Lone Star (Widescreen)

 

 

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Lone Star is about history and how history can either be a prison or how it can set us free. The characters in the movie start out bound by their history. Their histories, familial and cultural, determine a course of action for the characters living in present day Rio County. By the end of the movie, these characters have come to grips with their own personal history. Their personal history no longer dictates their actions.
Sam Deeds is the current sheriff of Rio County and is plagued by his legendary father, who also was a sheriff. Sam is a reluctant sheriff and was elected by the townspeople who hoped he would be like his father. Sam's investigation into the murder of Charley Wade is driven by his history with Buddy: he's not interested in learning the "truth" but instead to shatter the legendary status of his father. The revelations through his investigation help to form a more complete history of Buddy Deeds for Sam; he no longer has the skewed and inaccurate picture formed from his own personal experiences with Buddy Deeds.
Col. Delmore Payne works his way up through the structured institution of the U.S. Army as a way to forget his estrangement with his father. He tries to instill this discipline in Chet's (his son) life. Col. Payne wants to be a strong influencing force in his son's life to compensate for his father's lack of involvement in his own life. Chet develops his own relationship with Col. Payne's father, Otis, and thus brings Otis back into his father's life. By the end of the movie Col. Payne is beginning to form a relationship. Once he lets go of the history between him and his father, he becomes a more of a father and less of a disciplinarian to Chet.
Mercedes Cruz, mother of Pilar, is an immigrant from Mexico trying to free herself of her dirty Mexican past and assimilate into American culture. She has become the most successful Mexican-American businesswoman in the town. She owns a Mexican restaurant and always scolds her workers when they speak Spanish instead of English. She lives near the Mexican border and has a good view of Mexicans trying to cross the border illegally. Anytime she sees this, she calls the Border Patrol to report them. This is in direct contrast to her own past, where she crossed into the U.S. as an illegal immigrant. Her moment of "freedom" comes when she helps the fiancée of an employee. She breaks her leg trying to cross the river into the U.S. and Mrs. Cruz calls in a favor to a local doctor.
The romance between Sam and Pilar is the most controversial example of history colliding with present. Sam and Pilar were high school sweethearts and were reunited after Sam came back to Rio County. Through the course of his investigation into the murder of Charley Wade, Sam stumbles across some explosive history that could change their relationship permanently. This is controversial and sure to spark extreme opinions, but I think their final decision follows in the theme of the movie. They break free of the chains of history to try and forge ahead in the present.

The movie itself (up until the ending) was fantastic. It was hard to follow at first but after a while it became easier to understand. Each character was brilliantly complex and the chosen cast played them perfectly. The end was severely disappointing (I almost cried because I was so angry at it) and I would not recommed this movie if you like decent endings. I think the incest was a bit over the top and, in my opinion, made it too dramatic and unrealistic.

This movie really took me by surprise. Rented it not expecting much because I hadn't heard much about it. Low-key, no big car chases or explosions (so "Arnold fans" would be disappointed). This is just an extremely well written, well directed, believable mystery that keeps you guessing. Storytelling at it's best

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2.0 out of 5 stars Stereotypes
There's something so "Plastic, Benjamin" about a scripted debate on race relations. Somebody tell John Sayles that drama comes first. Read more

Published on July 15 2004 by R. A Rubin

5.0 out of 5 stars A Quiet Masterpiece...
...and one of my favorite films because of it's intermeshings of mood, plot and character. I have always considered that the American 'norm' is one frought with brutal people made... Read more

Published on July 6 2004 by yygsgsdrassil

5.0 out of 5 stars Sayles' Elegant Atistry Makes "Lone Star" Shine
John Sayles is first and foremost, a writter and his screenplays are why his films are so compelling. Read more

Published on Sep 21 2003 by Gavin B.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Texas Greek tragedy...sort of.
Not only does this film unfold with the richness and complexity of a very well written short story (think William Trevor in a border town), no one here seems to have mentioned... Read more

Published on Mar 28 2003 by Sabrina

4.0 out of 5 stars Great film, not a great DVD
Anything I might say about the film will be redundant, considering the length and abundance of reviews already written here. Read more

Published on Jan 3 2003 by Craig

5.0 out of 5 stars Reminiscent of, and better than, Robert Altman
Like Altman, John Sayles is able to maintain several interlocking story lines at the same time, which adds a richness to his films that you won't find in the run-of-the-mill... Read more

Published on Oct 5 2002 by Diego Banducci

5.0 out of 5 stars Films Like This; There Are But A Few...
LONE STAR is a multi-layered drama, that unlike many other films of today, is rich with characters that seem real Like the other films of director John Sayles, this movie doesn't... Read more

Published on Sep 26 2002 by T. Lobascio

5.0 out of 5 stars FORGET THE ALAMO
In my opinion the best american film of 1996, LONE STAR established at last John Sayles as the most interesting american writer-director in activity. Read more

Published on May 10 2002 by Daniel S.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best films of the 1990s
Whatever the reasons are that John Sayles has managed to elude the attention of the mainstream entertainment media, he has had no trouble developing and mastering his craft. Read more

Published on Mar 13 2002 by Macro Micro

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best films of the past 10 years

"Lone Star" is terrific as both a mystery and as a snapshot of small town America, Texas-Mexican border style. However, it is something else going on here. Read more

Published on Feb 14 2002 by jfarro

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