This has pretty much everything you could want in a Western. I have no idea why I've never seen it before. After foiling an assassination attempt, Emmett (Scott Glenn) comes across a man abandoned in the desert. He soon finds Paden (Kevin Kline) to be an affable gentleman, as long as you don't steal his horse, guns or hat. Emmett is on his way to pick up his younger brother, Jake (Kevin Costner), from a town called Turly and then continue on to Silverado to visit their sister, Kate (Patricia Gaul), before heading to California to make their fortune. Along the way, they meet Mal (Danny Glover), also traveling to Silverado to join the family farm. The four strike up an easy friendship and things seem to be going well. Paden dreams of working in a real saloon and finds everything at The Midnight Star, run by Stella (Linda Hunt) and her "partner" Kelly (Richard Jenkins). Stella tells him the joint is actually owned by the Sheriff and that Kelly was appointed, but she doesn't really like him. Paden is shocked to realize that the Sheriff is a man he used to run with as an outlaw, Cobb (Brian Dennehy), and that he and his men have basically turned the town into their personal goldmine. Emmett soon finds his own past has come back to haunt him when he realizes that the son of a man he shot in self-defense, McKendrick (Ray Baker), is still holding a grudge. Jake can't seem to stay out of trouble if there's a pretty girl involved, and Mal discovers that his family has been run off their land by McKendrick's cattle hands.
At over two hours, this is definitely an epic but it doesn't ever feel as though it's worn out its welcome. Maybe that was due to the delight of seeing some actors back when they were baby-faced youngsters (Jeff Fahey!) or to the stunning Blu-ray transfer. The only thing that counts against it is that it's not very quotable. It's still an excellent movie and I've added it to my "Buy Eventually" list.
No comments:
Post a Comment