The movie's not bad, but I feel like the plot got scattered with side storylines like the sergeant's girlfriend or the whole father-son colonel thing. I think if they'd focused more on Buddy Dids and added more flashbacks it would've been way better. The vibe of the New Mexico and Texas west was really cool though
"The day that man died, there was no one left on earth."
"For the first fifteen years of my life, I wanted to be just like Buddy. For the next fifteen, I tried to give him a heart attack."

The movie's not bad, but I feel like the plot got scattered with side storylines like the sergeant's girlfriend or the whole father-son colonel thing. I think if they'd focused more on Buddy Dids and added more flashbacks it would've been way better. The vibe of the New Mexico and Texas west was really cool though
"The day that man died, there was no one left on earth."
"For the first fifteen years of my life, I wanted to be just like Buddy. For the next fifteen, I tried to give him a heart attack."

Lone Star shows off the best of Chris Cooper’s abilities and pairs them with a kickass cast a characters and a camera that literally feels alive to follow them! These interwoven stories make for such a compelling watch, and there are enough characters for audiences to find people to root for and against easily. Sayles and his cinematographer on this one, Stuart Drybough, make this look sooooo good, especially the few scenes that take place at night. I feel like the daytime Texas desert stuff is almost evocative of 60’s/70’s movies, while the stuff at night feels so complementary with the time that the movie as released in its colorful stylization and camera work. There’s so much here about children paying for the crime of their parents, the reflections of the past in the present, and the strange interconnection of fate within this small community, and I loved every second of it. The half-sibling stuff at the end got real weird real fast, but it is what it is after enjoying the rest of the story for 2 hours! Very glad to have added this one to the shelf, as I will definitely be revisiting - Recommend completely!

Lone Star shows off the best of Chris Cooper’s abilities and pairs them with a kickass cast a characters and a camera that literally feels alive to follow them! These interwoven stories make for such a compelling watch, and there are enough characters for audiences to find people to root for and against easily. Sayles and his cinematographer on this one, Stuart Drybough, make this look sooooo good, especially the few scenes that take place at night. I feel like the daytime Texas desert stuff is almost evocative of 60’s/70’s movies, while the stuff at night feels so complementary with the time that the movie as released in its colorful stylization and camera work. There’s so much here about children paying for the crime of their parents, the reflections of the past in the present, and the strange interconnection of fate within this small community, and I loved every second of it. The half-sibling stuff at the end got real weird real fast, but it is what it is after enjoying the rest of the story for 2 hours! Very glad to have added this one to the shelf, as I will definitely be revisiting - Recommend completely!

Incredibly well written and put together, the transitions between past and present alone make this a great watch.

An underseen work of great storytelling.

Incredibly well written and put together, the transitions between past and present alone make this a great watch.

An underseen work of great storytelling.

damn. forget the alamo

damn. forget the alamo

“You got to be careful where you go pokin’… who knows what you’ll find”

John Sayles and Chris Cooper do it again, since watching Matawan 1985 I’ve been itching to see this other film from Sayles, it’s definitely lived up to my expectations and maybe even exceeded them. There are many parallels between Lone Star and Matawan, both have a very grounded and very human way of storytelling, both have a close focus on culture and history, both feature Chris Cooper as the main moral anchor in an otherwise slightly morally ambiguous world. Even after saying all of this it’s still impossible to compare both of these fantastic films, they’re such incredible films.
Lone Star is a quietly layered story of the hidden truths that should be uncovered even if they’re harmful to the reputation or integrity of a town hero, these truths are masterfully revealed through an unravelling of twists and turns that’s just so brilliant to watch. The film also had a very lovely romantic arc to it also which I found utterly humanising and real, such a wonderful emotionally charged story.
The undying moral ambition of Chris Cooper’s character is so great, it’s a fantastic contrast to all the morally grey characters and actions happening in the town he’s the sheriff of. Chris Cooper is one of the most underrated actors ever, he’s such a phenomenal actor with such a natural knack for deeply human characters, I really need to explore more of his work.
Visually this film is magnificent, the cinematography is simple but exceptionally solid with some of the most memorable transitions I’ve seen in any film, they’re unbelievably seamless and manage to perfectly weave past moments with the present, something that’s very difficult to portray visually.
In whole this film is absolutely spectacular, truly a special film. John Sayles is criminally overlooked, he’s an outstanding director and writer with such a strong understanding of humanity. Utterly delightful.

“You got to be careful where you go pokin’… who knows what you’ll find”

John Sayles and Chris Cooper do it again, since watching Matawan 1985 I’ve been itching to see this other film from Sayles, it’s definitely lived up to my expectations and maybe even exceeded them. There are many parallels between Lone Star and Matawan, both have a very grounded and very human way of storytelling, both have a close focus on culture and history, both feature Chris Cooper as the main moral anchor in an otherwise slightly morally ambiguous world. Even after saying all of this it’s still impossible to compare both of these fantastic films, they’re such incredible films.
Lone Star is a quietly layered story of the hidden truths that should be uncovered even if they’re harmful to the reputation or integrity of a town hero, these truths are masterfully revealed through an unravelling of twists and turns that’s just so brilliant to watch. The film also had a very lovely romantic arc to it also which I found utterly humanising and real, such a wonderful emotionally charged story.
The undying moral ambition of Chris Cooper’s character is so great, it’s a fantastic contrast to all the morally grey characters and actions happening in the town he’s the sheriff of. Chris Cooper is one of the most underrated actors ever, he’s such a phenomenal actor with such a natural knack for deeply human characters, I really need to explore more of his work.
Visually this film is magnificent, the cinematography is simple but exceptionally solid with some of the most memorable transitions I’ve seen in any film, they’re unbelievably seamless and manage to perfectly weave past moments with the present, something that’s very difficult to portray visually.
In whole this film is absolutely spectacular, truly a special film. John Sayles is criminally overlooked, he’s an outstanding director and writer with such a strong understanding of humanity. Utterly delightful.