Silver City (2004)

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

Director:

John Sayles

Writer:

John Sayles

Stars:

Chris Cooper, Thora Birch, Maria Bello

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Set against the backdrop of a mythic "New West," a satire that follows grammatically-challenged, "user-friendly" candidate Dicky Pilager, scapegrace scion of Colorado's venerable Senator Jud Pilager, during his gubernatorial campaign. When Pilager finds that he's reeled in a corpse during the taping of an environmental political ad, his ferocious campaign manager, Chuck Raven, hires former idealistic journalist turned rumpled private detective Danny O'Brien to investigate potential links between the corpse and the Pilager family's enemies. Danny's investigation pulls him deeper and deeper into a complex web of influence and corruption, involving high stakes lobbyists, media conglomerates, environmental plunderers, and undocumented migrant workers.

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Plot Keywords:

pot smoking | campaign | corpse | colorado | private detective | 

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Taglines:

Vote Richard Pilager.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

24 September 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Em Campanha

Filming Locations:

Colorado, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$337,484, 19 September 2004, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,017,376, 24 October 2004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anarchist's Convention Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chris Cooper and Kris Kristofferson previously appeared in Lone Star (1996), also directed by John Sayles

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ad Spokesman: Richard Pilager cares about Colorado.

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Connections

References All the President's Men (1976)

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Soundtracks

Santo
Written by Mary Frances Reza (as Mary Francis Reza)
Performed by The Mary Help of Christians Roman Catholic Church Congregation
Under Direction of Freddy Vargas
Courtesy of JMC Music, Inc.

User Reviews

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.