LONE STAR
Starring: Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson, Joe Morton, Matthew McConaughey, Miriam Colon & Clifton James
Written & Directed by: John Sayles
Rated: R
Running Time: 2hrs 15mins
National Board of ReviewFor excellence in filmmaking
Film Independent Spirit Awards – Best Supporting Female (Elizabeth PeñaR. Paul Miller & Maggie Renzi),
“People have asked me if writing novels and short stories influenced my career as a filmmaker, however, being an actor influenced me majorly. I acted a little in college, and had done some roles in other people’s films as well as my own. As an actor, what you do when you play a character is you take the text, what you see in the script, but then you have to think about where this person comes from. Are they rich? Are they poor? Are they educated? Do they have certain prejudices? What do they know? You have to ask all of these question. When you are writing a character, you do the same thing.“ – John Sayles – Writer/Director
In the world of cinema, very few filmmakers excel at creating well-developed characters within a rich, compelling narrative, as well as writer/director and sometimes editor John Sayles. His directing efforts remain mostly within the world of independent cinema and shy away from Hollywood’s idea that bigger is better. Instead of concentrating on action, violence and special effects, Sayles focuses mostly on fully developed characters, genuine emotions and well-told stories. Unfortunately, though, so many of his films, like PASSION FISH, CITY OF HOPE and SECRET OF ROAN INISH, have found themselves mostly forgotten and 1996’s LONE STAR is probably the best of these buried treasures. On the surface, the film blends the police procedural with a modern-day Western. Yet, as the story unfolds, a much deeper view of humanity begins to emerge as the viewer is given a peek inside the lives of a large cast of interesting characters, all with very different stories to tell, while intertwined in a way that affects everyone involved. It’s a magnificently textured story about the importance of history, both within a community as well as the personal individual. Themes of racial tension, family dynamics and community perception run throughout the narrative’s exploration into one’s own personal interpretations regarding the secrets of the past and how they help to shape the people we eventually become.
LONE STAR takes place in the border town of Frontera, Texas, where two men discover the skeletal remains of a man buried on an old army rifle range. Lawman Sam Deeds, son of the town’s legendary sheriff and local hero, Buddy Deeds, begins to investigate, uncovering buried events of the town’s past, all leading to profound implications that could affect both him and the town in scandalous ways. Very little is what it seems and some of the revelations are downright earth-shattering to some of those involved.
The script by Sayles is a well-constructed puzzle whose individual pieces are fascinating to discover, but as everything begins to fit together to form the picture as a whole, the movie becomes an unforgettably complicated trip into each character’s lives. The story effectively merges the events of the past and present to reveal elements of the town’s racial, social and political dynamics. It centers its thematic structure on the idea that the weight of history can have an overpowering effect on the present and future. As a writer, Sayles uses the basis of a “who-done-it” mystery as a jumping-off point to reveal the true inner workings of the story, which merges historical discoveries with people’s personal beliefs and inner struggles. As Sam begins to dig deeper into the hidden secrets of the town and the individuals who inhabit it, the movie becomes a fascinating exploration of how people remember history and how it influences and shapes our individual lives, guiding the direction toward who we are as opposed to who we might have become if these little pieces of the puzzle were known. The final revelation alone will have viewers talking about the two sides of a very delicate subject and maybe even finding themselves on the opposite side of what they initially would think their opinions would be.
The story seamlessly navigates itself through two separate timelines, incorporating the lives of an amazing ensemble, all of whose lives interweave together even though some of them never share any screen time. Sayles and cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh incorporate seamless transitions that move from one time period to the next in a way that makes them seem like they are happening all at once. The technique of a simple pan that gives the illusion that the past and present exist within the same physical space creates a feeling of closeness between the two timelines, enhancing the idea of the present existing the way it does because of its direct relationship with the events that came many years before it.
Sheriff Sam Deeds, played by Chris Cooper, is front and center as the lead in the narrative and it’s his personal story that drives everything else forward. The investigation that makes up the plot of the film directly involves Sam more than anyone else. It’s his father, Buddy Deeds, who seems to be the answer to the mystery that starts the movie. Early on, it’s revealed that the discovered body is that of Charlie Wade, an unscrupulous and racist sheriff who ruled the town with a murderous hand while extorting every business in the town. Charlie Wade was someone who people feared and Buddy was the only one to stand up to him. When Wade went missing, along with $10,000 of the town’s money, everyone thought that Buddy was the one who chased him out of town. As Sam questions the older townsfolk, they all have nothing but bad memories of Charlie Wade while only speaking with respect for Buddy, a man they all looked up to even though he had his hidden side as well. Buddy Deeds had his way of handling things, but everyone saw him as fair and just. Sam’s relationship with his dad was not strong, though. While addressing a crowd at a ceremony honoring his father, he tells everyone, “You folks who remember my father knew him as Sheriff. But at home, he was also judge, jury and executioner.” As Sam digs deeper and deeper into the past events, he begins to learn things about his dad, both good and bad, while realizing the importance of Buddy’s legacy towards the town’s success as a growing community. Cooper is a perfect choice to play the lead as he effectively takes Sam’s emotional journey through the inner struggles that he must face while realizing how his father’s legendary status has been a driving force in moving his own life forward. He is completely aware that his job as sheriff was only given to him because of his father’s legacy. At one point, when introducing himself as Sheriff Deeds to a woman, she replies, “Sheriff Deeds is dead, honey. You’re just Sheriff Jr.” Sam’s story is more complicated than that of just going through the process of solving a crime. Because his father is the lead suspect, the journey is more personal. Sam must learn to let go of his past and discover the future that he wants for himself and it’s Cooper’s understated performance that will endear the audience to him.
Complicating Sam’s story even more is the redevelopment of his relationship with Pilar, played by Elizabeth Peña. When the two were still in high school, it was Buddy and Pilar’s Mom, Mercedes, who refused to allow the two young lovers any chance of being together. Mercedes even went as far as sending her daughter away to a Catholic school to keep the two apart. Peña and Cooper perform well together. As past lovers rekindling a love for one another that has, over the years, never wavered, the two actors create a genuine emotional bond between Sam and Pilar, allowing the feeling they share for each other to really come through. It is the strength of this bond that makes the ending so powerful when, just as everything seems to be falling back into place, it is the final piece of the film’s puzzle that will leave the viewer emotionally torn.
The supporting roles are all strong as well. Kris Kristofferson, in one of his best roles, is excellent as the controlling sheriff, Charlie Wade. He plays the character with such confidence that the viewer will never doubt the power he has over the community. Buddy Deeds is the only one with the guts to stand up to him and the casting of a young Matthew McConaughey, who was still at the beginning stages of his career, turns out to be one of the best decisions made in the casting process. Though he is in very little of the film, McConaughey plays Buddy with the same confidence as Kristofferson does Charlie Wade, making them the perfect adversaries. The two only have one real confrontation early on and the two actors work so well together that the tension between them will have the viewers on the edge of their seats, wanting to see what may or may not go down at the film’s conclusion when the truth of the dead body is revealed.
Containing a larger ensemble than most films, the cast benefits from a script that refuses to allow any of its characters to play as background, only present to help move the main plot forward. Instead, Sayles gives everyone involved, no matter how small their part is to play, their own stories to tell. Joe Morton delivers a strong performance as Del, an Army Colonel whose father, Otis, played by Ron Canada, runs the local bar that the African American soldiers from the nearby base frequent. Their relationship is filled with a lot of hatred as the two haven’t seen each other since Otis abandoned his family while Del was still a youngster. This is a history that is also reflected in the struggling relationship between Del and his own son. Then there is Pilar’s mother, Mercedes, played by Miriam Colon, an immigrant who runs one of the more successful businesses in town. She also has some past secrets, one of which may be the most shocking in the film. Last but not least, we get an interesting performance by Clifton James as Hollis, a man who is revealed to be the person that may be closest to Charlie Wade and may or may not be a key element to the mystery that starts the film. Honestly, the list of great performances doesn’t end there, but to list them all would take too long, so I have chosen to give just a taste of what LONE STAR has to offer and you’ll have to watch the film for the rest.
On one level, LONE STAR opens like a simple murder mystery and in a lot of filmmakers’ hands this may have been enough. But this is a John Sayles film. As a filmmaker who makes personal stories that dig deeper into the emotions and inner struggles of the characters that inhabit the world in which his movies take place, he gives us so much more. LONE STAR is a film that the viewer won’t easily forget. It’s filled with fascinating characters who all have full stories of their own to tell, interesting relationships that feel genuinely relatable at every turn and some interesting thematic explorations regarding how history and the secrets that are kept can affect us as individuals as well as a community. LONE STAR is a forgotten film that more people should see. It’s the kind of film that should be considered a classic, remembered along with the likes of THE GODFATHER, CASABLANCA and ON THE WATERFRONT
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