Sayles wraps a gripping murder mystery around a rather unsubtle political satire.
Silver City (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:124
Fresh:59
Rotten:65
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: Heavy-handed and often dull.
Runtime: 2 hrs 13 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: During a gubernatorial race in small-town Colorado, a mystery is uncovered involving a dead body found in a local lake. A private detective, Danny (Danny Huston), is hired by the governor-to-be's... During a gubernatorial race in small-town Colorado, a mystery is uncovered involving a dead body found in a local lake. A private detective, Danny (Danny Huston), is hired by the governor-to-be's campaign manager (Richard Dreyfuss), who is worried that the unexpected event may be used as a scandal-maker by the opposition. But when Danny begins to investigate, he learns that business mogul Wes Benteen (Kris Kristofferson), is using the candidate, Dickie Pilager (Chris Cooper), to promote his moneymaking agenda. Director-writer-editor John Sayles weaves together multiple storylines involving environmental issues, political and corporate corruption, activism, illegal aliens, labor laws, and also a sweet love affair, simplifying it all into a cohesive and deeply enjoyable drama. He gets powerful performances from each cast member, making the characters shine in all of their nuanced intricacies. This strong film reflects on the presidency of George W. Bush in that candidate Pilager is a good-hearted Republican who lacks communications skills and a backbone, allowing regulation to lapse, power to be abused, and a scourge of long-term problems to be ignored. Meanwhile, SILVER CITY is a gripping whodunit, set in the still-dusty New West where old silver mines become real estate developments, and corporate tycoons attempt to privatize protected land for their own bounty. The immediate, effective supporting cast includes Daryl Hannah, Thora Birch, Tim Roth, Maria Bello, Sal Lopez, Miguel Ferrer, and Billy Zane. [More]
Starring: Danny Huston, Maria Bello, Billy Zane, Chris Cooper
Starring: Danny Huston, Maria Bello, Billy Zane, Chris Cooper, Richard Dreyfuss, Michael Murphy, Daryl Hannah, Kris Kristofferson, Mary Kay Place, David Clennon, Miguel Ferrer, Ralph Waite, Sal Lopez, James Gammon, Tim Roth, Thora Birch, Alma Delfina
Director: John Sayles
Director: John Sayles
Screenwriter: John Sayles
Producer: Maggie Renzi
Composer: Mason Daring
Studio: Newmarket Films
Reviews for Silver City
Cooper does a terrific job, mimicking Bush’s speech and mannerisms as well as his tendency to ramble and go off script with hilarious consequences.
A heavy-handed approach mars this latest effort from the usually reliable John Sayles.
Very much worth seeing for Cooper's rendition of a puppet caught in a sinister political system, as well as for its memorable shocker of an ending.
Sayles wants to win our minds, and maybe our hearts. but once again, he ignores the seduction process.
If it fails in its whole, the movie certainly shines in its parts, with a string of dead-on character performances to enjoy, and several scenes that icily express Sayles' vision of a dumbed-up America drowning in a sea of ignorance, apathy and greed.
Sayles, it seems, doesn't think much of his audience, and the tone of his discourse is only nominally less pandering than a politician's.
Sayles reigns in his large and talented cast and keeps the loose ends from strangling his narrative.
A juicy political lampoon that may be too close to reality for certain people to find amusing.
There's definitely ore to be mined in Silver City, but Sayles' pan comes up with only particles of dust.
Sayles should switch to television, because each new movie now resembles a pilot episode for an HBO series...
It doesn't pretend that politics and business are decoupled, that the little guy can pull off the upset, or that the bottom line is anything other than money. It's refreshing, albeit grim, to see a movie that's not afraid of telling these truths.
The most deadpan, dead-on, sharply focused political satire in recent memory.
Did no one advise Sayles that Huston, who played "hotel manager" in Hotel and "herdsman" in The Bacchae (don't ask me!) was entrusted with too much?
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