MovieChat Forums > Silverado (1985) Discussion > I hated this film

I hated this film

posted 16 years ago by O_Possum
23 replies | jump to latest

I had heard good things about this, but I found it was nothing but a string of Western cliches.

When they told the story about Kevin Kline saving the dog, I just wanted to turn it off and walk away. Screenwriters use the phrase "pet the dog" to describe a scene that shows the hero is a good person. It's not supposed to be taken literally Kasdans! Use some imagination! Good lord.

What a mess.

http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19910506,00.html
Scientology: Cult of Greed

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] xkml 15 years ago

The movie was, indeed, a big sloppy mess, with cliches out the arse, miscast actors, lame dialogue, and two-dimensional characters....yet it was also oddly enjoyable and entertaining.

It's certainly not realistic - if anyone thinks it is, they're on crack - but it's still strangely fun despite its mediocrity.

[–] MaicoCPA 15 years ago

I'm in the same camp as you. When I first saw it in 1985 I thought it was one big cliche - from the music to the sets to the good guys vs. bad guys. I gave it another try this week, thinking maybe it had improved with age. No dice. Fans here talk about the great dialogue and I listened for it but just don't hear it. I think it did sound a little too modern for the 19th century, though.

[–] d112cons 15 years ago

Someone else here remarked that this was the "princess bride" of westerns. I'm inclined to agree that this film is less a western, and more a tribute to everything we love about westerns. This of course makes it tricky to take too seriously, and I imagine it won't find as wide an audience as a result.

I personally love it. There's just too many nice moments and genuine chemistry between nearly the entire cast for me to dismiss it.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] fritzaren 14 years ago

Yeah I thought it sucked too, couldn't even bother to watch the last minutes of the ending..

[–] Moss-37 14 years ago

But if you kept your TV on a little longer he goes on to say he hated that dog and didn't know why he saved it.Asked what happened to it he said it ran off and he didn't care less about it.A mess becomes an unmess, pal.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] RugGuy 14 years ago

"string of Western cliches" I agree but I really enjoy this movie, tho I did not like it when I first saw it. I thik because it is populated with actors I like and their chemistry is why i like it. I stll would not call it a great movie, but it is medium good.

[–] Bry-2 14 years ago

It's certainly not a great ORIGINAL Western -- it's anything but that -- but it's still an enjoyable film.

I think of Silverado's relationship to Westerns as similar to the Indiana Jones movies' to the serials that inspired them: homages and near-parodies. But of course Indiana Jones did it more sucessfully.

And Kasdan wrote both Raiders and Silverado. Coincidence?

--If they move, kill 'em!

[–] bastasch8647 13 years ago

Pretentious. Why? Easy: its ponderous, inexcusable length alone shows that it takes itself far too seriously. Very few films need to be as long, and when they are, they damn well better be classics. Silverado is far from being a classic. It oversells itself. It's an amalgam of tried and true Western narratives strung out over a long trail of failed cinematic dreams.

[–] Mr-Fusion 13 years ago

Pretentious. Why? Easy: its ponderous, inexcusable length alone shows that it takes itself far too seriously. Very few films need to be as long, and when they are, they damn well better be classics. Silverado is far from being a classic. It oversells itself. It's an amalgam of tried and true Western narratives strung out over a long trail of failed cinematic dreams.

I think it worked in the opposite direction for me. "ponderous, inexcusable length" implies "too long". And (at least, for me) it never got boring.

-----
"I gotta split. The mayor wants to rap with me about some things."

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] koffeenkreame41-1 13 years ago

^^What? The cast was awesome and so was the action and story.

"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit' me!" Hudson in Aliens.

[–] tytianacs 13 years ago

So-called critics.

What can you do??? Name another western, visually and story-wise during the 80's that could ever match up to this one? With the acting-power given?

'I'm a peacock, Captain! You gotta let me fly!!' ~"The Wrong Guys"

[–] one189teen50five 13 years ago

I saw this for the first time on tv. I thought the character of Jake was adorable and a little crazy. I didn't know who Kevin Costner was at the time. I like Silverado but there isn't enough of Jake in it to suit me.