Silver City (2004)

Silver City Poster

Director, writer and editor John Sayles is an independent film maker best known for working with an ensemble cast placed in complicated settings, but Silver City (2004) just does not work. More like a made for TV film than a main feature it stars Chris Cooper as Richard Pilager a George W Bush like candidate running for the position of Governor of Colorado. One day while filming on location for a ‘close to nature’ campaign ad Pilager hooks a corpse with his fishing rod. Chuck Raven (Richard Dreyfuss) Pilagers Campaign Manager, hires former journalist Danny O’Brien (a not very convincing Danny Huston), who now works as a private investigator, to look into the case. Raven wants O’Brien to find potential links between the dead man and Pilagers political enemies! The investigations reveal corrupt politicians, shady land developers and dishonest mining companies as well the illegal use of migrant workers.

A film with potential? The critic Roger Ebert described it as a ‘murder mystery linked to a political satire’ but in fact it has to much to say for it self and most of it confusing and disjointed. Not an impressive movie by any means and in places can be quite pedantic. Watch the trailer and you have seen the best of the film.