Lone Star (1996)

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:

Continuity: At the dedication of Buddy Deeds' plaque, it is supposed to be midday (Pilar says she is on lunch break), but long shadows are visible. A few minutes later, by the river, the sun is back overhead.

Quotes:

Ben Wetzel: I remember Charlie Wade come to my father's hardware store once. I was just a little boy. And I heard stories about how he shot this'un and how he shot that'un. The man winked at me. I peed my pants. He winked at me.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Since I Met You Baby

The sins of the fathers come back to haunt

John Sayles' direction of this film reminded me of Hitchcock in that I was always aware of the director's style and I enjoyed it every bit as much as the acting and the story. Like "Godfather," this is a tale of families and how the sins of the fathers cast their shadows over the generations. To illustrate the connection, Sayles will slowly track his camera from a conversation in one part of a room to another part of the same room where characters who lived 25 years earlier are conversing. The years have passed, we realize, but all the characters, even the dead ones, are in this together. The technique may sound strange, but it works magically. And another thing: I've always thought Kris Kristofferson was a better singer than actor, and a better songwriter than singer. But in this film he turns in an outstanding performance as a very very bad Texas border town sheriff who disappeared years ago and whose bones have just turned up in the desert. At least we think those are his bones, and to solve the puzzle, the current sheriff, son of the man who became sheriff when Kris disappeared, must dig further than he wants into the town's secrets. And once again, knowing how the film ends makes subsequent viewings just as fascinating as the first.