Silverado (1985)

Really? This movie is that old? I thought it was from the early 90s, but no, it came out the same year as Back to the Future. Incredible.

Silverado chiefly concerns itself with the story of hard-ass cowboy Emmett (Scott Glen), who is on his way to bust his kid brother Jake (Kevin Costner) out of jail. Along the way he rescues the stranded Paden (Kevin Kline) from certain death, and helps out the discriminated-against Mal (Danny Glover). It turns out the town of Silverado, where Emmett’s sister and her family lives, is run by the corrupt Cobb (Brian Dennehy), who knows Paden from the old days and sets him up with a cushy job, forcing Paden to make some hard choices when Cobb sets himself against Emmett.

Probably the first movie of the post-studio system era to be saddled with the headline “can {title of picture} save the western?”, Silverado is a straight-forward attempt to be nothing more than a very satisfying western. Paden’s laid-back California vibe and Jake’s boyish enthusiasm are about the only nods to a more modern outlook; the rest of the film is straight Hollywood western, which was exactly its aim. Rounding out the film a little is some stunt casting, including Linda Hunt as a worldly bar-maid, John Cleese in a terrific extended cameo as a sheriff, and Jeff Goldblum in a small role as a slimy gambler. But its principals are sketched straight from a John Ford film, and west as a glorious, untamed, open vista is certainly a carry-over from the glory days of the genre.

Silverado also adds an element of humor; Cleese’s droll wit, Costner’s infectious enthusiasm, and Kline’s wry understatement all bring a grin to the face. But the aim is black hats vs. white hats, and the movie hews to the formula gleefully. Danny Glover’s Mal touches on racism a little, but it also allows the modern audience to more easily identify the good guys by how they stand on the issue.

The performances are all sharp. Scott Glen is the least talented of the lead four, but he’s ideal for the role of a laconic gunfighter, and he’s perfectly physically suited for the role. Glover is fine as well, mixing weariness and anger with just the right tone. Costner comes close to stealing the film – Jake just really seems to enjoy life, or more importantly enjoy his life, and his brash gusto pulls the viewer in. Kline swipes the movie from Glen with his low-key humor and, most importantly here, his empathy; Paden is a good man, forced to make moral choices, and the movie keeps swinging back to him even though he’s the least flashy of the leads. It very much seems the writers like him the most and keep trying to hide it (it doesn’t hurt that Kline sports a glorious beard that covers half his face like a forest).

Silverado is a superbly made western. It hasn’t aged much, and is just as great a joy to watch now as it was almost thirty years ago (it’s still hard to believe it’s that old); it’s an old-fashioned western with a few modern touches, but it succeeds marvelously. It’s been a little forgotten, which is a shame, because it’s an excellently made film, even for those who are not big fans of the genre.

April 20, 2013