Lone Star

Novelist turned Roger Corman screenwriter (Alligator) turned indie auteur (Return of the Secaucus Seven; City of Hope; Matewan), John Sayles has enjoyed a long and distinguished career on the margins of the industry. In 1996, Lone Star proved to be one of his most successful movies, a modern day Western which is also a murder mystery, set in Frontera, Texas. When a skeleton is discovered on the edge of town, sheriff Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper) reluctantly concludes that it’s the corpse of a predecessor, corrupt lawman Charlie Wade (Kris Kristofferson), supposedly run out of town by Sam’s own father Buddy (Matthew McConaughey) 40 years previous. But who put the bullet hole in his cranium?

The investigation opens up old wounds, both personal, and political. Indeed, Sayles’ scope is vast, giving this relatively low budget movie an epic import.

The film is both timeless and specifically of its era (particularly in the border crossing scenes conceived and shot before the wall that eventually went up in Sayles’ location), a complex consideration of cultural conflicts and generational divides that seem hardwired into the American consciousness. A great American epic.

Jim Hemphill, IndieWire

Epic cinematic poetry. It’s resplendent with border-town atmosphere, heated by torrid weather and searing emotions.

Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News

John Sayles’ Lone Star contains so many riches, it humbles ordinary movies. And yet they aren’t thrown before us, to dazzle and impress: It is only later, thinking about the film, that we appreciate the full reach of its material.

Roger Ebert

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