Maverick

Bret Maverick is a smooth-talking gambler who’d rather outwit opponents than rough them up, and he’s short three thousand dollars to enter a winner-takes-all poker tournament. With the clock ticking, he meets Annabelle Bransford, a Southern-accented con artist whose charm masks a cunning skill set. The pair form an uneasy alliance, running small scams and pulling off grander schemes as they try to secure the buy-in, moving through riverboats, saloons and tense card rooms. Rival gamblers, a principled marshal and a cast of quirky allies complicate plans, forcing Maverick to juggle showmanship, luck and a personal code while aiming for that final hand.

Directed by Richard Donner, the 1994 film adapts Roy Huggins' TV character with a screenplay by William Goldman, and stars Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner, Graham Greene and Alfred Molina. It opened wide, courting family audiences with breezy fun.

It reintroduced a sly, comedic Western sensibility to 1990s audiences, pairing caper beats with frontier charm. James Garner's presence linked the movie to the original series, and the film's tone helped keep slick, character-driven Westerns visible in mainstream cinema. Its buddy chemistry and sly tone show up in pop culture.

Critics offered mixed to positive responses, audiences gave it a roughly 6.9 out of 10 average, and many praised the chemistry between Gibson and Foster. The film plays with luck, deception and honor among rogues, balancing comic set pieces with leisurely Western atmosphere rather than hard-edged violence, and period charm.

It was a mainstream commercial success, helped by star power and broad comedy, drawing summer audiences and proving there was appetite for lighthearted adult adventure with Western trappings in the mid 1990s. Star names broadened its appeal beyond Western fans.