Lone Star (1996)

This complex and rich film by John Sayles stars Chris Cooper as the contemporary sheriff of a Texas border town still under the sway of his late, legendary lawman father (Matthew McConaughey, seen in flashbacks). The discovery of a skeleton and crusted-over badge--buried some 40 years--initiates an investigation into an old crime no one wants to talk about but which will determine for Cooper's character, once and for all, various truths about his father's life. Sayles ingeniously sets this mystery against the backdrop of a developing, multicultural community losing its economic base while haggling over a history of racism. The overall effect is of a complicated American tragedy mitigated by the possibility of personal redemption. A terrific experience. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com essential video

Major whodoneit soap

Good who done it soap with good cast, script and plot. A little bit of everything from a little Texas town just north of the Rio Grande...plus the kitchen sink. John Wayne movies were never like this! October 24, 2008

Exceptional.

I had forgotten how good Lone Star is. The simplest way to explain it, is that its No Country For Old Men without the blood bath. But its much more, with its interlocking stories about forgiveness.

It will seem as slow as a Texas border town to those looking for Young Guns. Their loss. August 17, 2008

A lot of power

Excellently subtle tapestry of race matters, family secrets & romantic irony in a sleepy Texas border town. A film to watch more than once. Excellent casting. May 12, 2008

Lone Star

Reuniting Sayles with his "Matewan" star Cooper, this border-town mystery exemplifies Sayles's talent for telling compelling human stories that deal with important social issues- in this case, illegal immigration, family legacies, and the scourge of racism. Cooper, Pena, and then-unknown McConaughey are superb in their roles, and Kristofferson stands out as the mean, rough-edged, intimidating Wade. Sayles's low-key approach works in favor of the film's almost novelistic feel, which nicely balances elements of suspense with heartache as it alternates between past and present. "Lone Star" is a complex, thought-provoking look at love, race, and border culture in the American Southwest. July 13, 2007

American Masterpiece

There have been six Masterpieces produced in American Cinema that go to the heart of being an american (if this doesn't start a war I don't know what will!). They are in order:

Citizen Kane - 1941
Casablanca - 1942
The Last Picture Show - 1971
American Graffitti - 1973
Parenthood - 1989
Lonestar - 1996

They vary as much as they remain cohesive. They were made by visionary Directors, with the exception of Casablanca which represents the best of American film making by committee, and they all share one American attribute that will garner them immortality - they have Heart.

Few films can compare, none can surpass.

While The Last Picture Show is the best of the lot in that it captures the changing of our country from rural to urban from the fifties onward and the beginning of the ache for that lost Americana, Lonestar does the same thing with the results of those changes we are all experiencing now - proving that that ache still resonates in our souls.

The other four movies deal with different aspects of the American experience, but do so equally well in their own arena.

I cannot recommend Lonestar highly enough. You will be moved in ways that cinema moves it's audience best - in your heart of hearts.

May 16, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...