SILVER CITY
Directed, Written & Edited by: John Sayles.
Produced by: Maggie Renzi.
Director of Photography: Haskell Wexler.
Music by: Mason Daring.
Released by: Newmarket.
Country of Origin: USA. 129 min. Rated: R.
With: Maria Bello, Chris Cooper, Richard Dreyfuss, Miguel Ferrer, Daryl Hannah, Danny Huston, Kris Kristofferson, Tim Roth & Ralph Waite.

John Sayles returns to form in this film noir-cum-satire. Chris Cooper plays Dickie Pilager, a simple-minded, stumbling, gubernatorial candidate, with Richard Dreyfuss as his press officer, who coaches Dickie through the campaign. Danny O'Brien (Danny Huston), a journalist turned detective, is hired by the Pilager team to investigate a dead body that the candidate has unwittingly fished out of the water while shooting a campaign ad about the environment. Danny's investigation leads him to those who may have a bone to pick with Dickie: a right-wing radio personality (Miguel Ferrer); an environmentalist (Ralph Waite); and even the candidate's pot-smoking, Olympic-hopeful sister, played with sex appeal and humor by Darryl Hannah. But as it turns out, none of these folks threw the arsenic-dusted corpse into the lake.

The stunning Colorado mountain-framed and glittery-laked landscape stands for America. The western setting is a common one for Sayles, where the Mexican-American population plays an important role in contrast to the rich developers (including a grizzly Kris Kristofferson) who exploit undocumented workers along with the environment. The film's strong ensemble cast and twisting story line keep the audience hooked. And at its core, the movie is political. Through the course of the film, Sayles takes on environmental, immigration, and corporate media ownership issues. Obvious but not heavy-handed, Silver City is a forceful statement for change in the power structure. Caitlin Shamberg, former programming associate for the Mill Valley Film Festival
September 13, 2004