Lone Star (1996 film)

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Lone Star

Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Sayles
Produced by R. Paul Miller
Maggie Renzi
Written by John Sayles
Starring Ron Canada
Chris Cooper
Clifton James
Kris Kristofferson
Frances McDormand
Joe Morton
Elizabeth Peña
Music by Mason Daring
Cinematography Stuart Dryburgh
Editing by John Sayles
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date(s) June 21, 1996
Running time 135 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $5,000,000 US
(estimated)

Lone Star (1996) is an American mystery film written and directed by John Sayles and set in a small town in Texas. It features Kris Kristofferson, Matthew McConaughey, Chris Cooper and Elizabeth Peña and deals with a sheriff's investigation into who murdered one of his predecessors.[1]

Contents

[edit] Plot

In this ensemble piece, director Sayles tells the story of several residents set in the fictional small border town of Frontera, Texas.

In the film's opening scene, two off-duty soldiers exploring the desert shooting range near their Army base find a partially buried human skull. Sam Deeds, (Chris Cooper) the Sheriff of Rio County, is called to the scene and arranges for a forensic examination. It soon appears that the remains are those of Charlie Wade (Kris Kristofferson), who had been Sheriff forty years earlier. Wade, a notoriously corrupt and violent man, had disappeared after a public confrontation with Buddy Deeds (Matthew McConaughey), Sam's late father and one of Wade's deputies. Buddy Deeds succeeded Wade in office and was a popular and respected civic leader until his death 30 years later. It was on the strength of Buddy's reputation that Sam later became Sheriff, although it is clear that Sam's relationship with his father was a tense one. The county's new courthouse is about to be dedicated to Buddy Deeds in a public ceremony. Now it falls to Sam to investigate the killing of Wade, in which Buddy may have been involved.

Some of the older residents of Rio County, who knew both Wade and Buddy Deeds, warn Sam that investigating Wade's death may uncover things that are best left hidden. Despite these warnings Sam presses on. In the process, he reconnects with a former high school sweetheart, Pilar Cruz (Elizabeth Peña), now a widow and schoolteacher with two teenage children. Buddy had forbidden Sam to see Pilar when they were teenagers; Sam had assumed that racial prejudice was the reason for Buddy's attitude, although Buddy had always enjoyed cordial relations with the county's Hispanic population.

Sam is convinced that Buddy killed Charlie Wade, but after a discussion with Otis Payne a local bar owner and Hollis the current mayor and a former deputy for both Wade and Buddy, it is revealed that Hollis shot Charlie to prevent him from murdering Otis. Buddy's reasons for his seeming dislike of Pilar are also revealed when Sam realizes that Buddy and Pilar's mother, Mercedes, had an affair that resulted in Pilar. In the end, Sam and Pilar decide to continue their relationship in spite of knowing they are half-siblings.

Interwoven within this are several ancillary stories, each of which shed light on the relationships between different residents of the town.

Delmore Payne (Joe Morton), the new commander of the local army base, must come to terms with a father (Otis) (Ron Canada) who abandoned him and a son (Eddie Robinson) who does not wish to follow in his footsteps.
Mercedes Cruz (Míriam Colón), a prominent member of the Hispanic community, is forced to deal with a past that she thought was long forgotten.

Although the film is ostensibly a murder mystery, these stories help to reveal the complexities of ethnic relations within the town.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Critical reception

The film received highly positive reviews with the review tallying website rotten tomatoes reporting that 35 out of the 38 reviews they tallied for the film were positive for a score of 92% and a certification of "fresh".[2] Janet Maslin, the film critic for The New York Times, liked the film's screenplay, the acting and directing. She wrote, "This long, spare, contemplatively paced film, scored with a wide range of musical styles and given a sun-baked clarity by Stuart Dryburgh's cinematography, is loaded with brief, meaningful encounters...And it features a great deal of fine, thoughtful acting, which can always be counted on in a film by Mr. Sayles. Though none of the actors are given much screen time, a remarkable number of them create fully formed characters in only a few scenes. Mr. Kristofferson does a superb, unflinching job as the film's personification of racist evil; Mr. Canada and Clifton James (as the mayor) capture the tensions between Frontera's black and white characters as well as a certain brotherhood under the skin. Mr. Morton and Ms. Colon both illustrate the high price of repressing one's true nature, though nobody here has the two-dimensional nature of a symbolic figure. All the film's characters are flesh and blood."[3]

Film critics Dennis West and Joan M. West discuss the psychological aspects of the film, and write, "Lone Star strikingly depicts the personal psychological boundaries that confront many citizens of Frontera as a result of living in such close proximity to the border. 'The Other Side,' an oft-repeated phrase in Frontera parlance, has assumed metaphorical dimensions, variable according to the group using it. To the 'WASPish' Anglo population, 'The Other Side' suggests an experience that is foreign, different, perhaps threatening or even dangerous. To many Mexican-Americans it represents a past history. Mercedes Cruz (Míriam Colón), for example, is all too eager (until her last scene) to conceal, ignore, and deny at all costs anything connecting her to her country of birth. She has even restyled herself as "Spanish" - presumably a more socially acceptable designation the community allows her because of her work ethic and business success. A first-generation immigrant, Mercedes remains prickly and evasive on the matter of her origins and shows no sympathy for her third-generation grandson, who would like to trace his roots on the other side."[4]

[edit] Awards

Wins
  • Lone Star Film & Television Awards: Best Actor, Chris Cooper; Best Director, John Sayles; Best Film; Best Screenplay, John Sayles; Best Supporting Actor, Ron Canada; Best Supporting Actress, Frances McDormand; 1996.
  • Independent Spirit Awards: Independent Spirit Award; Best Supporting Female, Elizabeth Peña ; 1997.
  • Bravo Awards: NCLR Bravo Award Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film, Elizabeth Peña; Special Achievement Award Outstanding Feature Film; 1997.
  • Satellite Awards: Golden Satellite Award; Best Motion Picture Screenplay - Original, John Sayles; 1997.
  • Society of Texas Film Critics Awards: Best Director, John Sayles; Best Screenplay, John Sayles.
  • Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards: SEFCA Award; Best Director, John Sayles; 1997.
Nominations

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Lone Star at the Internet Movie Database.
  2. ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1074022-lone_star/
  3. ^ Maslin, Janet. The New York Times, film review, "Sleepy Texas Town With an Epic Story", June 21, 1996. Last accessed: February 22, 2008.
  4. ^ West, Dennis and Joan M. West. Cineaste (magazine) v22, n3 (Summer, 1996):34 (3 pages). Last accessed: February 22, 2008.

[edit] External links

Films directed by John Sayles
1980s
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