Tilting at windmills with dull ripostes.
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
Sayles' script is unwieldy and his cast so large that the characters don't get sufficiently developed. There's lots of quirky fun and dry humor here but it never quite gels.
An ambitious film bubbling over with provocative issues is ultimately tarnished by its emphasis on too many sketchy characters.
The latest collection of op-ed pieces from writer/director John Sayles, whose movies are usually easier to respect than enjoy.
There's definitely ore to be mined in Silver City, but Sayles' pan comes up with only particles of dust.
Characters inhabit different movies, and the trademark Sayles complexity seems forced, not organic
Using Dickie Pilager as a stand-in for George W. Bush seems too coy a tactic for these scabrous times. For better or worse, we want the real -- or at least, the 'real' -- deal.
Sayles peppers his script with metaphorical names, not to mention situations, producing a satire that is not only pointed, but very angry.
The propagandistic value of this film is understandable and the acting is great throughout. It’s worth a matinee at least.
Sayles has made many movies like this, and they've ranged from genius (Lone Star) to just average (City of Hope). Silver City falls in-between.
The movie takes off into the comic stratosphere in its first sequence and then slowly sinks to Earth, made logy by its noble means and Sayles' increasing inability to shoot anything but fat clots of undramatic talk in the most boring manner imaginable.
The movie's so crowded, the story becomes strangled, and the political message Sayles is clearly aiming for loses its bite. But it's worth seeing, if only for Cooper's performance.
A juicy political lampoon that may be too close to reality for certain people to find amusing.
Latest News for Silver City
August 16, 2005:
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