Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Maverick Blu-ray Movie Review

Is Warner's Best Buy exclusive Blu-ray worth the gamble?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 15, 2011

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!

Bret (not Britt) Maverick (Mel Gibson) is a keen old-west card shark, an ultra-fast draw, and a man who lives and many times nearly dies thanks to his unquenchable sense of on-the-edge humor that gets him into as many jams as it gets him free from. Others mistake his oddball ways for cowardice, but it's instead his own unique brand of cockiness that serves him well and gives him an edge whether at the card table, in a gunfight, engaged in a war of words, or horizontal in the bedroom. Maverick's on his way to a brand-new high-stakes poker tournament that promises a half-million-dollar reward for the last player standing, but there's a catch: the buy-in costs a cool twenty-five large, and Maverick's a few thousand short. On his way to collect the cash he's owed from various characters (and they are characters), he stumbles upon the glamourous "Southern Belle" Annabelle Bransford (Jodie Foster) who's as charming at the poker table as she is quick to steal a man's wallet. It's not long before Maverick and Annabelle are teamed up with a shady lawman named Zane Cooper (James Garner), all three of whom must brave the trials of the American frontier if they're to arrive at the riverboat tournament on-time, with the necessary cash in hand, and in one piece. Fortunately, Maverick's bound to weasel his way out of any dangerous situation -- even if most of them are by his own making.

For a movie of such unscrupulous characters, shady dealings, outright corruption, unabashed thievery, double-triple-quadruple-and-so-forth-crossing, gunplay, sex, violence, and name-almost-any-late-1800s-vice-under-the-sun, Maverick maintains a light, amusing air, the picture intermixing an avalanche of bad vibes but coming out of the experience unscathed, all the better, in fact, for its almost magical ability to pull the right card at the right moment and create an experience that's oh-so-good despite a parade of oh-so-humorously wicked characters. The film positively thrives on the combination of its witty script and lighthearted performances; Maverick is packed with A-list stars doing their darndest to keep secrets as close to the vest as they hold their playing cards, never tipping their hand or showing a tell, unless of course it's part of the game and all in the name of a laugh or the further advancement of the plot. In Maverick, the game of Poker is the center, but it's a game that lasts two hours and that is played not only at the tables but through character interactions, each one betting the high stakes of money, pride, life, death, and love, putting it all on the line for a chance at making some easy money but maybe learning a thing or two about life along the way, too. Maverick is flat-out fun, a picture that's beautifully crafted not necessarily from a visual perspective -- it's rather ordinary in that regard -- but in terms of how well the whole thing gels, coming together for an infinitely entertaining look at the good and the bad of the Old West where the characters are just slightly larger-than-life and infinitely endearing, no matter how honestly good or playfully bad they may be from one moment to the next.

Director Richard Donner keeps things on the down-low, not shooting from the hip but not bullseye shooting, either. He smartly keeps himself out of the movie, allowing his best asset -- his cast -- to chew up the scenery and devour the script, Donner's work more or less ensuring everything's in-frame and ready to go, nothing more, nothing less. Maverick is an actor's movie for sure; it's the cast's understanding of the parts and contagious willingness to play along that's the real technical highlight here. The picture passes muster as a period piece and the Old West setting adds a certain charm that wouldn't quite allow for the same sort of antics were the picture set in more modern times, but ultimately it comes down to the actors and their uncanny ability to play things as comically seriously as they do. Each finely balances that high level of humor with the underlying dangers, romances, and actions inherent to the story; such are in many ways deliberately lessened through tone, but the general breeziness and relative safety the picture conveys, even in the face of danger, allows viewers to enjoy the ride and revel in the humor without losing sight of the picture's primary objectives as a lighthearted Adventure-Comedy, with an emphasis on the latter. Maverick is fast-paced and no matter how many twists and turns it navigates -- and there are some real doozies, including a crowd-pleasing revelation at the end -- it always winds up pointing back upwards and marching forward to the beat of its wonderfully contagious good time Country & Western soundtrack towards the top of the heap of Old West, old-fashioned Comedy entertainment.

Maverick Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

Maverick Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Maverick Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Warner's Blu-ray release of Maverick flops down only a trio of low-card extras.

• A Pictorial History of the Makin' of the Movie, Maverick (480p, 28:43): This playful supplement offers "a true account of the legendary gambler, and the hardy men and women who fought to bring his story to the silver screen." A faux Western-accented narrator carries the piece, recalling the history of the making of the film, the people who made it, and the story the movie tells, interspersed with cast and crew interviews, scenes from the film, and plenty of behind-the-scenes clips. The piece does a good job of entertainingly recounting the making of the movie, providing a lighter, more accessible supplement that separates itself from the dull and generic making-of pieces that bore more than inform. Fans will greatly enjoy this documentary.
• Music Video (480p, 3:14): Amazing Grace by The Maverick Choir, featuring the likes of Amy Grant, Clint Black, and Reba McEntire.
• Maverick Theatrical Trailer (480p, 2:35).

Maverick Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.