7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Ante up - for laughter and action aplenty! Mel Gibson is sly gambler Bret Maverick, Jodie Foster is a charming scam artist and James Garner is a laid-back lawman in this crowd-pleaser that deals you a winning hand. A riverboat poker tourney promises a winner-take-all $500,000 - and Bret aims to be the winner who does the taking! But first he must cope with the hangman's noose, a runaway stage, a wily Indian chief, outlaws, ingrates, rattlesnakes and more close calls than a long-tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs. Under the wily direction of Richard Donner, these jokers are wild!
Starring: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner, Graham Greene, Alfred MolinaWestern | 100% |
Period | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
Portuguese: Dolby Digital Mono
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
I bet it all on a good run of bad luck.
Who could have imagined that Poker, a game of equal parts intellectual skill, psychology, and pure luck could have over the past decade or so
become
such a worldwide phenomenon? It's a sport where men and women of all shapes and sizes, of all backgrounds, races, religions, and lifestyles gather
around a table for one of the most heart-stopping, fist-pumping, wildly-amazing spectacles the wide world of sports has ever seen. The game of
Poker has created fast-tracked superstars and instant multi-millionaires thanks to as much dumb luck as raw skill. Granted, intuitive skill, not dumb
luck, is what
sets the long-time poker stars apart from the wannabes at the table, but with every hand comes the opportunity for the raw, inexperienced player
to defeat a legend of the sport should the cards fall his or her way. Still, it's usually Poker's biggest names -- Doyle Brunson, Chris Moneymaker,
Daniel Negreanu, and Chris
Ferguson -- that are perennially amongst those at the "final table," all staples of ESPN's coverage of the annual World Series of Poker (and countless
re-runs thereof), generally putting to shame the amateur hour that plays out the world over every night at kitchen tables, smoke-filled back rooms,
bars, pubs,
clubhouses, and even the Internet (well, OK, there was that whole goofy government "crackdown" thing, let the people play if they want!). All that
said, the joy of Poker is that anyone can play, and anyone can win. There is no ball to hit, throw, catch, shoot, or kick; no puck to direct into a net;
no track to run on, no pool to swim in, not even brooms and curling stones to push across ice. Poker requires only the company of a few good
friends, perhaps a few dollars on the table to make things more interesting, and the optional yet recommended presence of beer and good cigars.
Though it would seem that the game is currently at the peak of its popularity -- and a peak that seems ever inching further upward at that -- it's
been no stranger to film
over the years, with pictures like Rounders, The Cincinnati Kid, Casino Royale, and the amiable Mel Gibson Western Maverick
dazzling audiences with both the intensity and levity the game engenders, with the latter representing the most fun most Western-loving movie
fans and Poker aficionados can have off the trails and away from the table.
Oops!
Maverick rides onto Blu-ray with a mixed-bag 1080p high definition transfer that satisfies in spots but proves to be a letdown in others. The image is decidedly dim and flat. Of course the limited color scheme that favors dusty brown interiors and sandy tan exteriors doesn't help, but even the occasional splash of brighter colors comes across as dull and visually uninteresting. Detailing is adequate at the transfer's very best, but clothing and facial textures, not to mention the many more nitty-gritty elements around the old-west frame, often don't pass for much more than a strong standard definition upconvert. Fortunately, Warner has left intact a fine layer of film grain that does accentuate the image and lends to it a fair cinematic texture, but the end result is somewhat lessened by a large number of annoyances, including wobbly opening titles, blocky skies, noticeable but generally unobtrusive edge halos, harsh blacks, orange flesh tones, and a smattering of soft and smeary shots. Maverick looks okay at a glance, but even less-than-demanding viewers will be fairly quick to notice the transfer's overt shortcomings.
Warner Brothers presents Maverick on Blu-ray with a halfway decent DTS-HD MA 2.0 lossless soundtrack. Despite the absence of a fuller soundstage, this track carries the film's load with relative ease, conveying a fine sense of space, energy, and clarity in the delivery of the film's score and Country music. The track effortlessly spreads out to the limits of the front speakers, of course never engulfing the listener but adequately and often pleasantly delivering every note with relative ease. Rarely does music sound underpowered, confined, or otherwise not fully realized, even without the added benefit of surround support. Sound effects -- stampeding horses, gunfire -- are nicely potent if not a little bit dumbed down, but music and dialogue carry the day throughout the picture, and the latter is certainly handled strongly up the middle, the track delivering every syllable with the effortlessness expected of a competent lossless soundtrack. Maverick's soundtrack doesn't go all-in, but it smartly and sufficiently plays the hand it's been dealt.
Warner's Blu-ray release of Maverick flops down only a trio of low-card extras.
Maverick is an amusing and strongly-acted little picture that's a pleasure to watch for all the right reasons. Breezy, fun, goofy-serious, and host to several memorable characters, Richard Donner's comfortable little Western-Poker-Comedy is a full house of laughs and a royal flush of great acting, making it a one-of-a-kind jackpot winner. Unfortunately, Warner's Blu-ray deals out a hand that's best folded from the outset. A mediocre 1080p transfer, a passable two-channel lossless soundtrack, and only one real extra of value gets the disc in the game, but no way is it going to walk away with the pot. The movie comes recommended, the Blu-ray is only a good bet if found for a steal.
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