Silverado
What?
Mocking the typical cookie cutter genre film, Silverado, like almost any other Western, is about a gang of unruly makeshift friends who take advantage of the anarchy that is the Wild West. This surefire filmic template has been proven successful time and again. Remember The Magnificent Seven, Lonesome Dove, The Wild Bunch, Young Guns, or any archetypal Western? Take a band of ragtag sharpshooters with nothing left to lose and everything in the world to gain then stick them against a corrupt society and a group of evil robber barrens. Much of this narrative arch is structured through character and plot development. What better way to expound on this than to hire a world-renowned cast which includes the likes of Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, Kevin Klien, and Scott Glenn? Not to mention a supporting cast consisting of John Cleese, Jeff Goldblum, Linda Hunt, Brian Dennehy, and Rosanna Arquette. What does all this add up to? Well, Silverado is a Western that’s been able to fly under the radar of genre fans as well as the mainline moviegoers.
While this sagebrush chronicle features a rather complex storyline centering on numerous characters and their respective subplots, the larger framework is an easy to swallow story that’s just as good if not better than the litany of Western movies out there. Occasionally fragmented although purely enjoyable, Silverado has earned its place as one of my all-time treasured Westerns.
Optics:
In my opinion, Westerns are the most visually adept films and benefit drastically from a Blu-ray transfer. Perhaps it’s the gorgeous scenic landscapes, lofty snow capped mountain ranges, or the apparent endless blue skies. These aesthetically pronounced visuals are more than capable of translating into the high-definition format with heavenly results. Such is the case with Silverado. A vigorously healthy picture brings the Western frontier straight into your home theater. I was really quite shocked at how slick Silverado’s image is in 1080p. Gooey color saturation, inky blacks, as well as detailed facial textures and tones equate to a film-like image that even the speckles of debris enhance. With only a thin layer of grain and no barefaced abnormalities, Silverado’s picture quality is clear and luxuriant.
Sonics:
Silverado wastes no time in getting the heady action started. Before the opening credits even begin rolling this disc takes dominate audio control with an atmospheric soundfield, thumping bass, and a soaring musical score. Systematically touching on every Western cornerstone from serious shootouts to horse chases, this Blu-ray release of Silverado comes to the table packing some severe heat. The lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track accommodates every aspect the motion picture itself has to offer. I failed to detect any real detracting audio issues on this disc. Silverado’s crisp soundstage, dynamic field, along with the hard-hitting bass all comes together stupendously.
Extras:
Everything was going so very well until it was time to view the sparse bonus features. Saying what’s here is better than nothing does little to ease my hunger for more extras. A historians’ audio commentary, an interview with Kevin Costner, BD-Live, and a decent making of documentary add little to overall viewing time though contribute slightly to the feature film.
Well?
As far as Westerns are concerned, Silverado fits nicely among, shall we say, more established films of the genus. Following the high marks in picture and audio quality, it goes without saying how pleasantly surprised I was to find equally elevated aforementioned proficiencies. Silverado has fully established its impervious tenacity as a valuable Western with bold BD technical specifications. Give this disc a try!
Grant Iwan
Mocking the typical cookie cutter genre film, Silverado, like almost any other Western, is about a gang of unruly makeshift friends who take advantage of the anarchy that is the Wild West. This surefire filmic template has been proven successful time and again. Remember The Magnificent Seven, Lonesome Dove, The Wild Bunch, Young Guns, or any archetypal Western? Take a band of ragtag sharpshooters with nothing left to lose and everything in the world to gain then stick them against a corrupt society and a group of evil robber barrens. Much of this narrative arch is structured through character and plot development. What better way to expound on this than to hire a world-renowned cast which includes the likes of Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, Kevin Klien, and Scott Glenn? Not to mention a supporting cast consisting of John Cleese, Jeff Goldblum, Linda Hunt, Brian Dennehy, and Rosanna Arquette. What does all this add up to? Well, Silverado is a Western that’s been able to fly under the radar of genre fans as well as the mainline moviegoers.
While this sagebrush chronicle features a rather complex storyline centering on numerous characters and their respective subplots, the larger framework is an easy to swallow story that’s just as good if not better than the litany of Western movies out there. Occasionally fragmented although purely enjoyable, Silverado has earned its place as one of my all-time treasured Westerns.
Optics:
In my opinion, Westerns are the most visually adept films and benefit drastically from a Blu-ray transfer. Perhaps it’s the gorgeous scenic landscapes, lofty snow capped mountain ranges, or the apparent endless blue skies. These aesthetically pronounced visuals are more than capable of translating into the high-definition format with heavenly results. Such is the case with Silverado. A vigorously healthy picture brings the Western frontier straight into your home theater. I was really quite shocked at how slick Silverado’s image is in 1080p. Gooey color saturation, inky blacks, as well as detailed facial textures and tones equate to a film-like image that even the speckles of debris enhance. With only a thin layer of grain and no barefaced abnormalities, Silverado’s picture quality is clear and luxuriant.
Sonics:
Silverado wastes no time in getting the heady action started. Before the opening credits even begin rolling this disc takes dominate audio control with an atmospheric soundfield, thumping bass, and a soaring musical score. Systematically touching on every Western cornerstone from serious shootouts to horse chases, this Blu-ray release of Silverado comes to the table packing some severe heat. The lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track accommodates every aspect the motion picture itself has to offer. I failed to detect any real detracting audio issues on this disc. Silverado’s crisp soundstage, dynamic field, along with the hard-hitting bass all comes together stupendously.
Extras:
Everything was going so very well until it was time to view the sparse bonus features. Saying what’s here is better than nothing does little to ease my hunger for more extras. A historians’ audio commentary, an interview with Kevin Costner, BD-Live, and a decent making of documentary add little to overall viewing time though contribute slightly to the feature film.
Well?
As far as Westerns are concerned, Silverado fits nicely among, shall we say, more established films of the genus. Following the high marks in picture and audio quality, it goes without saying how pleasantly surprised I was to find equally elevated aforementioned proficiencies. Silverado has fully established its impervious tenacity as a valuable Western with bold BD technical specifications. Give this disc a try!
Grant Iwan
Director:
Lawrence Kasdan
Starring:
Kevin Kline
Scott Glenn
Kevin Costner
Danny Glover
John Cleese
Brian Dennehy
Best line:
"That’s the good stuff."
Tagline:
"Get ready for the ride of your life!"
Description:
Sony Pictures
UK
Region free
Rated PG
2Hrs 12 Mins
2.35:1
MPEG-4 AVC/50GB
Dolby TrueHD 5.1
(English, French, German)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hindi, Norwegian, Swedish, Turkish
Western Historians audio commentary
'A Return to Silverado with Kevin Costner'
'The Making of Silverado'
BD-Live
Ratings: (Out of 10)
Film 8.0
Optics 9.0
Sonics 9.0
Extras 5.0
Overall 8.0
