Maverick

Rating:
Summary: Good film. Good Fun.
Review: Now don't get me wrong, the movie was great. Good acting by all and great casting. The cast always appears to be genuinely having fun throughout the movie. The script was the backbone of the movie and made this one of the best comedy / westerns ever.

However, the DVD real stinks. There are no extras except for a few production notes which are all written. I expected a lot more from such a wonderful movie.

The 2 stars are for the DVD not the movie.

Rating:
Summary: The movie rocks but the DVD [doesn't]!!
Review: Now don't get me wrong, the movie was great. Good acting by all and great casting. The cast always appears to be genuinely having fun throughout the movie. The script was the backbone of the movie and made this one of the best comedy / westerns ever.

However, the DVD real stinks. There are no extras except for a few production notes which are all written. I expected a lot more from such a wonderful movie.

The 2 stars are for the DVD not the movie.

Rating:
Summary: Another widescreen review
Review: PICTURE QUALITY = 4-SOUND QUALITY = 5+The overall picture quality is pleasant and satisfying. Color is nice but pxilazation is very present in the begining of movie. Improves as movie goes on. This being a very senic movie I was not completly happy but still satisfied. Could've been a bit sharper and remastered from high definition but wasnt.The sound quality in Dolby was awesome. Not in Dolby Digital but on a system with Pro Logic II it souded great if not better than most non-digital dolby surround. All surround sounds are present and really stood out. The soundtrack is placed perfectly and surrounds the room. Very happpy with this DVD sound quality.THE MOVIE - *note spolier. The movie was excellent in all entertainment areas if your looking for a FUN Western movie. Comedy, action, stunts, scenery, and many great actors. Everything you would want in a "fun" western film in the old fashioned tradition. Light on violence and good enough for the whole family.*Spoiler - The best (and my favorite) thing about this movie is the fact that James Garner still plays as Maverick even though the audience doesn't know it. Watching it over and knowing that Mel Gibson is playing his role as "the son of Maverick" and James Garner is still the orginal character he played in the past makes this a great movie to watch over and over.My overall review is that it is worth buying and I'd give it 5 stars if the picture was just a touch better. Don't be fooled though, I have a large projection widescreen tv with a progressive component DVD player so I see almost any grain there is if any is present. Overall this DVD was satisfying enough to make me happy I bought it. On any other tv it will display a perfect picture. Sound quality is great on a home theatre sound system.This is a movie that should be made on a Superbit DVD.

Rating:
Summary: The Western will never be the same.
Review: Richard Donner's tribute to the Maverick TV show with Mel Gibson, James Garner, and Jodie Foster all giving hilarious performances. Look for various actors who appeared in many Western TV shows and movies, appearing at the big poker game near the film's climax.

Rating:
Summary: Mel the comedian
Review: Sure everyone knows the Lethal Weapon series, but after doing Braveheart and Ransom, most people forgot that Mel Gibson has done comedies. Not only has he done comedies he is good at them. Somehow the same charisma that helps him play William Wallace also translates into creating a likeable character like Bret Maverick. The surprise in this film is Jodie Foster. She too is able to charm the audience into liking her character Annabelle, even though she is at odds with Bret for most of the film.

Richard Donner's direction once again successfully combines comedy with action at the appropriate moments. For the most part the photography is nothing special, but the timing is priceless. With just enough suspense, coincidences, and surprises the film will keep you interested even while it makes you laugh out loud. Watch for Graham Greene's absolutely hilarious performance along with a well played Danny Glover cameo.

Rating:
Summary: The Art of The Con Was Never Quite This Funny
Review: The cast of "Maverick" was entirely well-suited for this comedy. A viewer can sense how much everyone enjoyed working together. It was especially fun watching the three leads outfox each other as well as outsiders. The banter between the characters was appropriately fast-paced. Danny Glover had an interesting cameo as a bank robber who fails to recognize the fellow with whom he starred in the "Lethal Weapon" series. Graham Greene provided an interesting twist as Maverick's Native American partner who is forced to play up to a Russian Archduke in order to make ends meet.
But the climax was the poker game, watched over closely by James Garner and James Coburn where a few familiar faces from other Richard Donner movies make appearances and Maverick learns how good a card sharp he really is. Jodie Foster's sweet Southern Belle is obviously a fraud, but that's part of what made watching her con the title character so much fun. Obviously, the raunchy looking cowboys who attempt to leave Maverick for dead look as they do in order to compliment Gibson's attractiveness.
In conclusion, Donner has given us a slick, masterful, action-filled, comedy that leaves the audience wanting more.

Rating:
Summary: Pleasant rip-off of Terence Hill western satires
Review: The main thing I want to point out in my review is that Mel Gibson is here imitating the Terence Hill character from They Call Me Trinity, Trinity Is Still My Name, and a number of other films. Some of the gags are exactly the same as in these earlier films. I would advise interested parties to check out these other films (do a search under actor Terence Hill) and they will find many more laughs than are present in Maverick.

Rating:
Summary: Funny movie, disappointing end...
Review: The opening line of "Maverick" is sure to be one quoted in Movie Trivia games worldwide. I thought the movie was, mostly, outrageously funny, full of wit and on the whole a very entertaining movie. I was disappointed, and at first befuddled, by the constant double-crossing, right up to the last bath scene. One was reminded of the old movie "The Sting". And the ending was disappointing, almost leaving a call for a Maverick II. But so far, no results. Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster are great actors (remember Ransom and Silence of the Lambs?) and together made this a very entertaining movie - for most of the time. My opinion - almost there, but not there yet - 4 stars...

Rating:
Summary: Good Solid Western Fun
Review: This is a great film. retaining the character of the original television series, perhaps James Garner's second best known role after Jim Rockford. My concern that Garner had been replaced by Mel Gibson and been relegated to a mere cameo was misplaced, as by the end of the film I realised that his role was just as important. The television series from the 1950s to 1980s showed us Bret, Brent, Beau and a number of other Mavericks, but it is Garner's original which really works best. Garner has a knack of portraying a loveable rogue and even here, in his late sixties he still possesses a handsome charm.

But my praise of Garner doesn't mean Gibson wasn't up to the job. He is well cast, bringing a macho charm to the role and appealing to the ladies in exactly the same way as Garner. There are some good satirical scenes with the American Indians and some nice set pieces on the paddle steamer (the costumes are beautiful). Jodie Foster too acquits herself well and for one manages to rid herself of that annoying accent.

The story centres on Maverick's plot to attend a huge poker tournament on a riverboat and get away with all the takings. Along the way he meets challenges from Garner's character and Foster's character and a wonderful James Coburn as the Steamer's unscrupulous captain.

This film is funny and made with a great deal of care. one of the great western movies of the 1990s.

Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY A DELIGHT!
Review: This is one of the greatest westerns I've ever seen. Mel Gibson proves that he can pull off playing an actor who doesn't fight every twenty or so minutes (he tried with HAMLET, but that didn't work out well at all). Jodie Foster is brilliant and sexy as Annabelle, and James Garner is also funny. One of the things that I found interesting is that Country music singers pop up in unexpected places. Clint Black plays one of the card players found cheating, and thrown off the boat. Waylon Jennings plays one that illeagly carries a gun with him (Kathy Mattea plays his wife in the scene). Also making appearences are Tracy Lawerence, Radney Foster, and Vince Gill and his ex-wife. If you like entertainment, westerns, or just good clean fun, then you need to see this film from the director of the LETHAL WEAPON films and CONSPIRACY THEORY. Also look for Danny Glover in a surprise appearence. YEEEEHAAAWWW! Grade: A+