This was a popular movie back in the day, so it surprises me a little to see only a little over a hundred reviews for it here as I write this. It was a way to revive interest in the show and the character from a leading TV Western of the late Fifties/early Sixties, featuring James Garner as a traveling gambler in the Old West. Garner is back in this picture as one of the principal characters, but it's not until late in the story that a twist reveals his real identity, which for fans of the television program was likely to be expected. The movie is done in a mostly humorous vein, with Mel Gibson doing the honors as the 'new' Maverick, and Jodie Foster appearing as Annabelle Bransford, proving to be a constant foil for our hero. My favorite scene had to do with Maverick negotiating for peace with the 'hostile' Indian tribe led by Chief Joseph (Graham Greene), with Joseph later duping a Russian Archduke (Paul L. Smith) to help his friend get some needed cash for entry into the All Rivers Draw Poker Championship, hosted by river boat captain Commodore Duvall (James Coburn). For movie insiders, there's also a very cool cameo by bank robber Danny Glover in which he trades double takes with Gibson trying to figure out how they might know each other. Fortunately, neither man had to resort to lethal weapons. Over all, this is a fun and entertaining movie that can be enjoyed by viewers who might not have the slightest interest in Westerns. And for fans of the original series, if you think about it, when it's finally revealed who former lawman Zane Copper really is, you might wonder why the movie's title wasn't "Maverick, Jr."
Review of Maverick
