Susan Granger’s review of “Silver City” (Newmarket Films)
Unpredictable John Sayles (“Limbo,” “Passion Fish,” “Lone Star,” “Sunshine State”) is one of the most inventive and original of today’s independent filmmakers, which is why I was so disappointed to discover that this complex political satire falls far short of the mark. Dickie Pilager (Chris Cooper), the dimwitted heir to a right-wing political dynasty headed by Senator Judd Pilager (Michael Murphy), is Colorado’s grammatically-challenged, born-again candidate for Governor in 2004. As luck would have it, as Dickie tosses a fishing line into a pristine lake while filming an environmental TV ad, his lure snags a human hand. His suspicious campaign manager (Richard Dreyfuss) quickly hires a journalist-turned-private-detective (Danny Huston) to investigate possible links between the decomposing corpse and Pilager family enemies, including Dickie’s estranged, pot-smoking sister (Daryl Hannah). Written, directed and edited by John Sayles, it attacks George W. Bush’s anti-environmental policies but slowly meanders in too many directions to hold audience interest in the way that Michael Moore’s “Farenheit 9/11” did. The pacing is uneven and it’s often difficult to grasp whether a specific scene is black comedy or a bitter commentary on the overall corruption of state and federal government. As always, Sayles’ sense of place – this time: Denver, Colorado – is impeccable and his ensemble (Kris Kristofferson, Maria Bello, May Kay Place, Thora Birch, Tim Roth, Miguel Ferrer, Billy Zane, Sal Lopez) are well chosen, except for Danny Huston (“21 Grams”) whose utter blandness becomes boring very quickly. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Silver City” is a sad, fumbling 5. It’s a laid-back, even lackadaisical lampoon.
