Silverado (1985)

Director:

Lawrence Kasdan

Writers:

Lawrence Kasdan (written by) &
Mark Kasdan (written by)

Release Date:

10 July 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Western

Tagline:

Get ready for the ride of your life.

Plot:

A misfit bunch of friends come together to right the injustices which exist in a small town.

Plot Keywords:

Barroom Brawl | Crooked Sheriff | Shoot Out | Saved From Hanging | Black Cowboy

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Kevin Kline	...	Paden
Scott Glenn	...	Emmett
Kevin Costner	...	Jake
Danny Glover	...	Malachi 'Mal' Johnson
Marvin J. McIntyre	...	Clerk at cavalry outpost
Sheb Wooley	...	Cavalry Sergeant
Jon Kasdan	...	Boy at Outpost
John Cleese	...	Sheriff John T. Langston
Todd Allen	...	Turley Deputy Kern
Kenny Call	...	Turley Deputy Block
Bill Thurman	...	Carter
Meg Kasdan	...	Barmaid at Sang's Saloon
Dick Durock	...	Turley Bar Fighter
Gene Hartline	...	Turley Bar Fighter
Autry Ward	...	Hat Thief

Runtime:

127 min | West Germany:132 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | South Korea:12 | West Germany:12 (f) | Iceland:12 | UK:PG | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | USA:PG-13 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Abiquiu, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Earl Hindman plays Wilson on "Home Improvement" (1991) where the lower half of his face is always obscured. In the scene where the house is on fire, he appears gagged, with the lower half of his face obscured.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the showdown in Silverado, Emmett is shot in his right leg, in a spot visible from most angles. After racing the horse to another end of town, and killing him, there is a shot of Emmett on the horse where you can see almost his entire right leg, and no bullet hole is visible, either in his leg or pants.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[Emmett saves Paden's life with a sip of water from his canteen after discovering him abandoned and baking in the desert]
Paden: Pleased to meet you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Last of the Wild Horses (#7.11)" (1994)

Entertaining, but not innovative enough

Many of the reviews say _Silverado_ broke new ground for the Western genre, but I would argue that while it was undoubtedly good escapist fun, it was more derivative than innovative.

Sure, the conversations often seem much more natural than those from other Westerns, and indeed most of the characters are drawn with more dimensions intact, but the entire script could have been pulled together by pulling scenes from a bag full of ideas from other movies. Not to mention the locations, which I could have sworn I recognized from films like _The Big Country_ and anything by John Ford.

For example, Brian Dennehy did a fine job, but you could tell who his character was just by the fact that Dennehy was cast in the role. Many of his characters share the traits of Sheriff Cobb (more than this, I won't say here).

I have to say that as a firm non-fan of Kevin Costner, even I have to admit he did fine here as well... as did all the lead actors. Their careers since _Silverado_ have demonstrated that this was an unusually gifted ensemble.