John Sayles' Lone Star provides such a possibility. Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper) lives under the weight of his father's status as the county sheriff, the role Sam now holds. A skeleton is unearthed on the outskirts of town, and Sam starts to believe his father may not have been the upstanding lawman everyone says he was.
Sure, that premise sounds a bit hokey but Sayles makes Lone Star anything but. It's not a strict crime film; it's rather an observation of the many people in one small Texas town. And the way Sayles depicts it in a way so absorbingly, all we can do is watch.
The cast is fantastic. Cooper is great but then again, he usually is. Among the supporting actors are a wonderfully wicked Kris Kristofferson, a surprisingly adept Matthew McConaughey, and a quietly warm Elizabeth Pena. God bless the casting director for choosing these actors.
Lone Star is extremely well done. Along with the actors, there's also a great script by Sayles and lovely cinematography by Stuart Dryburgh. It's really something you shouldn't miss.
My Rating: *****
I've never heard about this movie... and if you hadn't brought it to my attention I'd probably dismiss it, so nice catch!
ReplyDeleteGod, did I love this film. My introduction to Sayles while I was working my way through college at Blockbuster. Thanks for poking a pleasant memory synapse!
ReplyDeleteSadly many people have missed it and will continue to miss it. Sayles just doesn't make it in to the general consciousness. He's too interesting, too quirky, but not in a New Girl kind of way.
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