Silverado

This post is part of a series on Perfect Films, please read the original post if you wonder what I mean by "perfect".

Today we visit the perfect western. Silverado. OK, there are probably many perfect westerns, because so many of them were made, they had to get it right a time or two. When I first thought of the list of perfect movies, this was one of the few which instantly popped into my head.

It starts with the west itself as a character, and then you slowly meet the various people that you are going to be riding with. Even with all our years of iconization of the old west, each character you meet seems to be a newer even purer distillation of someone familiar. By the time the whole gang is together, you are ready to ride with this gang from here til past the sunset.

It has great actors. It has a a huge classic sounding score which, as I write this, is playing in my head. It has humor, superhero good guys, evil schemeing bad guys, gunfights, gambling, justice, revenge, and not a single kiss to mess all it all up.

It has one strange note, there is this not quite perfect sub plot with the farmers who have come to Silverado and the beautiful widow. Normally that one not perfect thread would cast this movie out of the perfect category. However the rest of the movie is extra perfect, so this one gets on the perfection list, even with a small blemish. Eveyone who made this movie, there is a place for you at my fire anytime.

Update: My friend David also has this movie on his list, and he has a great comment about the sub plot, a nice viewing which I was not clever enough to catch: I would argue that the sub-plot with the widow is what makes the film perfect, as awkward as that part of the movie is. It humanizes three otherwise superhuman characters as they each try to relate to her in their own way--as sexual object, as a romantic connection, or as a victim--and all come away baffled by the fact that she just wants someone to share the work.

Comments

[Michael La Guardia]

Liking the series! I remember seeing this one twice in the theater when I was a kid and loving it. I don't think I've seen "That Thing You Do", but I will be soon!

[David Leftwich]

I hoped Silverado would be on your list! It's the first movie I purchased on both DVD and BluRay because it looks and sounds so good, but it gets re-watched constantly for the characters and dialog. I would argue that the sub-plot with the widow is what makes the film perfect, as awkward as that part of the movie is. It humanizes three otherwise superhuman characters as they each try to relate to her in their own way--as sexual object, as a romantic connection, or as a victim--and all come away baffled by the fact that she just wants someone to share the work.