Silver City

Rating:
Summary: Meandering Political Satire.
Review: "Silver City" is writer/director John Sayles contribution to Election Year 2004. Unfortunately, this overtly political murder mystery isn't up to Sayles' usually high standards. Dicky Pilager (Chris Cooper) is a dim-witted son of a Senator who is running for Governor in the state of Colorado. While filming a television spot to promote his dubious concern for the environment, Dicky hooks a corpse on a fishing line. His paranoid campaign manager, Chuck Raven (Richard Dreyfuss), hires private investigator Danny O'Brien (Danny Huston) to find out if the corpse was planted by the Pilagers' enemies. Danny, who was a journalist until he fell victim to his own somewhat naive idealism, pokes into the Pilager family's fortunes, tracks down enemies and supporters, and tries to identify the dead man. He is too dedicated an investigator for his own good, though, and gets himself into much the same straits that ended his journalism career.

"Silver City" has John Sayle's trademark superior character writing and great ensemble cast. It gets off to a promising start, but the film is too long, the murder investigation tedious, and the pace is plodding. In case you don't know, Sayles' politics are left of center. "Silver City" lampoons President George W. Bush with Chris Cooper's Dicky Pilager, who "seems a lot more gubernatorial with the sound off". Kris Kristofferson plays Wes Benteen, a developer who wants to bulldoze national parks and the villainous brains behind the malleable Dicky: "Silver City" condemns relaxed environmental regulation, privatization of public lands, and heavy financing of political campaigns by private industry. Whether you agree with the film's politics or not, its story is weak and convoluted. And "Silver City"'s socio-political criticisms would have been been more effective approached with a commonsense style instead of a clearly left-wing perspective. On the bright side are Chris Cooper and Danny Huston's performances.

The DVD: Bonus features include a making-of documentary and an audio commentary by director John Sayles and producer Maggie Renzi. "The Making of Silver City" (35 minutes) is a poorly organized documentary in 7 parts. John Sayles and Maggie Renzi discuss the film's politics plainly, the cast talk about their characters, and we meet some of the crew. The audio commentary is about the technical aspects of filming, with little or no mention of the film's themes, and is really pretty good. Subtitles available in English.

Rating:
Summary: Fun and funny!
Review: First, this film has a bias, yes. Is it "propaganda"? -- no. I guess some of the other reviewers are remarkably thin-skinned conservatives who cannot bear the occasionaly parody of GW Bush as portrayed by Chris Cooper. The film does have a definite point of view, but it is more anti-corruption and pro-environment than it is partisan. While the Dickie Pillager character was obviously based on GW Bush, the other reviewer is incorrect that this is the central character... Chris Cooper doesn't really have that much screen time in the movie. The real central character is the discredited investigative journalist turned private detective, who tries to get to the bottom of a mystery involving an accidental death and a corporate coverup of environmental pollution. I found the film very funny, thoughtful and enjoyable and fail to understand the poor reviews. Although a bit messy & not one of Sayle's best films, (it was made extremely quickly, shot in May 2004 and released in September) It's definitely worth renting for a look.

Rating:
Summary: Quite a bit to follow--but it has its moments
Review: I guess I don't care for a whole lot of the escapist fluff that comes out in the movies these days, so I decided I'd go in for another of these more "cerebral" offerings, hearing that it was the tale of Colorado gubernatorial candidate Richard "Dickie" Pilager and the various dealings surrounding his election campaign. We are led along in something of a mystery, in which a general-purpose ex-newspaperman and investigator attempts to explain the discovery of a dead body in a supposedly-clean mountain lake. Were I more the film buff, I could have enjoyed the many placements of notable performers in this film, but I was spending most of my time trying to correlate the many story-lines and sub-plots related to the assorted special interests involved. The portrait of immigrant labor in America is well-done, as is the illustrated lesson of what happens to old mines that continue to created modern-day problems in a former boom-region. It was all entertaining enough, and variously humorous, but didn't have the compelling clarity that makes the first time through an effortless experience. If I were inclined to see it again, maybe a little more would make sense. Overall, I'm going to have to say 3.8 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Walk-out: feel free to take this review with a grain of salt
Review: It's official: 'Silver City' is my first walk-out of the year. Both my mother and I felt so blindsided by its boring, unfunny screenplay, stilted direction, and over-the-top, thin performances that we just could not take it any longer. Nothing meant anything, even though it was obviously political satire, from its synopsis surrounding the campaign of a dim-witted man (Chris Cooper) for governor to Cooper's own performance, so obviously an imitation of Bush that it unfolds into something annoying rather than clever or intelligent. Even its human story between a divorced Danny Huston (who is painfully over-the-top and artificial) and his long time ex, Maria Bello, felt forced and irrelevent.

And perhaps this is the problem, and why I was so surprised with the film's underwhelming performance. I've only seen director John Sayles' two previous films, 'Casa de los Baby' (2003) and 'Sunshine State' (2002), and was impressed by not only Sayles' skill with handling a large acting ensemble, but also with his nuanced, intricately emotional screenplays that make themes ranging from Real Estate politics in 'State' to American women waiting for Latin American children in 'Casa' the most endearing, heartfelt, human stories you may come across in modern cinema. But 'City' completely lacked any sign of reality. It was cliched to the very last detail, and unlike Sayles' past two films, the constant dialogue was not exciting, involving, and universal, but unrelentlessly boring to the point where you find yourself listening to the explosions from the next theater down and wishing you'd bought tickets for 'Sky Captain.'

Rating:
Summary: An effective, but muddled satire on politics
Review: John Sayles is always an interesting director who provides sharp and mature insights into contemporary society. Silver City - although convoluted and long - is definitely no exception. With a kind of left of center feel, Silver City makes a kind of quasi-political, and socially conscious statement about the multiple ways in which the rich and powerful stick it to the poor and exploited, which is probably true, except that this film gets so caught up in underdeveloped subplots, and is so side tracked by failed romances that it's hard to take any of it seriously. Environmental issues, worker exploitation, press compromise and dirty politics are all played out, but with so much going on, the film, at times, tends to get too didactic and too bogged down with its own self importance.

The story combines a murder mystery with a ruthlessly managed Colorado gubernatorial contest in what is obviously a hilarious parody of George W. Bush's oratorical limitations. A waterlogged corpse of an illegal immigrant is snared on environmental candidate Dickie Pilager's fishing line while he is shooting a campaign commercial. Pilager (a terrific Chris Cooper) - a simpleton and clueless son of a wealthy senator - is ordered off the shoot, while the local police investigate what appears to be a murder.

Pilager's first run for office is absolutely embarrassing. He's an ineffectual candidate who is parlaying a cow-manure empire into a campaign to become the governor of Colorado. He fluffs his lines, gives half-baked explanations on issues, and is generally so dumb and pliable that the local robber barons; a group of bent property developers - the state's real pillagers - back him to the hilt. A millionaire businessman (Kris Kristofferson) also hopes that having Pillager in office will buy him enough influence and access to do what he wants with the Colorado wilderness.

The film would probably have been more involving if it centered on Pilager but it takes an unpredictable turn, focusing instead on Danny O'Brien (Danny Huston) a disgraced investigative reporter turned private detective. Danny is hired by Dickie's vituperative campaign manager, Chuck Raven (a Karl Rove-like Richard Dreyfuss) to lean on three possible enemies if Dickie who may have put the body in the water. With such a huge cast of characters - most notably Danny's ex girlfriend Nora Allardyce (Maria Bello), a crusading journalist and Daryl Hannah as Pilager's disgraced sister - viewers may find there's just too many characters to follow.

With so much material and multiple plot lines, including Danny's attempts regain the social conscience that caused his downfall in the first place; the film feels more like a longer draft version of an original story that was never completely eliminated. Silver City does have moments of funny political satire, and when it stays focused it is an absolutely riotous look at the contemporary political process, but the ending is so oblique, unfocused and ambivalent that many viewers will be left with the feeling that they've missed something. Mike Leonard September 04.


Rating:
Summary: Sayles and satire don't mix
Review: John Sayles is not so sure-footed when it comes to satire. This movie never gets off the ground as it tries to echo the missteps of George Bush through an intellectually challenged governor of Colorado. Chris Cooper tried his darndest to draw the most out of the character, Dicky Pilager, but there just wasn't much here to go on. The plot is dull and pounds you over the head with its many allusions. It read more like a first draft for a movie than a polished final script. Sayles is much better when it comes to his more earnest movies like Lone Star and Matewan. Here he struggles to get a grip on his characters, reducing the story to an all too standard plot as Danny Houston plays a gumshoe trying to track down the identity of a corpse which ultimately spells trouble for the governor. The movie limps along with a star-studded cast desperately trying to come to terms with their characters. Kris Kristofferson seems to have the most fun as the Colorado tycoon bankrolling Pilager's campaign. But, the movie never manages to come together as it draws from Bush's administration in concocting this weak satirical effort.

Rating:
Summary: More from the John Sayles table - but more than we can chew!
Review: John Sayles thankfully continues to be one of our most controversial filmmakers in the US (City of Hope, Sunshine State, Lone Star, Secret of Roan Inish, Passion Fish, Casa de los Babys, etc). In SILVER CITY he continues his dissection of America's tarnished underbelly and with his usual techniques of large cast and long screenplay he gives us almost more than we can digest in one film.

Not that each of his avenues of story doesn't have merit (clearly not the case! - they do). But with so many agendas to examine through the eyes of such an enormous (and excellent) cast, some of the laser-like punches of his points become blunted. The story is relatively straight forward in the beginning: the simpleton, nerdy, inarticulate fool Dickie Pilager (Chris Cooper at his finest) is being processed as a candidate for Governor of Colorado by his campaign manager Chuck Raven (Richard Dreyfuss) and among the endless grammatical and textual faux pas is an accidental filming of Dickie trying to speak to the endangered environment while snagging the body of an illegal immigrant from one of the lakes in the mountains of Colorado. The smarmy way Raven attempts to hide this hideous discovery includes manipulating the press, the police, and the public all in order to have his grossly incompetent candidate continue in a good light. The discovered body unravels a chain of events that uncovers the corruption in every aspect of the town - and metaphorically in our country!

Sayles shines his wise light on the plight of illegal immigrant issues, the gross mismanagement of environmental protection (read destruction), the demise of journalism credibility, the greed of land developers, the stench of the wealthy, AND a not too occult parody of George W. Bush!

The large and generally fine cast (in addition to Cooper and Dreyfuss) includes the skills of Daryl Hannah, Tim Roth, Thora Birch, Maria Bello, Billy Zane, Danny Huston, Mary Kaye Place, Kris Kristofferson, and Miguel Ferrer. While the movie wanders along in excess of two hours and feels like the hand of an editor would be welcome, what Sayles has to say and warn us about is very much worth seeing. One leaves this movie with the feeling that a bit more time in the postproduction room would have brought this important film into a tighter and more pungent arena. Grady Harp, January 2005

Rating:
Summary: Murky, Confusing tale of Political Secrets.
Review: Sayles had a very interesting film on his hands with Silver City, however it somehow became very muddied as it progressed from beginning to end. Chris Cooper did an exceptional job embodying the essence of his character, a Dubya of sorts, but he wasn't nearly given enough screen time. Instead, we find ourselves on a rampage with a character that felt less personal, less developed, and overall too confusing. The path that this Danny Huston leads us on inevitably becomes the downfall of the film. Too many characters are introduced to us in such a short time. These characters randomly were involved with the progression of the plot, which became too convoluted with each passing minute. Sayles knew what he was creating, I just feel as if it wasn't being translated well to the silver screen.

Sayles is a master of his trade. His films continue to inspire and evoke thought even if they are not commercial successes. The trouble with Silver City is that I think he found himself going too deep with not enough money or time to explain it all. At the beginning of the film, I had an idea of what was happening, but as more and more characters were introduced, as more and more plot twists tried to occur I lost the sense of the film by the ending. While the ending was very clever and very dark, I needed more explanation. I think some of the reason that I lost my train of thought with this film was due to the casting of Danny Huston as our guide. He was pathetic. I didn't seem him as very exciting person to lead us on this adventure. He seemed to go through the motions, but not really accomplish much at all. This was the first downfall of Sayles' important film.

While I will admit that the characters played by Richard Dreyfuss, Miguel Ferrer, James Gammon, and Daryl Hannah were interesting, I just needed a better guide to help me understand their roles in this political scandal. Danny Huston just did not cut it for me. Outside of the characters, Sayles needed a stronger script. I sometimes felt that unless I was deeply rooted in the political world, some of the references were well over my head. The entire reasoning for Silver City to be built and the corruption behind it eluded me. I am a simpleton that loves advanced films, but this one just didn't make much sense to me. There were several times that I found myself asking, "Why" instead of seeing the whole picture. I felt as if the individual stories were as clear as glass, yet the whole picture was dusty and murky at the same time. Sayles needed to concentrate more on the bigger picture instead of these smaller issues, which ultimately fogged this film.

Perhaps I went into this film with the wrong idea. I was expecting to see another version of Primary Colors, but instead witnessed something less heartfelt and more technical. Without giving the ending away, I thought that the final scene was one of the most beautiful moments in political cinema history. The brilliant symbolism has stayed in my mind for the past two days after watching this film, while the rest of the movie quickly shuffled away from my mind. Maybe a second viewing would do better for me, but for some odd reason Silver City just didn't click with me. There seemed to be too many loopholes that were never explained or accounted for. An ensemble piece is always good with me, but when the characters are introduced without explanation, it just looses steam. This was one of those rare occasions.

Overall, I was very upset with this film. Being very Democrat, I wanted to see a side of politics that I wasn't aware of and another side that would make you chuckle. I wanted to be engulfed with the world of corporate money and the dufus' that are elected. I wanted intelligent humor framed by the words of George W., but instead all I found was a very confusing story aimed at a certain audience of which I will never be a part. Sad, this picture had so much wasted promise.

Grade: ** out of *****

Rating:
Summary: Could nave been better
Review: SILVER CITY could have and should have been better. As a political satire it works well. However, this single element can not carry this film. It fails in every other department. What's worse, is that the script asks the viewer to remember a host of character's names in order to follow the story. This does not work at all and is unfortunate because I felt this film had all the makings of another sleeper hit like LA CONFIDENTIAL.

Rating:
Summary: Silver City isn't a silver or gold medal, but a bronze
Review: Silver City is a good movie, but a little slow. I wish it could have had more of Chris Cooper (who seems to act very much like Bush) and Richard Dryfuss (who seems awfully Cheney like). The movie wasn't as funny as the previews made it look and actually turns up to be a pretty good murder mystery full of oddball characters. It kind of reminded me of Primary Colors, with John Travolta, which was a mimic of Clinton and his skeletons in the closest. The movie never seems to step up and be true political satire or a full fledge murder mystery. It is somewhere in between, which actually reflects politics in today's world. Overall, it is an interesting movie and worth watching. It is very very slow at times, and I didn't really care for Danny Huston's character.