“Silverado”: The western is alive and well

From left are Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner, Scott Glenn and Danny Glover, the main protagonists of the 1985 western "Silverado".

Source: https://www.directv.com/guide/movies/Silverado-5ad0cbfd-f368-97d8-fc82-adbde59e8fee

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The Western is dead. That was the talk in the mid-1980s. It had reached its golden era, then was satirized, which was the fate of mature genres.

Then along came a movie that signaled the western wasn’t dead after all.

It was alive and well and living in a small town called “Silverado”.

I tripped over “Silverado” on an ‘80s movie channel last night and it got me again. With about an hour left in the movie, I just couldn’t stop watching it.

Just like the first time I saw it back in the 1980s.

The cast
Looking at it now, the cast was just filled with great actors. Some, such as Danny Glover, Kevin Costner and even Kevin Kline were early in their careers. Others, such as Brian Dennehy, Jeff Goldblum and Scott Glenn were more established.

Together, they weaved together several plot lines that layered the story in “Silverado”.

The movie
I will never forget the opening scene were Paden, played by Kevin Kline, is lying in the desert, in his long underwear. There he is discovered by Emmet, played by Scott Glenn. Interestingly, we hear very few of the full names of the characters.

We soon discover Paden was robbed of everything – his horse, his hat, his very clothes. He spends the first part of the movie trying to recover all those things. Emmet is on his way to Turley to accompany some settlers to the frontier town of Silverado. Emmet helps Paden get some clothes, and a gun. I will never forget that temporary hat. The brim just kept flipping straight up, no matter how hard Paden tried to straighten it.

Soon, Paden sees his horse, and his hat, and reclaims them. The law shows up and asks if Paden has any proof the horse belongs to him.

He utters the famous line: “Can’t you see this horse loves me?”

Then he tells the lawman to flip over the saddle because his name is scratched in it. Sure enough there it is – “Paden”.

The story goes from there.

Paden reunites with an old associate named Cobb, played by Brian Dennehy, who turns out to be the villain of the story. Emmet meets up with his brother Jake, played by a very young Kevin Costner. They also meet Mal, played by Danny Glover, who deals with rustlers who run Mal’s dad off his place.

Ultimately, Paden has to choose sides, and teams with Emmet, Jake and Mal to battle the bad guys.

Parting thoughts
“Silverado” had all the hallmarks of a great western. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking, showing us just how desolate the frontier was. The panoramic views are accentuated by this booming soundtrack that screams out epic.

The story has all the great characters too. There is Emmet, the brooding hero, just released from prison, not only seeking a new life but helping others do that too, while keeping his impulsive brother out of trouble. There is Paden, a good man, torn between doing what is right and what is profitable. In the end, he not only chooses what is right, but has the character to become the ultimate symbol of justice – the new sheriff of Silverado. And there is Mal, who just wants what is rightfully his and, when his father is killed and his sister injured, to get some revenge.

“Silverado” remains one of my favourite movies of all time, because I see something different every single time that I watch it.

And, at a time when it looked like a dying genre, showed the western is alive and well.