I liked the first half but the inconsistencies started to pile up by the middle and looked sloppy in the second half of the movie. Like didn't we all think Paden liked Rosanna Arquette's character? But then somehow she became Scott Glenn's girl?? When did that happen?
Well, if you were paying attention, there was an entire scene devoted to explaining why Paden gave up on the widow. She loved farming, and was determined to marry a farmer. Most of her lines, and her longest scene in the movie are about that. Shortly thereafter, Paden is talking to Emmett, and he says she has a hard idea for living, and that Emmett is welcome to "look her up" if he wants her. Nothing mysterious: After hearing her talk about the kind of life she wants, Paden decides it isn't for him. He knows Emmett liked her all along, and tells him, "Hey, if you want her, go for it. She's not my type."
Also Jeff Goldblum's character. One second he and Rae are friends and he seemed like a good guy. Suddenly at the last minute, he's a fink?
Nothing mysterious here, either. Rae is a whore; she "likes" anybody who pays her fee. Slick is just her customer; it isn't as if she was in love with him, or he in love with her, though he obviously liked her well enough to pay her. But Slick was never a good guy; he was always looking after his own interests. When things heated up, he figured the sheriff and his men were going to win, so he sided with them, figuring getting in good with the local power bosses would be better than fighting them.
Also Stella's character. It's almost like they wrote her to be way more important than the final print showed her to be. The editing exposed that.
No idea what you're talking about here. Stella's character was important from the minute she appeared. It was obvious from the first moment that Paden was taken with her, and she with him. The way he looked at her, the way he kissed her hand, her reaction to that, the banter between them, her warmth when she says Paden would be welcome to be her partner, his reluctance to get involved in the war between the two factions in town. In fact, Stella's character is what drives Paden's character as the movie progresses: he used to ride with guys like Cobb and Tyree, but he's struggling to give up that kind of life and settle down, and "find his place in the world." His feelings for Stella are used, first by Cobb to handcuff him with the threat of hurting Stella if he gets in the way, and then as justification for getting involved and fighting against Cobb, once Stella gives him the okay and he realizes the only real way to permanently protect her from Cobb is to kill him. Her character is crucial to illuminating the growth that Paden goes through, and the fact that he is, down inside when it really counts, one of the good guys.
Sometimes it isn't enough to just kinda/sorta half watch a movie one time, without really paying much attention, in order to know what's going on. Sometimes it's worth watching with both eyes open, and listening, and paying attention. And sometimes, watching more than once reveals levels of plot and character development that might not have been noticed by someone who "watched" the movie while sleeping.
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tikileslie
11 years ago
jcosyn-1-,I had to take a moment to tell you that your response to j_captain's post about Silverado being baffling, badly written, directed, edited, without character development, full of plot holes, confusing, and an inferior western to be 100% right on! I agree with everything you said in your well thought out and eloquently written post. I respect the fact that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and that, often, a film can fall short of being "good" due to a bad script, lack of character development, plot holes and bad directing. However, none of these things can honestly be said about Silverado, because they are, as you pointed out, simply not true.
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spookyrat1
11 years ago
However, none of these things can honestly be said about Silverado, because they are, as you pointed out, simply not true.
Absolutely!
I hope the OP ended up finding the time to watch the whole film. This is one film which IMO, shouldn't be accused of underdevelopment of its ensemble cast of characters. It's a 133 minute film for a reason in that it tells a broad, but easily understood story, that pans out successfully in the end.
Have seen it a number of times over the years and always enjoyed the experience.
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