Maverick (1994)
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A card sharp and con artist seeks to win a massive poker prize while navigating the dangers of the American Old West.
The story
In the American Old West, card sharp and con artist Bret Maverick travels to the town of Crystal River to collect debts and win money for a high-stakes poker tournament held aboard the paddle steamer Lauren Belle. Short on the entry fee, he teams up with another con artist, Annabelle Bransford, and a lawman, Marshal Zane Cooper. Together, they navigate various perils, including a gang of bandits and a group of Indians, as they attempt to secure enough funds to enter the tournament and compete for a winner-take-all prize.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Bret Maverick, a card sharp and con artist, travels to Crystal River to collect debts for a $25,000 poker tournament entry fee. He meets Annabelle Bransford, another con artist, and Marshal Zane Cooper. After aiding missionaries and narrowly escaping a ravine, they are cornered by Indians led by Joseph, a friend of Maverick's. Maverick feigns sacrifice to help the others escape, then later swindles a Russian archduke out of $6,000 to cover the entry fees for himself and Bransford. Maverick is eventually captured by a rival gambler, Angel, but escapes to board the Lauren Belle. During the tournament, Maverick discovers he is being sabotaged but manages to reach the table. In the final showdown against Angel and Commodore Duvall, Maverick reveals a royal flush, killing Angel in the process. After Cooper steals the prize money, it is revealed that Cooper is actually Maverick's father, Bret Maverick Sr., and they had conspired together. Bransford steals the money, but Maverick reveals he hid half of it in his boots.
- First release year
- 1994
- Runtime (minutes)
- 127
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Richard Donner
- Writers
- William Goldman · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Mel Gibson · Bret Maverick; Jodie Foster · Annabelle Bransford; James Garner · Marshal Zane Cooper; Graham Greene · Joseph; James Coburn · Commodore Duvall; Alfred Molina · Angel; Dub Taylor · Room Clerk; Dan Hedaya · Twitchy
- Genres
- Western; comedy; adventure
- Themes
- Con artistry; Gambling; Father-son relationship
- Tone and mood
- Witty; Charming; Lighthearted
- Premise and plot tags
- Con artists; Gambling; Poker; Western
- Source material / true-story basis
- The 1957–1962 television series of the same name created by Roy Huggins.
- Franchise connections
- Maverick (TV series)
- Reception
- The film was both a critical and commercial success, receiving generally favorable reviews for its wit and charm.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 67% · review count: 55 critics; Metacritic · score: 62% · review count: 28 critics
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Costume Design · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The steamboat used was the Portland, the last remaining sternwheel tugboat in the United States.; The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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