Silver City (2004)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

John Sayles

Writer (WGA):

John Sayles (written by)

Release Date:

17 September 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Vote early. Vote often.

Plot:

The discovery of a corpse threatens to unravel a bumbling local politician's campaign for governor of Colorado.

Plot Keywords:

Campaign | Corpse | Colorado | Investigation | Candidate

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Chris Cooper	...	Dickie Pilager
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Chuck Raven
Cajardo Lindsey	...	Lloyd
John C. Ashton	...	Director
Elizabeth Rainer	...	Leslie
Donevon Martinez	...	Lazaro Huerta
James Gammon	...	Sheriff Joe Skaggs
Benjamin Kroger	...	Deputy Davis
Charles Mitchell	...	Henry
Danny Huston	...	Danny O'Brien
Alma Delfina	...	Lupe Montoya
Roslyn Washington	...	Hilary
David Clennon	...	Mort Seymour
Mary Kay Place	...	Grace Seymour
Tim Roth	...	Mitch Paine

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | USA:R (No. 40829) | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | UK:15 | Ireland:15A

Filming Locations:

Argo Gold Mine - 2350 Riverside Drive, Idaho Springs, Colorado, USA

Company:

Anarchist's Convention Films

Goofs:

Continuity: When Danny is talking to Maddy (towards the end of the scene at the back of her house), she appears to be wearing a jacket when shot from the front and a vest top when shot from behind.

Quotes:

Wes Benteen: American's don't have the patience for underdogs that they used to. A coach goes three seasons without a ring, he's out on his ass... as he should be.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tell Them Who You Are (2004)

Soundtrack:

Darn That Dream

Entertaining political/mystery/comedy

While not at the level of the best Sayles movies (Lone Star, The Secret of Roan Inish, etc.), Silver City is still entertaining. The film suffers a bit from trying to do too much, and not quite making it all the way to any of its targets. But there's still a lot to enjoy.

My first thought while watching this movie was: hey, Chris Cooper isn't the star! Since his face is featured on the poster, and he starred in Lone Star, and is generally considered an A List actor these days, this was a bit of a surprise. The lead actor turned out to be Danny Huston, half-brother of Angelica, son of John, grandson of Walter, etc. Huston's character, Danny O'Brien, is hired by the Pilager campaign to intimidate a few enemies of Dickie Pilager (Cooper) after a dead body shows up in a lake during a campaign photo op. But O'Brien is by nature anti-establishment, and instincts from his previous life as an investigative journalist kick in, so he starts to investigate much more than he was hired to.

The supporting cast is terrific, though many of them (Tim Roth and Thora Birch come to mind) are wasted in tiny roles. Aside from Huston and Cooper, the only actors given much to work with are Maria Bello as his ex-girlfriend, who also happens to be a political reporter, Richard Dreyfuss as the Rove-like campaign manager, and Sal Lopez as a Mexican chef that O'Brien gets involved in investigating the background of the victim. Daryl Hannah has a nice small role as Maddy Pilager, the candidate's sister.

The general problem the movie has is that it seems a bit indecisive as to whether it's about immigration or about politics. It seems to be a bit more about immigration than politics, and other films such as Redford's "The Candidate" have covered the latter ground with considerably more energy and insight. Some reviewers have noted a parallel to the Huston masterpiece "Chinatown" - but that's a high standard to aim for, and Silver City really doesn't come close. The script is far too disjointed, and Danny Huston is just not close to Nicholson's level as an actor. Still, the movie is enjoyable, especially for its insights into the migrant worker community, which is usually ignored by most Americans.