Lone Star (1996)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

John Sayles

Writer (WGA):

John Sayles (written by)

Release Date:

21 June 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Western

Tagline:

John Sayles invites you to return to the scene of the crime.

Plot:

When the skeleton of his murdered predecessor is found, Sheriff Sam Deeds unearths many other long-buried secrets in his Texas border town.

Plot Keywords:

Sheriff | Texas | Skeleton | Border | Bar

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 12 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Stephen Mendillo	...	Cliff
Stephen J. Lang	...	Mikey
Chris Cooper	...	Sam
Elizabeth Peña	...	Pilar
Oni Faida Lampley	...	Celie
Eleese Lester	...	Molly
Joe Stevens	...	Deputy Travis
Gonzalo Castillo	...	Amado
Richard Coca	...	Enrique
Clifton James	...	Hollis
Tony Frank	...	Fenton
Miriam Colon	...	Mercedes Cruz
Kris Kristofferson	...	Charlie Wade
Jeff Monahan	...	Young Hollis
Matthew McConaughey	...	Buddy Deeds

Also Known As:

Estrella solitaria (Argentina) (video title) (Mexico) [es]
Lone Star (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Ahol a legendák születnek (Hungary) [hu]
Lone Star (Spain) [es]
Lone Star - A Estrela Solitária (Brazil) [pt]
Lone Star, el rastre d'un crim (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Monahiko asteri (Greece) [el]
Na granicy (Poland) [pl]
Samotna zvezda (Slovenia) [sl]
Stella solitaria (Italy) [it]
Um Corpo no Deserto (Portugal) [pt]

MPAA:

Rated R for brief language, sex and violence.

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | France:U | South Korea:15 | USA:TV-MA | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 (w) | Netherlands:16 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:AA

Filming Locations:

Del Rio, Texas, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The hands seen laying out the bones in this movie belong to David Glassman, a forensic anthropologist at Southwest Texas State University.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Pvt Johnson is told she failed the drug test, the rank on her hat is upside down.

Quotes:

Charley Wade: Son, you got a talent for stating the obvious.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 69th Annual Academy Awards (1997) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart

One of the best movies ever.

This just ran tonight on HBO. I haven't watched it in a few years now. Lone Star has, if anything, improved with each viewing, which is really saying something because I remember how truly riveted and fulfilled I was on its first viewing in the theater. This is film-making at its very best.

This must be one of the all time greatest pieces of writing for the cinema. Period. So many characters are here and they're all richly developed and mined to make you think even more about the film's many themes. The story just hooks you right from the start and is utterly absorbing, and the layers of subplots and meanings reach dizzying heights of complexity and poignancy without sacrificing entertainment value. You practically walk away from the film saying "yes, for once someone has something to say and it's said so eloquently". To me, Lone Star is one of the masterpieces of American movies.

This has one of the greatest final lines that I've ever seen in a movie. That last line illuminates everything that has come before it in a way that is both shattering and ironic. The performances are uniformly superb, and you can just imagine what the cast was thinking, with the opportunity to perform this piece. All the technical aspects are first rate, which makes you truly wonder why movies cost so much in Hollywood. The music is outstanding. But at the end of the day, it's the incredible writing here that lingers. The second half of the movie pays off in spades due to the development of the many characters and sub plots that are so brilliantly interwoven. The movies Lone Star reminds me of most are The Last Picture Show, Chinatown, and Nashville. Take my word; if you like any of those pictures and haven't had the distinct pleasure of seeing Lone Star, please give it a chance. You will not be disappointed.