Guilty Pleasure: Maverick

Maverick (1994)

"I'm too old for this &%$#!" Bank Robber (Danny Glover)

This is one of those rare movies that is better than it should be. I've watched my copy a dozen times and still get a big kick out of it and everybody I've showed it to or has watched it on my recommendation has made a point of letting me know they enjoyed it, too.

Now I don't have to tell any of you who have known me for a while that I generally view these Hollywood remakes of television shows, cartoons, comic books, and so on with a very jaundiced eye. I've seen the remakes of Popeye, Batman, The Beverly Hillbillies, and the Flintstones and only felt minor warm fuzzies and really couldn't understand why the studio went to the trouble, but in the case of Maverick, I have to give it to them, they made a winner! The movie runs a shade over two hours and has just the right mix of action and comedy to keep you off balance and not knowing exactly what to expect next.

Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon) directed what amounts to a mild spoof of the old TV series that starred James Garner (Bret) and Jack Kelly (Bart) as the brothers Maverick, gamblers in the old wild west.

This updated version stars Mel Gibson, apparently as brother Bret, but brother Bart is nowhere to be seen. Instead, we join Bret (Gibson) alone at the mercy of a gang of thugs who have him hogtied atop his trusty horse with a noose connecting his neck to a tree limb. From a voiceover from Mel we proceed to a flashback that shows us how Maverick got into that precarious position. And, by the way, watch out for the rattlesnake right over there! No, behind you!

Gibson, we learn, is heading for what is, for lack of a better term, "the World Series of Poker" and needs to come by an extra $5,000 to make his entry fee. On the way he has many adventures and that is the subject of the story. Somebody is trying to keep Maverick from getting to the big game, but who? There are many twists and turns and the final outcome is hard to predict as it so well played out by all and sundry.

Maverick, of course, is Mel Gibson - his main support is provided by fellow gambler Jodie Foster, who plays a disarmingly charming yet deadly wench like Rhonda Fleming used to do. On the other side we have veteran James Garner, the original Maverick from the TV series. Garner is Marshall Zane Cooper, who guards the $500,000 in entry fees. Alfred Molina plays a tough hombre who seems to be stalking Maverick.

The supporting cast is almost a who's who of old western movie stars like James Coburn, Denver Pyle, William Smith, Doug McClure, and Dub Taylor. You'll doubtless spot more familiar faces as even Mel's "Lethal Weapon" partner Danny Glover gets into the act in a laugh out loud moment. Superior kudos must go to Graham Green, who plays a Plains Indian who is a scamming partner of Maverick's. Their antics alone are worth the price of admission.

The Warner Bros DVD is presented in color, in 2.35:1 theatrical format, and runs a mite longish 127 minutes. Still, watching the movie it’s hard to see where it could be cut down without harming the picture. There are no extras other than subtitles, language choices, and the theatrical trailer.

When you feel like you need a laugh, Maverick is a movie that will always come through. Good for the whole family.