Lone Star (96)

5/10/97

John Sayles is one of my favorite filmmakers. 8 MEN OUT, MATEWAN, PASSION FISH, CITY OF HOPE. They are all about people, not events. The characters are vivid, you almost feel like they go on existing even after the credits have rolled. LONE STAR is no exception.
Two officers from the local army base are exploring in the desert of South Texas. One enjoys the local plant life, the other is searching for old bullets. They come across a buried skeleton, and nearby is a sherriff's badge. Thus begins an investigation into the soul of the small town in Rio County, Texas. Sam Deeds is the present day sherriff. His father Buddy Deeds, who was sherriff five years prior, was nothing short of a legend. A man you could depend on, who stopped the practice of bribing and murder that his predessesor Charlie Wade reveled in. The skeleton turns out to be Wade's and Sam goes about finding out what happened to him and if, in fact, his father was the killer. Along the way, he unearths secrets about the entire community.
There are literally dozens of characters inhabiting this film. We will eventually find out about just about everyone who appears onscreen, regardless of how big the role is. We will care about the characters, from the teacher to the recruit, to the local indian merchant. Race plays an important role in the movie as well. It is a delicate dance when Hispanics, Anglos, and Blacks all inhabit the same small space. The skeleton found in the brush represents the skeleton in each townsperson's closet. Poke around somewhere you shouldn't, and you may just get bitten.
Chris Cooper Elizabeth Pena Joe Morton Matthew McConaughey Kris Kristofferson Stephen Mendillo Stephen Lang Miriam Colon Ron Canada Frances McDormand Cinematography by Stuart Dryburgh Written, Edited, and Directed by John Sayles
40 critics 9.2 Ebert **** LaSalle 4.0 Shulgasser *** Tucker B+
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