The Story: I don't do an awful lot of requests (not that many people read this blog or have an interest in my personal "take" to do so...or many they don't want to intrude on my pedantry...Yeah, that's how I'll think of it). It was more than a year ago, when I did a podcast for The Large Association of Movie Blogs on James Bond: The Connery Years, which was fun and convivial, hosted by Jay Cluitt and as panelists, the father-daughter team of Richard Kirkham and Amanda Kirkham, both film enthusiasts and bloggers, Bond-experts, and very good at what they do. Amanda had just had her choice for LAMB movie of the Month, Silverado, chosen for scrutiny. I'd done a Don't Make a Scene on it previously...but the film is so good, I was wanting to do another, but just not sure which one—of many—to pick. The film's an embarrassment of riches.
So, I asked Amanda, who loves it—she named her dog "Paden". Can't go wrong with enthusiasm.
And her choice surprised me: It's the scene in the box canyon, a sort of cut-back on the way to Silverado, and doesn't even feature one of the principles. It does, however, show you just how well-matched Paden, Emmett, and Mal are in their gun-fighting skills and reaction-time.*
And..it's long...a rough estimate of the scene saw so many details that I knew it would take a lot of time.**
But, lately, I've had plenty of time.
So, it's been a year. But, better late...
The transcript is from the Production Draft—no date on it—and I didn't change a thing (except add dialog from the minor characters of Dawson and Baxter that wasn't present at that point, and didn't "tweak" from transcripts, as they were so close in intent...some scene descriptions don't match the pictures, but that's what editors are for.
The Set-Up: Four expert gun-men—Paden (Kevin Kline), Mal (Danny Glover), Emmett (Scott Glenn) and his brother Jake (Kevin Costner)—have managed to cross their disparate paths to find themselves on the way to Silverado. They come across the Hobart wagon train, stranded on their way to the same destination due to the robbery of the strongbox holding the party's stake. As Jake gets the group back on track, Paden, Mal and Jake, along with the insistent (and understandably suspicious) settler Conrad (Rusty Meyers) go track the robbers to try to retrieve the ill-gotten chest of gold and greenbacks.
Action!
EXT. RIM OF BOX CANYON - DAY
The four men crawl to the lip of the canyon and get a clear
view of the activity below;
the box canyon has been turned
into a hideout for the Dawson Gang, a band of border raiders.
There are about twenty-five outlaws moving about among the
tents, caves, and wagons of the encampment. Their horses are
penned in a natural alcove in the rock off the main floor of
the canyon.
The strongbox from the wagon train sits on the tailgate of a
wagon. Next to it is a large keg of whiskey from which the
outlaws are drawing generous portions. Baxter and Hawley
have brought the loot proudly back to their cohorts, and the
celebration is centered around this wagon.
On the rim the pursuers exchange looks in reaction to this
new situation.
PADEN
(to Emmett)
You know,
PADEN ...hanging around with you is
no picnic.
EMMETT
Anybody got any ideas?
EXT. OUTLAW CAMP - BOX CANYON - DAY
DAWSON You really did it this time, Nord.
One of the outlaws spills some whiskey onto the money in the
strongbox. DAWSON, the leader of the gang, angrily slams the
strongbox closed and kicks the offending outlaw.
BAXTER Thank you, Boss. Tom did his part, too.
Suddenly,
there are cries of warning from the Sentinel at the entrance
to the box canyon.
HOOFBEATS echo into the canyon from that
direction. The outlaws react en masse with a frightening
display of armed readiness.
WHERE THE TRAIL ENTERS THE CANYON. From the shadows emerge
two galloping horses: on the first is Emmett, who holds the
reins of the second, across whose saddle is draped the
seemingly lifeless body of Paden.
The Sentinel watches them
pass under the point of his carbine.
SENTINEL Comin' in!
AT THE WAGON.
Emmett dismounts quickly and ties both horses
to a wheel.
Dawson decides not to shoot this guy yet.
He
watches as Emmett runs back across the canyon to the cover
of some crates and crouches down behind them, looking up at
the rim above the entrance. The outlaws, guns pointed, stand
around him.
TALL OUTLAW
(to Dawson)
Should I kill him, Mr. Dawson?
DAWSON
(approaching Emmett)
In a minute!
Emmett, still cowering, looks over his shoulder at Dawson.
He speaks now, and throughout, very fast.
EMMETT
I wouldn't do that. You're going to
need every gun when that posse gets
here.
DAWSON
Posse? What the hell you talking
about?
EMMETT
My partner and me robbed the bank in
Turley and headed out with a posse
on our tails. My partner there caught
one a ways back, and I think he kicked
off while I was looking for this
damn canyon.
EMMETT You're Dawson, ain't
you? I'm Tex LaRue.
(offers his hand for
only a second)
Used to ride with Ry Morris. You
know him.
EMMETT Well, Andy Sims told me
there was a hideout here, so I headed
for it. Hope you don't mind.
Paden, lying over the saddle, his face shielded by his hat,
winces at this story.
DAWSON
You brought a posse to my best hideout
and you want to know if I mind.
Mister, I don't know any of those
names and you're about to die.
EMMETT
Wait a minute! If you don't believe
me, ask them...
(indicates Baxter and
Hawley)
EMMETT
...they saw me and my pal in Turley
before we did the job.
Baxter and Hawley peer at Emmett and nod to each other.
BAXTER
I saw 'em there, all right, but I
don't know about any bank job.
DAWSON
If you took the bank in Turley,
where's the money?
Emmett crouches lower, looking nervously at the rocks.
EMMETT
I'd get down if I were you. They may
be up there now.
DAWSON
(just as he suspected)
No money, eh?
EMMETT
The money's in my saddlebags over
there, but I ain't stepping out to
get it.
The outlaws, all of whom are standing in the open, think
he's crazy.
Dawson motions Hawley toward Emmett's horse.
Hawley is almost there when gunfire erupts from the rocks
above and Hawley goes down dead.
Now all the outlaws hit the
dirt, some firing wildly. Paden unobtrusively frees his rope.
Dawson comes down beside Emmett.
EXT. RIM OF BOX CANYON - DAY
Conrad and Mal fire into the canyon, then move to new
positions.
EXT. OUTLAW CAMP - DAY
ABOVE THE ENTRANCE to the box canyon the Sentinel disappears
into the rocks, moving upward.
AT THE CRATES. Down the line from Emmett, an outlaw gets
hit. The outlaws can't see anything to shoot at.
DAWSON Stop your firin'! 'Til you see somethin'!
EMMETT
(agitated)
If we charge them, they won't have a
chance. But we gotta get to the
horses.
DAWSON
What do you mean, the horses?
Emmett jumps up. He yells to the other outlaws.
EMMETT
Cover me!
He runs in a mad zig-zag toward the gate of the horses' pen.
EXT. RIM OF BOX CANYON - DAY
Mal, firing rapidly, follows Emmett's route with precision.
EXT. OUTLAW CAMP - DAY
Mal's shots kick up dust inches from Emmett's flying feet.
Once Emmett throws a glance upwards; Mal's cutting it pretty
close.
Baxter slides in next to Dawson, who is thinking hard.
BAXTER
(indicating Emmett)
Brave man.
DAWSON
I think there's only a couple of
guys up there and this asshole's one
of them.
AT THE WAGON.
An outlaw is cowering beneath the wagon, but
doesn't notice as Paden reaches out and secures the latch on
the money box.
AT THE HORSE PEN.
Emmett throws open the make-shift gate and
runs in among the horses, yelling and waving his arms.
The
horses begin to run out of the pen.
AT THE CRATES. Dawson jumps up and orders his men forward.
DAWSON Get that guy!
A
line of outlaws rushes toward the pen, all the while firing
up at the rim.
Paden appears at a gallop from behind, pulling
Emmett's horse beside him.
A rope stretches from his
saddlehorn to the strongbox bouncing along in the dirt.
Paden comes through the line of outlaws firing and heads for
the pen. A few of the outlaws make the mistake of closing
the gap and aiming at Paden's back.
The bouncing strongbox
knocks them head over heels.
Emmett leaps from a rock onto his passing horse, firing behind
him.
He and Paden go down the trail in the midst of the
outlaws' horses.
The strongbox careens after them.
EXT. MOUTH OF CANYON TRAIL - DAY
Mal and Conrad, mounted; are waiting as Emmett and Paden
ride out of the mouth of the canyon.
Beyond them, the outlaws'
horses scatter toward the horizon. Paden jumps off his horse
and picks up the strongbox.
IN THE ROCKS ABOVE THEM the Sentinel from the outlaw camp
positions himself to fire at the men below.
EMMETT
(to Mal)
That was some idea of yours.
EMMETT Next
time you go in.
Paden is tying the strongbox to his saddlehorn when there is
the loud
CLICK of Conrad's rifle being cocked. He nervously
points it at the others.
CONRAD
I knew it. Put that box on my horse.
MAL
Mister, you got a lot to learn about
people.
A SHOT rings out.
Conrad takes it in the chest and flies off
his horse.
Now an amazing sight -- Emmett, Paden, and Mal
all turn
and fire at once.
The Sentinel is really dead.
Silverado
Words by Mark Kasdan and Lawrence Kasdan
Pictures by John Bailey and Lawrence Kasdan
Silverado is available on DVD and Blu-Ray by Sony Home Video.
* What's amusing is they all fire simultaneously—I found the frame of it (I wonder how many "takes" that took?), but they "stand down" at different rates: Mal first, because he has the rifle and wants the perspective of two eyes to see the effect of the shot; Paden second, ready to fire again and seeing no further movement, lowers his arm, then glances over at...Emmett, with the shortest draw, who delays holstering until ab-so-lutely sure. I love little details like that.
** Mitigated somewhat by that in some shots you can clearly see the stunt-men's faces in the shot. That's something I've never had to contend with before.
