“Yeah, I know. You know the next time you people come and drive us off our land I’m gonna find a nice piece of swamp that’s so God-awful, maybe then you’ll leave us the hell alone.” – Joseph
Number of Times Seen – at least 5 times (Theater in ’94, cable, 3 Aug 2000 and 10 May 2018)
Brief Synopsis – A gambler in the Old West must get a hold of 3000 dollars in order to take part in a poker championship tournament.
My Take on it – This is a really fun film which largely has to do with the tone of it all.
The cast is great with Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner all giving solid performances in roles which they all seem very comfortable playing.
This was directed by Richard Donner and he manages to make the story and its atmosphere feel very Lethal Weapon-esque in numerous aspects. which helps keep thing “light”, funny and entertaining.
This film is filled with lots and lots of cameos by people you might not expect to find in a story like this and they all work quite well.
The best of them is the one with Danny Glover which is hilarious.
The idea to look at the Old West from this kind of perspective works quite well and manages to keep thing enjoyable and refreshing the whole time.
Bottom Line – Really fun Western that gets the tone just right. The cast led by Gibson is great and they seem to have really enjoyed making this story come to life. Donner is able to make this film feel very Lethal Weapon-esque which helps keep thing entertaining the entire time. Loved the long list of cameos throughout and Glover’s is the very best of the lot. The way that this film treats the West and all we know about that time keeps things refreshing and enjoyable. Recommended!
MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Jodie Foster’s character’s gracelessness in the film stems from the first scene she shot, when she waited for Mel Gibson to help her down from the stagecoach. Instead, he took her parasol and walked away. She tried to get down alone, and flopped to the ground. Director Richard Donner liked it so much that he kept the shot in the film, and staged more scenes of Foster stumbling, being dumped through windows, etc. (From IMDB)
Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)
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