Film Review: Lone Star

Director: John Sayles

A mystery thriller set in the heart of small town Texas, released in 1996 it was nominated for Best Screenplay written directly for the screen. It deals with issues much deeper than just the solving of a murder as it deals with the local politics of a town recently taken over by Mexican immigrants and the inbred racism towards them and the African-Americans who live in the town.

Sheriff Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper) is uninterested by the politics of the police force who lives in the shadow of his father Buddy (Matthew McConaughey) who is a revered Sheriff in the town but he remembers him as a distant father who cheated on his wife. He is investigating the murder of Sheriff Charlie Wade (Kris Kristofferson) who was found at the old Army shooting range with a shell casing from a non-army weapon. While investigating this he sees the town from different sides as he uncovers the lives of the African-Americans and Mexicans who suffered the racism of Charlie Wade and others.

Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper)

Its fair to say this is a film as much about human behaviour and social class than it is about the solving of a murder. Sayles almost captures the magic of the 1974 film Chinatown which involves a murder that reveals a whole lot more about a town. The characters create a very real town feel with its ingrained residents resistant to the change that is constantly going on around them.

The acting especially from Chris Cooper is incredibly measured but still impressive. This feels like a real portrayal of small town Texas rather than a movie. The pace of the film is slow and tentative as it slowly meanders through the people of the town as it uses flashbacks to one year before and Charlie Wades disappearance. The plot is a help and a hindrance though as the slow pace does mean the film stagnates at a few points and does require quite a lot of patience from the viewer.

3/4 More than just another murder mystery film