Described as a ‘revival’ of the western in its 1985 theatrical release, Lawrence Kasdan’s now classic Silverado comes to Blu-ray format and holds up quite nicely with its sprawling western landscapes, opening gun fight, and quintessential western towns.
At its heart, the film features four classic western heroes traveling to the town of Silverado and finding a wrong that needs to be made right.
Emmett is the lone, taciturn cowboy, hardened to the elements. His brother is Jake, the rakish, fun-loving gunfighter, played by Kevin Costner. Costner brings a lot of energy to the screen with his character’s antics. It is interesting to note that, according to the special feature’s interviews, that Costner saw himself in Emmett’s role more than Jake’s.
He had to be convinced to take the role of Jake. A long-time lover of the American western, Costner talks of seeing himself in the classic western hero’s shoes, but he laughingly admits that, in hindsight, the role of Jake fit him perfectly.
The other protagonist of the film is Danny Glover’s character Mal Johnson. The racism of the times (1880s) is seen through his eyes, as well as his immense love of his family. Like Glenn’s character, Glover makes Mal the classic western good guy who stands up for what is right no matter the odds, and never backs down from a fight.
The film has a huge cast with stereotypical and familiar western archetypes; however, the formula works and works very well. Brian Dennehy plays the corrupt, intimidating sheriff Cobb to the hilt; Linda Hunt plays Stella, the wise madam of the saloon; John Cleese is another sheriff, Langston; Jeff Goldblum plays the traveling gambler Slick, and Rosanna Arquette has a small role, that of Hannah.
The Blu-ray comes packaged beautifully, looking and opening like a small book. Inside there are pictures of the movie and of its ensemble cast, as well as short blurbs of information about the film and stars.
Each actor is given their own glossy picture and tribute page, and pictures of the theatrical posters are included as well. On the back cover, the Blu-ray marked with a sheriff’s badge is enclosed, as if it were an afterthought.
But it’s not an afterthought, as this is a movie that gives new credit to ‘greatness’. The large cast works so well together. It is strange to call a western ‘fun’, but their energy shines through the silver screen and right on to Blu-ray and beyond into our hearts. From Kevin Kline’s quirky smile while he stands there in his long johns to Costner’s devil-may-care shoot ‘em up attitude, you can fall in love with these characters again. And again. And again.
The special features are another reason to love this Blu-ray edition. They include Live in-movie information about the cast, crew, music, and production, as well as featurettes Along the Silverado Trail: A Western Historians’ Commentary, The Making of Silverado, and A Return to Silverado with Kevin Costner.
For fans who remember the theatrical release or if you are new to Silverado, this is a great Blu-ray to add to your collection. It is packaged for the collector, and the special features are for the movie enthusiast. Highly recommended.
Silverado [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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