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Mindful of classic horse-opera conventions but determined to strike a more naturalistic tone, Silverado is a sprawling, fast-paced western that, upon its theatrical release in 1985, delighted younger moviegoers who heretofore had disdained such films. Writer-director Lawrence Kasdan was no stranger to refurbishing moribund genres, having breathed new life into film noir several years earlier with Body Heat. Kasdan’s casting had a lot to do with Silverado’s contemporary feel: Of his four protagonists, only Scott Glenn fit the mold of the "strong, silent type" popularized by such erstwhile westerners as Gary Cooper; fellow gunslingers Kevin Kline, Danny Glover, and Kevin Costner never looked like anything other than baby boomers playing cowboys. (Supporting players Rosanna Arquette, Jeff Goldblum, and John Cleese were also unlikely choices for a period western.) But Kasdan’s casting sense was hardly a drawback, as the positive audience reception proved. Silverado, which intertwines the destinies of four drifters, offers rousing action scenes (including several superbly staged shootouts), dastardly villains (especially crooked sheriff Brian Dennehy), and panoramic vistas. Moreover, it’s simultaneously respectful and insouciant, which probably explains why the film's audience has grown over the years. The Collector's Edition DVD, which sports a new transfer, a making-of documentary, and production notes, will no doubt continue that trend. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Lawrence Kasdan's Silverado is a fond hark back to the all-star, big-budget westerns of the 1950s and 1960s. The various plotlines converge at the town of Silverado, held in thrall by crooked sheriff Brian Dennehy and his behemoth "deputies." The four disparate heroes--Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner, Scott Glenn and Danny Glover--prepare to do battle against Dennehy for personal reasons ranging from mercenary to altruistic. Sidelines characters include duplicitous, dandified gambler Jeff Goldblum, frontier widow Rosanna Arquette and gimlet-eyed saloon owner Linda Hunt. The film is stolen hands-down by Kevin Costner, playing an irresponsible young gunslinger who never speaks when hootin' and hollerin' will do. A classic, High Noon-style showdown caps this rousing retro western. Hal Erickson

Chicago Sun-Times

1/2
This movie is more sophisticated and complicated than the Westerns of my childhood, and it is certainly better looking and better acted. But it has the same spirit; it awards itself the carefree freedom of the Western myth itself...Silverado is the work of Lawrence Kasdan, the man who wrote Raiders of the Lost Ark, and it has some of the same reckless brilliance about it. Roger Ebert

Product Details

• UPC: 043396323612
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 2:12:00
• Sales Rank: 24,371

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