If you like a film that is cool, hilarious, gripping and extremely intelligent all at once, then…what am I saying? Who wouldn’t? This movie is hot!

Pardon my enthusiasm, but it’s very hard not to appreciate what this movie has accomplished. William Goldmen, the man behind Lethal Weapon and Scrooged has created a film adaption of the TV-series character Maverick. The result is without question a great and very much enjoyable movie, boasting a western setting(casinos, stagecoaches, indians, the whole deal), cool gunfights, action, impressive comedic elements, and a cast of actors who are both widely-acclaimed and practically perfect for the roles for which they were chosen.

Released in the summer of 1994, this movie was greatly appreciated by critics and movie-goers alike. Eighteen years later, and guess what: it’s still just as cool and entertaining, despite what anyone has to say otherwise. It may not be the most interesting and thought-provoking film you will enjoy, but if you missed it before, should a chance present itself to check this out you will not want to miss it again.

Mel Gibson(Left), James Garner(Middle), and Jodie Foster(Right) in Maverick.

A main recurring theme in the story is Poker, which is ironic because pretty much all the main characters that are introduced over the course of the story are bluffing in some way, and are not what they first seem. In fact, even your first few impressions, which are completely opposite from each other and take can place all in the same scene, may be as far from the truth as possible. In other words, you’re kept guessing. THAT is entertainment. This especially applies to Bret Maverick(Mel Gibson) himself, who has a certain amount of days to gather money for a Poker tournament he feels he must join to prove himself. Goldman tosses us back and forth; we never truly know whether Maverick, who always finds a solution when in danger, is experienced or lucky, or is pretending to be lucky but is really experienced, or maybe vice versa.

Eventually we give up and let the story and it’s characters twist and turn, taking us where they will, until we are shocked into laughter by the the story’s climactic conclusion. If you’re not going for deep and interesting, this is it, the kind of stuff almost anyone can enjoy. This is the very definition of what moviegoer summer releases are all about.