I resisted watching this for a long time, under the impression that anything from the director of The Big Chill and featuring such cosmopolitan actors as Kevin Kline, Rosanna Arquette, Danny Glover, John Cleese, and Jeff Goldblum would be overly pretentious hogwash. I was mostly wrong. It was politically correct but not bad.
This story about four fast friends and their adventures in and around the title city, an earnest attempt to recreate the feel of the epic westerns of the fifties, is pleasant entertainment and worth watching, with Kline effectively cast against type.
I only have two substantial criticisms. One is that the first half with Kline getting back his hat and horse, his and Kevin Costner's big jailbreak, and Danny Glover's introduction, is so good that the second half pales by comparison.
The second is the fact that third-billed Rosanna Arquette's character has nil to do with the story and is pretty much wasted, as if she were (typical of the fifties!) inserted in order to get a female name on the marquee. They should have gave her something to do!
Overall, it wasn't the best western ever made, but pretty watchable nevertheless.
This story about four fast friends and their adventures in and around the title city, an earnest attempt to recreate the feel of the epic westerns of the fifties, is pleasant entertainment and worth watching, with Kline effectively cast against type.
I only have two substantial criticisms. One is that the first half with Kline getting back his hat and horse, his and Kevin Costner's big jailbreak, and Danny Glover's introduction, is so good that the second half pales by comparison.
The second is the fact that third-billed Rosanna Arquette's character has nil to do with the story and is pretty much wasted, as if she were (typical of the fifties!) inserted in order to get a female name on the marquee. They should have gave her something to do!
Overall, it wasn't the best western ever made, but pretty watchable nevertheless.