Directed by: Richard Donner
Stars: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Alfred Molina, James Garner, Graham Greene, James Coburn
Bret Maverick (Gibson) is on his way to a poker tournament but still needs $3,000 for the entry fee. On his way he gets into comic mishaps and misadventures, among which are an untrustworthy Southern belle Annabelle (Foster) and a lawman, Coop (Garner).
When I watched this I wasn’t actually aware that it was a remake of a tv show, so I’m not going to be judging it on how it lives up to the series or how it compares. I liked Maverick quite a bit. I thought Gibson brought the right amount of earnest charm mixed with a hint of danger, and the interactions between him, Annabelle and Coop were humourous.
It’s not a riotous comedy, but the jokes aren’t front and center so it doesn’t have to rely on them. It has a strong plot driving it and the situations are amusing, so it’s an entertaining romp in the West. It plays with a few tropes of the genre here and there and there’s a funny in-joke for fans of the Lethal Weapon series.
I do think that there were a couple of unnecessary twists towards the end, but overall I enjoyed it quite a bit and I’d recommend it. It’s paced well and there’s actually quite a bit of tension throughout the film, especially when the poker tournament begins. A solid, entertaining effort here.
