Lone Star (1996)
90%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Smart and absorbing, Lone Star represents a career high point for writer-director John Sayles — and ’90s independent cinema in general.
Lone Star is like a good mystery novel that you can’t put down. It’s not flashy or over-the-top, but it keeps you hooked until the very end. John Sayles weaves a complex story that explores the history and tensions between different communities in Texas. The characters are well-developed and the acting is top-notch. It’s not your typical summer blockbuster, but it’s definitely worth a watch if you’re in the mood for something more substantial. Plus, it’s got Matthew McConaughey in a cowboy hat, so what’s not to love?
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Columbia TriStar Home Video, Sony Pictures Classics, Warner Home Vídeo
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-14
Year of Release
1996
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:16:9 HD
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Runtime:2h 14m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 21, 1996 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 27, 2005
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Joe Morton, Ron Canada, Clifton James, Kris Kristofferson, Matthew McConaughey, directed by John Sayles, written by John Sayles, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Anthony Lane, Adam Nayman, David Ansen, John Hartl, Joe Leydon, Michael Atkinson, Wesley Lovell, Cole Smithey, Emanuel Levy, R rating, Texas border town, Frontera, Sheriff Sam Deeds, murder, Sheriff Charlie Wade, investigation, Deputy Buddy Deeds, romance, high school sweetheart, secrets, Columbia TriStar Home Video, Sony Pictures Classics, Warner Home Vídeo
Worldwide gross: $12,408,986
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $12,408,986
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Elizabeth Peña – Pilar Cruz
Joe Morton – Colonel Delmore Payne
Ron Canada – Otis Payne
Clifton James – Mayor Hollis Pogue
Kris Kristofferson – Sheriff Charlie Wade
Director(s)
John Sayles
Writer(s)
John Sayles
Producer(s)
Maggie Renzi
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (52) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (4)
A well-constructed but rather unthrilling mystery thriller by John Sayles.
June 14, 2022
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
By the end, you’re grateful for the movie’s weight and substance; you feel that you’ve been put through something serious.
March 7, 2022
Anthony Lane
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
“Print the legend” may make a plea for amnesia, but Lone Star is worth remembering.
June 22, 2021
Adam Nayman
The Ringer
TOP CRITIC
With old-fashioned craftsmanship, Lone Star is not a movie you’ll quickly forget. It may not dazzle you with its flash, but it has more on its mind than all the summer would-be blockbusters put together.
February 27, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
[A] complex and rewarding new Texas murder mystery.
March 22, 2013 | Rating: 3.5/4
John Hartl
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
A richly textured and thoroughly engrossing drama that ranks with indie filmmaker John Sayles’ finest work.
March 26, 2009
Joe Leydon
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Sayles may be the last of the red-hot ideologues, but he’s also still the wide-eyed schoolkid who, given one wish, would ask for peace on Earth.
April 19, 2022
Michael Atkinson
Spin
Exploring the interconnection between truth and legacy, Lone Star is a neo-western exploration between the lawmen in myth and in practice as a young sheriff comes to learn the truth about his larger-than-life father.
February 12, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Wesley Lovell
Cinema Sight
One of several of writer-director John Sayles’s masterpieces -alongside such unforgettable films as “City of Hope,” “Matewan” and “The Secret of Roan Inish” – “Lone Star” is an absorbing neo-Western mystery told in a haunting magical realist tone.
September 27, 2012 | Rating: A+
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
The latest chapter in Sayles’ ongoing great American novel.
March 11, 2008 | Rating: 5/5
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com
Lone Star, one of Sayles best and most popular films, explores the historical strain between the Mexican and American communities in Texas. Though a bit didactic (too many sermons), it’s well acted and visually more satisfying than his other films
January 24, 2007 | Rating: A-
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
October 24, 2005 | Rating: 3/5
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)…
Plot
In the Texas border town of Frontera, Sheriff Sam Deeds investigates the murder of Sheriff Charlie Wade 40 years earlier, which leads him to uncover secrets and tensions in the town, including those involving his own father.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Chris Cooper delivers a brilliant and subtle performance as Sheriff Sam Deeds in Lone Star.
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