Silverado is a Reconstruction of a Western film genre. Released in the theaters July 1985, it starred many well-known (or soon to be well-known) actors, including Kevin Kline, Danny Glover, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, Jeff Goldblum, Brian Dennehey and John Cleese.The basic plot: In 1880, four men travel together to the city of Silverado. They come across many dangers before they finally engage the "bad guys" and bring peace and equality back to the city.
And Your Little Dog Too: Lampshaded when corrupt town sheriff Cobb indicates to Paden that he'll harm the dwarf female bartender if Paden moves against him, even though Cobb acknowledges she has nothing whatsoever to do with their dispute. He does however know Paden (whom he used to work with when they were robbers) got caught while protecting a wounded dog he'd previously claimed to despise, so figures the threat will make Paden back off. It works at first, but the bartender figures out what's happened and talks Paden into fighting Cobb anyway.
Dangerously Genre Savvy: The outlaw Dawson is a hard man to fool; if it weren't for the element of surprise, things could've gone very badly for Emmitt on The Infiltration.
Dawson: I think there's only a couple of guys up there, and this asshole's one of them!
Deadpan Snarker: Particularly Paden, Emmitt, and Stella, but everyone gets in a few.
Even Evil Has Standards: McKendrick won't let one of his men kill a boy, even though the boy saw their faces. They opt to kidnap him instead.
Everythings Better With Cows: Yep, nothing like a stampede to disrupt the bad guys while you move in for the kill.
Exactly What I Aimed At: As a posse is chasing the leads into some hills, several warning shots come from Danny Glover's character, who is hiding somewhere out of sight. As his shots ricochet off nearby rocks and cacti, a deputy says: "Let's go, he ain't hittin' nothin'". This prompts the sheriff, played brilliantly by John Cleese, to retort: "You idiot, he's hit everything he's aimed at". [Cue the sheriff's hat getting knocked off by the next shot.]
The Gunslinger: All the main characters are gunslingers:
Paden (Type D) outdraws Cobb in the final battle
Emmitt (Type A) shoot needles off cactuses
Mal (Type B) hits everything he aims at with his rifles.
Jake (Type D and Type A) shoots two different guys at the same time, in different directions.
Guns Akimbo: The character of Jake (portrayed by Kevin Costner) is styled in broad strokes. Lightning draws, blind trick shots, horse riding skills and firing two guns at the same time.
Inthe Back: Averted when, after Jake hid in the bar when the bad guys were after him, he sneaks out behind them as they are walking down the two sides while he standing on the corner. He yells, "Hey" and they both spin around on him, just in time for him to plug both of them at the same time.
Dawson: You bring a posse to my best hideout, and you ask me if I mind?! Mister, I don't know any of those names. You're about to die.
It Has Been an Honor: Emmitt's "see you around" right before the climactic charge into Silverado.
Just Got Out Of Jail: Emmitt just served five years in prison for killing a man in self defense.
Miss Kitty: Stella, "The 'Midnight Star' herself."
Nice Hat: When Paden is introduced, he is lamenting the loss of his black hat with a pretty silver band on it.
Noodle Incident: When Cobb tells the story of how Paden's reaction to Tyree's Kick the Dog moment (actually, he shot the dog, but that's another trope) got him arrested, Paden's reply has to be a joke. Either way, how did he get out of jail?
Paden: It evened out in the end, though. They locked me up. The dog sprung me.
When Paden is introduced, he has been left to die of exposure in the middle of the desert by a group of bandits. None of them are happy to see him.
Immediately prior to the climax, some mooks get between Emmitt and any chance of a reload while he's practicing his sharpshooting, and trample him repeatedly with horses. Mal treats him for his injuries.
Oh Crap: When Paden encounters the bandits from his backstory, he points out whatever it is of his that they currently have on them. None of them say "so what?" presumably because they left him to die of exposure in the desert.
Paden: You're wearing my hat.
[Bandit slowly reaches for his holster]
Paden: Your fingers better not be ticklin' my ivory-handled Colt.
Professional Gambler: Slick. "Scuse me, Sheriff, I'm a gambler, lookin' to run an honest game. Who would I talk to about that?" Paden also talks in gambling metaphors and mutters about bad luck.
Ramp Jump: Emmitt does one on horseback towards the end of the Chase Scene, and knocks the Big Bad from his horse.
Emmitt: [after Cobb shoots a man for embezzling] You used to ride with that guy?
There are hints at the other three having been less than law abiding in the past.
Emmitt and Jake both seem fairly well versed in jail-breaks.
Some of the things Mal says about his time in Chicago (not the nicest of places in the 1880's) suggest that he might have been involved in some dubious activities.
All four are quite skilled at gunplay and show little hesitation towards killing, although they tend to avoid killing the mostly innocent (compare the jail-break to the rest of the movie).
Smart People Play Chess: Sheriff Langston plays chess with himself, showing that he is intelligent and Surrounded by Idiots. He plays with a deputy sitting across the board from him, but turns the board around after each move to play both sides.
What Happened To TheMouseDog? Paden is asked repeatedly by his old riding buddies what became of the injured dog that drove him out of banditry. When Stella asks, he says simply, "She left me," jokingly making it sound like the end of a romance, and continuing to evade the question.
The Wild West: A reconstruction of classic frontier America during the Wild West era.
1 reviews