheriff, Cobb (Brian Dennehy), is an old riding-mate of Paden's. Complicating the situation is Mal's sister Rae (Lynn Whitfield), who has wearied of life on the farm and gone to work in a saloon, and Stella (Linda Hunt), the dwarf who manages the place and of whom Paden becomes unexpectedly fond. With a stirring score by Bruce Broughton Silverado: Original Motion Picture Sound Track, a cast of unforgettable characters, sweeping landscapes (interestingly, the season seems to be early fall or late winter: there's snow on the mountains when Paden and Emmett cross them, and we often see people's breath), and a protracted climactic shoot-out that moves from McKendrick's ranch to the streets of the town, it's a thoroughly splendid example of what Westerns could be if filmmakers would only take a chance on them again.

fuzzyfeller 2013-05-17 03:44:45

Good Western

Good Western with a decent cast and plot. Kevin Costner is fun to watch andLinda Hunt is always such fun to watch. Scott Glenn who did the villain rolein Urban Cowboy plays a man who has a feud with a family of killers who alsokidnaps one of his family. Danny Glover also joins in to avenge his fathersdeath as does Kevin Kline who has a bone to pick with the corrupt sheriff ofthe town played by Brian Dennehy. Only things I found annoying were thefollowing two characters who were unnecessary and didnt belong in thismovie. John Cleese's role as a Sheriff of a crooked town,he looks more likehe's doing a Monty Python spoof ,he simply does not belong in this moviewith his British accent nor does Jeff Goldblums lame backstabbing gamblercharacter,main thing is Jeff Goldblum is not a good actor and his characterlooks more like he belongs in a drag show. Other than that,a very enjoyableflick.

miklot 2013-05-16 08:14:05

Classic western with strong performances.

When it comes to classic westerns, add "Silverado" to the list. The storyis a great one, but the movie is made more powerful by the performances ofit's cast. The plot, while seemingly simple, is made more intricate asthere ae really about 4 lead characters, each with his own "mission."ScottGlenn is superb as the cowboy riding to meet his brother so they cantravelto California. Kevin Kline is outstanding as Paden. In a part that couldhave been overplayed, Kline is brilliant in his portrayal of a man insearchof a place to put down roots. Not outdone by either is Danny Glover, astheman seeking to reunite with his family only to find tragedy. And KevinCostner is hilarious as Glenn's brother, a wild fast-gun shootist. Thismovie has everything you could ask for; adventure, drama, humor andterrificscenery. I highly recomment this for fans of the westerngenre.

2013-05-11 06:43:52

The expected come back of the Western!

Silverado meant the expected return of the Western genre after a brief nap of a decade. After the disappearance of the " Duke" and the great Giant directors Howard Hawks, John Ford, the Western stood aloof from the big screen. The Vietnam and Watergate affairs literally redefined the development of other genres. While Bronson (Death wish) and Eatswood (Magnum Force) cleaned up the streets, the American Cinema experienced an inward gaze. Films like Deer Hunter, Kramer vs Kramer, Julia or People captured the vital attention of critics and audience, a new generation of directors assumed the role of bringing back the Cinema of its lost brightness Spielberg and Lucas were the new kids in the town and the entertainment industry shone again (Jaws and Stars wars), Ridley Scott (Alien), Coppola (Godfather) and Scorsesse began the nostalgic journey to the far twenty and thirties, the Western was literally struggled by commercial reasons. Since the times of "The Wild bunch" (1969) and "Bite the bullet" (1972) we had not seen a memorable and wonderful Western like this one. The Western as well as the thriller experienced a smart transformation, which was the inclusion of small vignettes plenty of humor in order to keep the narrative interest for these new generations. The quartet formed by Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover and Kevin Costner will have to clean up Silverado. An amusing film that despite the lack of epic visions a la Sam Peckinpah, John Ford or Howard Hawks, got the miracle that eventually paved the way for major films like "The unforgiven", " Dance with wolves" and "Tombstone" during the Nineties decade. A funny and excitement movie, plenty of action all the way through.

2013-05-10 23:15:03

My ideal western movie

I love western movies the are so exiting. Especially the saloons and the showdowns. The soundtrack of "Silverado" really helped the movie run along better.For example when people were riding the horses and were shooting at each other it had fast music the movie ran along good and it made it even more exiting. "Silverado"was a very nice movie.I prctically loved. It had every thing a western movie needs.For example the cowboys, guns, sherif, and of course the horse. I would like to buy this movie because its very exiting. In my english class it my first time watching"Silverado" .Western movies are not for every one. But if you like western movies i'm telling you are going to want to see this movie

2013-05-02 18:40:52

Saddle Up!

This review is from: Silverado (DVD) This review refers to the Collector's Edition DVD(Columbia/Tristar)...... A lone cowboy, trapped in a desert cabin,pinned down by the bad guys,he must shoot his way out.Then crossing the dry dusty desert happens upon another,left to die of thirst in the hot sun.They become quick friends and the one becomes two, on their way to Silverado! A quick stop off in the small town of Turley to befriend a stranger outcast because of his race, and to break the younger brother out of jail(unjustly accused of murder). The three make a hasty departure out of town,being chased, guns blazing, and are rescued by the stranger they befriended in town. Now they are four friends riding side by side through the west.The story doesn't end, here it's only just beginning.... These four now become heroes, as they go after thieves,protect a wagontrain of homesteaders,save their families and friends from the land grubbing McKendricks,and fight corrupt lawmen. This western, directed by Lawrence Kasdan, pays homage to all the great westerns that came before it. It's got everything. Smokey saloons, posse chases,shootouts, standoffs,good guys, bad guys, there's even a stampeede. Shot in New Mexico, the cinematography is outstanding. You really get a feel for the Old West, the settlers,and the bustling town. It's got drama,adventure, action, comedy and romance,and all done in a way that can be viewed by the whole family.(There is some violence but never graphic). The cast needs no introduction, they're all terrific in their portrayals. The leads are Scott Glenn,Kevin Kline,Danny Glover, and playing the younger"full of juice" brother is Kevin Costner.The supporting players are equally marvelous. Brian Dennehy,John Cleese,Jeff Goldblum,Roseanna Arquette,Jeff Fahey, and the ever fiesty Linda Hunt. Even the horses are great! You'll be real happy with the digitally mastered DVD transfer. Presented in the original widescreen(2:35.1), the desert vistas,and and mountainous scenery are breathtaking. You won't miss a moment of the action. The picture and colors are clear and crisp. The Audio choices are 5.1 or 2 channel surround depending on your set up, and all the sounds of the old west come to life around you. One little minor problem I had was the dialouge, I had to turn it up in some places and then back down when the action started up. What the heck, my remote finger got a work out anyway. Special features include a Making of Documentary, and Trailer. There are various languages, and subtitles, and comes with an informative little booklet. Growing up with Roy and Dale, Hopalong, and the Lone Ranger,I have always loved westerns, and this one is right up there with those guys!Happy trails.......Lauriealso recommended:Deadwood: The Complete Seasons 1-3 - a great westrn series for those who don't mind R language - several sets available - see my review for links and details of series

2013-05-01 22:09:01

Silverado

I love this movie..It's about 4 men who end up meeting and saving each others lives on their way to Silverado..There's killin' and great Saloon scenes and 1 really funny scene with Scott Glenn running through some theives hide out..U will really enjoy this cowboy flick..

FightingWesterner 2013-04-29 09:38:25

Better Than I Expected And A Lot Of Fun

I resisted watching this for a long time, under the impression thatanything from the director of The Big Chill and featuring suchcosmopolitan actors as Kevin Kline, Rosanna Arquette, Danny Glover,John Cleese, and Jeff Goldblum would be overly pretentious hogwash. Iwas mostly wrong. It was politically correct but not bad.This story about four fast friends and their adventures in and aroundthe title city, an earnest attempt to recreate the feel of the epicwesterns of the fifties, is pleasant entertainment and worth watching,with Kline effectively cast against type.I only have two substantial criticisms. One is that the first half withKline getting back his hat and horse, his and Kevin Costner's bigjailbreak, and Danny Glover's introduction, is so good that the secondhalf pales by comparison.The second is the fact that third-billed Rosanna Arquette's characterhas nil to do with the story and is pretty much wasted, as if she were(typical of the fifties!) inserted in order to get a female name on themarquee. They should have gave her something to do!Overall, it wasn't the best western ever made, but pretty watchablenevertheless.

2013-04-28 20:26:37

this is a excellent movie

thee actors were very belieavable the scenery was at is finest the script in general was very well written

2013-04-17 04:49:41

My Opinion of the Movie

I never liked western movies, and I don't think i'll ever like it. well I only like it when there is a shoot-out. Like when there are some people in the bar fighting for some little thing, so they are just shooting at each other or killing themselves with knives. When they start fighting I start liking it a little bit, but then they just start talking and I just ignore it. I only like scary movies because they are interesting they don't get boring because it's scaring you every time. The only thing Ilike about the movie was the soundtrack ( even though it didn't scared me when it started). The soundtrack sounded like ... whoa. I think it would have been better if it was louder. I am not sure what I should recomend to the people, just that it was kind of good because of the shoot-out, the rest I don't know I thaught it was boaring because there was no action they were just talking about I don't know what. In the movie I look for it to be scary ( even though I get scare in the night) for it to have a great sountrack and the soundtrack to be loud sothat it could scare the kreep out of you. What amkes the movie suck is if it doesn't have no action, and if they just talk and don't do anything interesting. Like in the movies in black and white, those one really suck no ofense but they don't do anything interesting they just talk and talk. What I also look for in a movie are good actors because some actors are to nervous or forget there lines. I like alot of different type of movies like scary the ones of karate and craft movies. It sounds better with the soundtrack and very loud ( more when there is a scary part , I don't know what to recomend you just that if you like movies with action don't waste your time and money on it.

trrytchr 2013-04-16 17:31:58

Reviving the Cowboy Genre

I thought this was one of the greatest cowboy movies made in moderntimes. It completely revived the cowboy genre of the "old" days - whenthe bad guys were bad and the good guys were good. That the good guyswere slightly bad and could be redeemed. I'm tired of movies that thelines of who is good and who is bad is extremely blurred. I realizethis is a black and white attitude; but in today's society, we need toreturn to that value. I grew up on John Wayne and Gary Cooper and ClintEastwood movies. They were Westerns you wanted to watch - the good guysfighting for the little people and overcoming the odds (which wasreally impossible, we knew, but we wanted it to be that way). It harksback to the view that movies should entertain - and Silveradoentertains from start to finish. I loved Kevin Kline; and Scott Glennas the monosyllabic cowboy was fantastic. From the opening scene,reminiscent of all the good ole cowboy flicks, to the closing--maybewe'll make a sequel (extremely too bad that they didn't)--ending, youenjoy and are entertained.

2013-04-16 06:25:01

Excellent Western

This review is from: Silverado (Blu-ray) I Love this movie I have had all the formats when I saw it was available on blu-ray I had to have it and the blu-ray lived up to my expectation. I guess I purchased the import version from Italy. The only downfall is that it took about 2 weeks before it arrived and the back of the blu-ray case is in another language but the price was right.

2013-04-15 14:32:11

A Wonderful DVD film

This review is from: Silverado (DVD) I have loved this film ever since I first saw it on cable, years ago. But I had never really seen it until the DVD arrived a few days ago. If you have ever seen this film on TV or on video you are in for a shock. The digital remaster is absolutely beyond compare. The soundtrack remaster is astounding. And the "Making of" feature is wonderful. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Westerns, great stories or any of the almost 20 (now big time) stars that appear in it. It is the best.

TheUnknown837-1 2013-04-08 17:48:28

I have nothing but compliments for this gun- and trail-blazing Western opus; a symbol of the genre's unwillingness to die

After the financial disaster of Michael Cimino's "Heaven's Gate" in1980, the Western movie genre had appeared to slip away into anunexpected demise after so many decades of enormous popularity. Then in1985, two filmmakers, who owed their inspiration and in one case, theircareer to the old Westerns, brought it back from the cinematic grave ofthe cutting room. The first one was a revolutionary Western by ClintEastwood. "Pale Rider" (1985) brought back the dark, cynical life ofthe gloomy but powerfully allegoric Westerns like "Shane" (1953). Andthen there was "Silverado", which instilled new life into ourperception of the old classic gun and trail-blazing Westerns like "TheMagnificent Seven" (1960). As an avid fan of the Westerns, both old andnew, I have nothing but compliments for "Silverado" and even now,almost a quarter of a century since its theatrical debut, it stillholds up as a terrifically entertaining good-hearted Western actionfilm and fills the souls of its viewers with the same wild love andthrill that the classics and the men who made them have.While "Pale Rider" and later, "Unforgiven" (1992) brought us a gritty,cynical view of the 19th century world, "Silverado" brings us one fullof glory and spectacle from its magnificent scenery to itspulse-raising downtown shootouts and standoffs. Back with a new look,but the same charm, are the tough laconic heroes riding on elegantsteeds and hauling flashy bullet-spitting hardware on their legs. Backare the sneering, equally laconic villains who spit before they drawtheir guns. Back are the classic shootouts where the good guys score adirect hit with every shot—no matter the distance or the situation—andthe bad guys miss with every shot and yet somehow, this improbable andcertainly unrealistic formula still works. "Silverado" is basically thesame kind of film as "The Magnificent Seven" (1960) and the othergun-blazing Westerns from the golden age revamped and upgraded for amore contemporary audience, but still working more or less in the sameway."Silverado" is full of old-fashioned, but terrifically entertainingaction scenes ranging from fistfights to classic one-on-one showdownsin the middle of a deserted dusty street, but part of what also keep itstanding on its own feet are the background stories of the colorfulcharacters, many of whom are played by actors quite unfamiliar to theWestern genre. Again, some of the subplots are old-fashioned andfamiliar, such as the commonly used bout between homesteaders and rangemen, but because its freshened up and ramped up, it works. Director,producer, and writer Lawrence Kasdan is to be congratulated enormouslyon this thundering, exciting Western opus. Full of witty dialogue,beautiful backgrounds, colorful things in the foreground, a wonderfulAcademy Award-nominated music score by Bruce Broughton, and again, thatsame old-fashioned, but never dying charm of the old 50s and 60sWesterns, "Silverado" is the kind of film that the whole family can sitdown and enjoy. The Western genre may have slowed down and may be alittle more obscure today than it was forty years ago, but it willnever die completely. A flower may wilt, but its elegance is foreverremembered. "Silverado" is, just like its tagline claims, the ride ofyour life.

2013-04-07 19:56:57

This ain't no hum-drum western, Pilgrim.

Action from the onset. See a quick draw Kevin Costner before he got drowned in Waterworld. Danny Glover is an unlikely side-kick to Kevin Kline who is as unlikely a cowpoke as well, considering some of his later movies (A Fish Called Wanda, In and Out, et al). If that ain't enough, see John Cleese (another Fish member) as a dapper gun totin' sheriff. That was pushing the envelope for me but it did work, sorta. (For some reason all I could hear was, "And now for something completely different.") Brian Dennehy, a bad apple sheriff, is the villan who manages to incite all the compadres ire in some fashion. A bit on the long side but it should keep your interest from the beginning. One of my favorite westerns.