The movie Silverado. As noted, it made my list of top ten favorite westerns (favorite, not necessarily the best). Silverado is a wicked fun movie and a throwback to the Westerns of old. I even mentioned it as a guilty pleasure, but it is not. I re-watched it recently and I have to say, in terms of pacing, it is hard to beat.
The opening scene of Emmett fighting off some desperadoes who were looking to bushwhack him while he was sleeping is all kinds of awesome. It then spreads out to the majestic scenery of the American West.
Did I mention this happens in the first five minutes of the movie?
From there we quickly meet the second protagonist, Paden, left for dead in the desert. From there it is a quick job picking up his brother Jake (played by Kevin Costner) and almost at the same time meeting Mal (played by Danny Glover). So within the first 20 minutes or so, we have all four main characters together.
One of the great things this movie does is give a sense of background very quickly for each of the protagonists. It is a bit clichéd, sure, but in each case it serves the movie well. Remember, Silverado is about quick action and keeping the momentum going throughout.
Before they even make it to Silverado, Paden and Emmett encounter Paden’s former trail friend Cobb and his unsavory henchmen, including Tyree. This introduces the running joke of “Where’s the dog?” This is of course preceded by a great gunfight with Paden in his underclothes.
Lawrence Kasdan also does a good job handling the racism of the Old West with Mal’s character, particularly in the bar fight in Turley. It is difficult to do in today’s political climate, but it is handled well, even with the subtle implications from Sheriff Langston when he runs Mal out of town.
A side track to recover a stolen money box from some wagon train eventually results in the four reaching Silverado. There Paden finds Stella at the Midnight Star saloon, meeting Cobb, who reveals himself as the town sheriff shortly thereafter.
The events in the middle section start the buildup to the finale, but are not without tension or deaths. Mal’s father is killed, Emmett’s nephew is kidnapped, and Emmett is nearly killed by the vicious Tyree. At no time does it feel forced as it jumps from scene to scene, with Jake getting into it with Tyree and Mal and Slick arguing over Mal’s sister.
Events come to a head with the kidnapping of Jake and Emmett’s nephew and McKendrick burning down their sister’s house.
I cannot say it enough: the movie is a whirlwind, with each scene having something to it. One area that lacks somewhat is the usual Western romance. Apparently it was part of the movie and we see snippets of it from the interactions of Paden, Emmett, and Hannah. The problem was that during editing they had to cut something from the various subplots. Because of that, the only thing that seems disjointed is those scenes, as the full story is not there.
In the end the final showdown is great as each of the protagonists guns down his own personal foe: Emmett killing McKendrick, Mal taking out Slick, Jake taking out two bad guys simultaneously (one being Tyree), and finally a high noon showdown with Paden getting the drop on Cobb.
The film ends with a toast in the Midnight Star, which Stella now runs on her own, for the brothers as they head to California. As Emmett and Paden exchange goodbyes, Emmett remarks that Paden will make a farmer yet, to which Paden grins and says “I’ve got a job” as he slowly pulls back his coat, revealing the sheriff’s star of the town of Silverado.
I would also be remiss if I did not point out the ensemble cast, its loaded with stars: Kevin Cline as Paden, Scott Glenn as Emmett; Kevin Costner as Jake, Danny Glover as Mal, John Cleese, Rosanna Arquette, Brian Dennehy, Linda Hunt, Jeff Fahey, Joe Seneca and Jeff Goldblum to name but a few of the actors in the movie. There are a number of other actors you'll probably recognize.
The scenery is great and the town feels very realistic. The filmmakers did an ingenious thing by simply filming it from different angles during shooting to represent different towns as needed. Shot in New Mexico, it is obviously the right climate and locale for the film.
Since critics give out stars, this gets 4.5 out of 5 from me. For a Western there are very few that are better in terms of pure action. Sure, some are legendary like Searchers or Once upon a Time in the West, but Silverado is a fun movie any way you slice it. It is PG-13 as the level of violence is up there, but no worse than the revisionist Westerns of the 1970s.
How does this apply to RPGs?
If you are playing your favorite Western system (Deadlands, Boot Hill, Western City, or whatever), modeling even a portion of your campaign on Silverado will give you a great game. Right from the beginning there is a rise in tension, setups galore for later payoffs, and reasons to care about the heroes (and wrongs for them to right). If one were using the default city and area in Boot Hill (Promise City and its environs), it would work extremely well.
Think about it: recovering loot, vengeance, stampedes, gunfights, shootouts, swearing, tension, whiskey, bar fights, hangings (almost), gambling, backstabbing, the cavalry making an appearance (not in the usual clichéd way) — you name it. The only thing missing is some stagecoach or locomotive fight scenes. In fact, my own game Hurled into Eternity would be a great way to recreate the Old West! (Plug, plug.) Speaking of which, I am gearing up to add some changes to the way combat works to make it a bit more survivable and it should be up soon.
All in all, a great movie, saddle up!
