Maverick (1994)

Director:

Richard Donner

Writers (WGA):

Roy Huggins (television series Maverick)
William Goldman (written by)

Release Date:

20 May 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Western

Tagline:

The greatest gambler in the West has finally met his match.

Plot:

Bret Maverick, needing money for a poker tournament, faces various comic mishaps and challenges, including a charming woman thief.

Plot Keywords:

Poker | Card | Riverboat | Russian | Gambling

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	Bret Maverick
Jodie Foster	...	Annabelle Bransford
James Garner	...	Marshal Zane Cooper
Graham Greene	...	Joseph
Alfred Molina	...	Angel
James Coburn	...	Commodore Duvall
Dub Taylor	...	Room Clerk
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Matthew Wicker / Eugene, Banker
Paul L. Smith	...	The Archduke
Dan Hedaya	...	Twitchy, Riverboat Poker Player
Dennis Fimple	...	Stuttering
Denver Pyle	...	Old Gambler on Riverboat
Clint Black	...	Sweet-Faced Gambler
Max Perlich	...	Johnny Hardin
Art LaFleur	...	Poker Player (as Art La Fleur)

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild sensuality, language and some western action.

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:L | Australia:M (TV rating) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-10 | Germany:12 | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Beacon Rock, Columbia River Gorge, Washington, USA

Company:

Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions

Trivia:

The initials of the stagecoach line in the movie are "GMC" which continued the use of GMC trucks in the Richard Donner/Mel Gibson Lethal Weapon series. GMC trucks have been driven by Gibson's character in every Lethal Weapon movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: Just before the campfire shootout, Maverick tells Annabelle and Coop that he only has six bullets, but during the scene he fires fourteen without reloading.

Quotes:

Annabelle: How'd you know I was bluffing? I didn't do any of my tells. I didn't shuffle my cards, I didn't pull my hair, I didn't even flick my teeth.
Maverick: You held your breath. If you'd been excited, you would have started breathing harder.
Annabelle: I did not.
[Looks at the Commodore]
Annabelle: Did I?
[Commodore nods]
Annabelle: [Annabelle looks at Angel] Did I?
[Angel nods]
Annabelle: [Annabelle looks at the dealer] Did I?
[the dealer nods]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Amy Grant: Building the House of Love (1994) (V)

Soundtrack:

Ride Gambler Ride

Lots of fun

Always thought this was great. Makes me laugh no end. When he lets himself go, Mel Gibson is funny, and this pastiche of an almost forgotten TV cowboy show - complete with its original star cast in the main supporting role - is comedy gold. Better yet, this is Jodie Foster's only real brush with the comedy genre and she proves so adept at it that you can't help feeling this route would have been better than Nell and Anna And The King. The ending piles twist upon twist, and it's one of those movies where everyone involved is clearly having such a great time that you do too.