SILVER CITY

US, 2004, 128 minutes, Colour.
Maria Bello, Thora Burch, David Clennan, Chris Cooper, Richard Dreyfus, Miguel Ferrer, James Gannon, Daryl Hannah, Danny Huston, Kris Kristofferson, Sal Lopez, Michael Murphy, Mary Kay Place, Tim Roth, Ralph Waite, Billy Zane.
Directed by John Sayles.

For some audiences, John Sayles is an American cinema hero. While he has written a lot of screenplays that are genre pieces (and obviously enjoyed working the conventions of piranhas and alligators), his personal work has been very different. Sayles has created a body of films for almost a quarter of a century that study human nature (Return of the Secaucus Seven, Passion Fish) , take on social themes (Matewan, Men With Guns), life and death issues (Limbo, Casa de Los Babys) or look at different states of the US and cinematically dissect their ethos. But, he always does it though an interesting and entertaining story rather than a documentary or a film essay.

This time it is the turn of Colorado (after Texas in Lone Star, Florida in Sunshine State). Silver City is a planned retirement village to be built on an abandoned mine site. The setting is a state governor’s election and, as the film opens, a body surfaces on a lake while an environmental commercial is being shot featuring a candidate who is the son of a rich state senator. This opening leads us in all directions: moneyed interests, political manipulation, old families and the skeletons in their closet, Hispanic illegals and the dealers in workers, idealistic editors who have lost their jobs and run subversive websites, journalists and private detectives.

Sayles has a very large cast of character actors. He gives them all their chance to perform, even in brief cameos, and create rounded characters. Danny Huston is the mediocre private eye who unravels the mysteries. Maria Bello is his former partner, journalist in her won right in partnership with a values-free lobbyist. Richard Dreyfuss is the campaign manager. Tim Roth the website manager. Many Sayles regulars are in the film including Kris Kristofferson and, especially, Chirs Cooper. Cooper is very good as a rather intellectually and verbally challenged candidate who is a disaster without his cue cards and not much better with them. (There is a tongue-in-cheek note at the end that any resemblance to members of the Bush administration is unavoidable.)

Audiences know where they stand with Sayles. You are in for a well-told story, well-acted, an analysis of American society from a critical stance. And this he does very well.

1. John Sayles’ films, social interest, political? America 2004? The Bush re-election and campaign?

2. The sardonic reference at the end, “Any connection with the Bush administration is unavoidable”? Setting the tone? Anti-Bush? supporters enjoying the film? Bush supporters highly critical?

3. John Sayles and his writing, directing, knowing genres? Themes, human, social?

4. The structure of the film: the investigation, the introduction of the variety of characters, situations, the connections? Interviews, press confrontations? Crises? Political drama leading to thriller? Expose?

5. The strength of the cast, character actors and performances?

6. The title, the west, the minerals and booms, wealth and power? Business and the setting up of a new retirement village? The plan? The site, industry, toxic waste? Business interests? Political pressures?

7. Pilager and the filming of the commercials? Pilager as a person, his style? The parallel with George Bush? The issues, the environment? The reaction to the body? The budget of the advertisement, retakes? The intervention of the police? The mystery? The identity of the body? The gradual investigation, the role of the sheriff, the police force? The cause? The body at the morgue, the identification and the information? The post-mortem?

8. Pilager as a front for his father and the family? The various meetings that he attended, the campaigns, the speeches, his being hopeless at speeches, interviews? Press conferences? The party, the role of his father, his relationship with his father, with his sister? Indebted to Benteen and his company? His involvement in the business deals, the political? His being used?

9. Pilager’s sister, her career, her relationships, her past? Her son? The threats by the producer and adviser? Her being on the list of those wanting to damage her brother? Mitch and the information on his sister? Danny and his finding out about her, his meeting her son, the musician? Her erratic behaviour, the discussions, the sexual encounter, the aftermath of the seduction, her exploiting it, giving information to his bosses? Her change of heart later, the party? Her decision to help Danny? Her character, redeemable? The son and his love for his mother?

10. Danny and his career, his being a journalist, his relationship with Mitch, the bad decision, their being sacked? His relationship with Norah, the break-up? A good man, average, becoming the hero of the story, his being employed for the investigation and to make the threats? The finding of the body? The adviser and his hiring him? The proprietor and the company, Mort Seymour, his support from Grace Seymour? Giving him the job, the contacts? His going to threaten people – the right-wing broadcaster, the guide at the mine? His learning more of the truth?

11. Danny and Grace, the company, the investment, Mort and his plans? The money, the building up of Silver City, the need for political backing, financial backing, the contacts? The hopes? The influence of Chuck Raven? Grace having to sack Danny – yet giving him support? The ultimate failure of the Silver City project and the effect on Mort?

12. The lobbyist, Chandler Tyson, his disdain of Danny, his being in a relationship with Norah? The quality of their relationship, his political connections, giving information, his arguments, a political phoney, his appearance, being adaptable, depending on the issue? His breaking with Norah?

13. Mitch, his assistant, Karen Cross? Mitch’s history, his losing his job, the work on the internet, the subversive headquarters and staff, the characters working there, the collecting of information, his relationship with Danny? Their discussions, supplying the final information and pressure?

14. Norah, her past relationship with Danny, her skills as a reporter, interviewing Pilager, suspicious, following the leads? The discussions with Danny about their relationship, the ups and downs? Their meetings? The interviews, the pressure, her reconciling with him? A possible future?

15. The senator, his relationship with his son, disdain of his son, using him politically? The meetings with the powers-that-be, the political pressure, the party?

16. The character of Cliff Castleton, Danny’s confronting him at the radio station, his views, his being pressurised?

17. The visit to the mine, Casey Lyle, his past history, expertise, his knowledge of the truth, the issues of Silver City, the discussions with Danny?

18. Wes Benteen, the money man, his company, its links, discussions with Danny, talking about winners?

19. The sheriff, his suspicions, following through, wanting information from Danny, letting him be? His ultimate control over things and knowledge?

20. The mystery of the murdered man, Danny and his investigation of the workers, going on-site, the illegals and their fear, the encounter with Tony Guerra, friendship, the information? The violence, Esparza and his influence, pressure on illegal migrants, the workers, the accidental death, getting rid of the body? Guerra and Danny following, going to the mine, Danny’s falling in, the struggle? The truth about the dead man and the confrontation?

21. The climax, the mine, the river, the poison?

22. A satisfying drama, character study, social commentary, political drama – and its relevance to the events in the United States in the Bush administration period?