Silverado (1985)

Silverado is a 1985 American Western film produced and directed by Lawrence Kasdan, written by Kasdan and his brother Mark. It stars Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover and Kevin Costner. The supporting cast features Brian Dennehy, Rosanna Arquette, John Cleese, Jeff Goldblum and Linda Hunt.

The film was produced by Columbia Pictures and Delphi III Productions, and distributed to theatres by Columbia, and by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment for home media. The original soundtrack, with a score composed by Bruce Broughton, was released by Geffen Records. On November 12, 2005, an expanded two-disc version of the score was released by the Intrada Records label.

Silverado premiered in the United States on July 10, 1985. Through an 11-week run, the film was shown at 1,190 theaters at its widest release, and grossed $32,192,570 at the box office. Generally met with positive critical reviews, it was nominated for Best Sound and Best Original Score at the 58th Academy Awards.

A man named Emmett is ambushed by three assailants while he sleeps in an isolated shack, but kills them all in a brief gunfight. On a journey toward Silverado, he detours to Turley to meet his brother, Jake. Along the way, Emmett finds a man, Paden, lying in the desert, having been robbed and left to die. Paden chooses to travel with Emmett.

Arriving in Turley, Emmett and Paden meet Mal, another cowboy that gets run out of town by Sheriff John Langston. They find out that Jake is locked up and awaiting hanging for killing a man (in self-defense). Paden is later thrown in the same cell after he encounters and kills one of the men who robbed him. They escape the cell and, with Emmett, outrun Langston's posse with Mal's assistance. Mal is also headed for Silverado and joins the group.

They help a wagon train of settlers recover stolen money from thieves and then lead them to Silverado where the four men part ways. Emmett and Jake visit their sister, whose husband, the land agent for the area, informs them that rancher Ethan McKendrick is attempting to maintain the open range, which he will dominate with his enormous herds of cattle, by driving all lawful claimants off the land. Emmett had been imprisoned for killing McKendrick's father years earlier and learns that McKendrick hired the men who attempted to kill him at the shack after his release.

Mal finds his father Ezra left destitute after his home had been burned down and his land overrun by cattle. Mal's sister, Rae has gone off on her own, taking up with Calvin "Slick" Stanhope, a shifty gambler in league with Silverado's ruthless sheriff, Cobb.

Cobb, an old acquaintance of Paden's, is on McKendrick's payroll, and arranges for Paden to supervise the gambling in a saloon owned by Cobb and managed by Stella, an honest woman who despises Cobb and welcomes Paden's presence. Cobb, however, threatens Stella to prevent Paden from involving himself in McKendrick's dealings.

McKendrick's men murder Ezra, burn the land office, and kidnap Emmett's young nephew Augie. Stella knows about the threat on her life, telling Paden that she won't be the cause of suffering and asks him to assist Mal, Emmett, and Jake in setting things right. They stampede McKendrick's cattle to provide cover for a raid on his ranch, in which most of the bandits are killed and Augie is rescued. McKendrick escapes to Silverado.

The four men return to town to end the corruption. Jake is hunted by Tyree, Cobb's right hand, but Jake outsmarts and shoots him dead. Mal rescues Rae from Slick and stabs him fatally with his own knife. Emmett and McKendrick battle on horseback; Emmett drops his gun but successfully guides his horse to kick McKendrick in the head, killing him, by jumping off a ramp. Paden faces off with Cobb in a showdown in the street, and is quicker to the draw.

After saying their goodbyes, Emmett and Jake are accompanied to the edge of town to say good-bye to their sister and her family before departing for California, their long-stated goal. Mal and his sister reunite and decide to rebuild their family's homestead. Meanwhile, Paden has found a calling as the new sheriff of Silverado.