SmugKitZine Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Scotty Burke It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

merklekranz Good example of a film that introduces too many characters and then expects the bewildered audience to figure out what's happening. You shouldn't have to think so much as to what's going on. This is supposed to be entertainment, however I found "Lone Star" to be exhausting, rather than interesting. Flashbacks only add to the tepid pacing. The conclusion is both frustrating and somewhat of a letdown. The acting is fine, especially Chris Cooper, with less going on, probably the movie would have benefited. I realize Sayles has cult status, but here he has failed to impress. My conclusion is that this is definitely not worth sitting through, only to be disappointed. - MERK

julian-bedale The sad news of Elizabeth Pena's death earlier this week (on 14.10.14) aged only 55 prompted me to watch the DVD of this superb movie again.The action takes place over 6 days commencing on a Tuesday morning with the discovery of a skeleton in an abandoned rifle range outside the border town of Frontera, Texas. This brings the mystery of the sudden, unexplained disappearance 40 years earlier of the town's bullying, psychopath Sheriff, Charlie Wade (played with great menace by Kris Kristofferson - there was a collective intake of breath amongst the cinema audience every time he came on screen when I first saw the film here in London in 1996!), back to the fore amongst the older residents of Frontera.Chiefly concerned is the current Sheriff, Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper) whose father (& long-term predecessor as Sheriff) Buddy had long been suspected of murdering Wade. The twists and turns of the plot as Sam talks to people who had known his two predecessors in the town & across the border in Mexico are gradually skilfully tied together. During these few days, Sam also re-kindles his romance with his high school sweetheart Pilar (played with understated elegance by Elizabeth Pena), which Buddy had forcibly ended 23 years earlier.Mr Sayles also uses a "tracking" technique several times in the film to great effect by switching from events happening now to those taking place in the past, using exactly the same locations.A couple of slight carps - the character of young Hollis (Buddy Deeds' co Deputy Sheriff to Charlie Wade 40 years earlier) is very under-developed, so he unfortunately comes across as a complete nonentity, & the two characters of Wesley Birdsong (Gordon Tootoosis) & Bunny, Sam's "tightly wound" ex-wife (an electrifying 5 minute performance by Frances McDormand) each appear out of the blue 3/4 of the way through the film with very little connection to the action up to that point - but, between them, manage to provide the final clues to enable Sam to solve the murder mystery!These are very minor criticisms in what is a beautifully shot & acted, enthralling murder mystery, which also shows how people of different cultures manage to co-exist astride the US - Mexico border. This was the first John Sayles movies I ever saw, & remains his finest, although all his other 17 films are very well worth seeing as well.

Maziun I have seen three movies of John Sayles now with this one. For me Sayles definitely works better as a writer than a director. As a writer he knows what he wants , but as a director he fails to deliver it. I get what the movie is about , I understand it and I appreciate it. The problem is that the movie feels much like a long episode of some TV drama. It's not really a cinematic experience , the pacing could be better and the movie lacks style. I wasn't involved emotionally in the whole story for one moment. As a director Sayles kinda fails to put some meaning into the story , to make it something that will stay with you long after the movie is gone. Maybe he should allow somebody else to direct his screenplays ? It doesn't mean that I wasted my time on this one. The mystery about the past of our hero's father kept me interested. "Lone star" is a good drama about conflict between a child and it's parent , which appears here three times (Sam , Pilar and Delmore Payne – they all in conflict with one of their parents). The movie also quite well portrays the tension between the citizens of the city – white , black , Latin . The portrayal here seems very realistic and doesn't take any sides. It's fair look at the serious problem and allows you to make your own opinion.The acting is solid , especially Kris Kristofferson as the evil sheriff. The characters are likable. The screenplay has it's share of good humor and some nice twists near the end.The movie with a better direction and 30 minutes shorter (some subplots don't seem that necessary) could be a really great one. Still , it's a good movie. I give it 7/10.

Andy Steel If anything I found this one a little too complex; there were several threads that seemed totally unrelated to the main thrust of the story. It's also, I felt, a little too long; the filmmakers are asking quite a lot for an audience to concentrate for two hours and fifteen minutes. It is slow paced, but I didn't particularly mind that; I'm used to the noir style and it is usually quite a slow burner. Some great performances with Chris Cooper coping well with the leading role and Kris Kristofferson playing the villain of the peace with gusto. Also we have Elizabeth Peña, who did an excellent job as the female lead and a small part for Matthew McConaughey as Buddy Deeds. Although it does have its problems I still found it an excellent watch; definitely one to look out for for all you noir fans out there.SteelMonster's verdict: RECOMMENDEDMy score: 7.5/10.You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.