64
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThis movie is more sophisticated and complicated than the Westerns of my childhood, and it is certainly better looking and better acted.
- 80The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinSilverado is sufficiently modern to make its landscapes bigger, its people smaller and its moral polarities less powerfully distinct than those of simpler, more starkly beautiful westerns gone by.
- 80VarietyVarietyRather than relying on legendary heroes of Westerns past, writer-director Lawrence Kasdan with his brother Mark have used their special talent to create a slew of human scale characters against a dramatic backdrop borrowing from all the conventions of the genre.
- 80EmpireEmpireEngrossing western which inspired a huge genre revivial.
- 63Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittIt's best when the carefully chosen cast throws itself into developing characters and building their relationships. When pure storytelling takes over after an hour or so, the picture becomes less original and engaging.
- 63TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineBetween the gratuitous climaxes that seem to occur every 10 minutes, Kasdan parades a myriad of stereotypes before us and never develops them. In fact, he never really explores any of his characters but only provides them with enough motivation to justify the slaughter of dozens of people.
- 63Boston GlobeJay CarrBoston GlobeJay CarrSilverado plays like a big-budget regurgitation of old Westerns. Whatkeeps it going is the generosity that flows between Kasdan and his actors. It's got benevolent energies, but not the more primal kind needed to renew the standard Western images and archetypes. [10 Jul 1985, p.26]
- 63Chicago TribuneGene SiskelChicago TribuneGene SiskelSilverado is a completely successful physical attempt at reviving the western, but its script would need a complete rewrite for it to become more than just a small step in a full-scale western revival. [10 Jul 1985, p.5]
- 60TimeRichard CorlissTimeRichard CorlissAgreeable but never compelling, Silverado proves it takes more than love of the western to make a good one. Maybe the dudes at K-Tell were a mite too slick for the job.
- 60Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrThis 1985 western does a decent job of developing some dry 80s humor without completely undermining the genre, yet Kasdan's considerable skills as a plot carpenter seem to desert him as soon as the story moves to the town of the title--the action turns choppy, confused, and arbitrary.