Lone Star

 ((Drama -- Color))

By JOE LEYDON

A Sony Pictures Classics release of a Castle Rock Entertainment presentation of a Rio Dulce production. Executive producer, John Sloss. Produced by Maggie Renzi, Paul Miller. Directed, written by John Sayles.
 
Sam Deeds ... Chris Cooper Pilar ... Elizabeth Pena Delmore Payne ... Joe Morton Otis Payne ... Ron Canada Hollis Pogue ... Clifton James Charlie Wade ... Kris Kristofferson Buddy
Deeds ... Matthew McConaughey Mercedes Cruz ... Miriam Colon Bunny ... Frances McDormand Young Hollis ... Jeff Monahan Young Otis ... Gabriel Casseus Young Pilar ... Vanessa Martinez Young Sam ...Tay Strathairn Indie filmmaker John Sayles may attract his largest mainstream audience to date with "Lone Star," a richly textured and thoroughly engrossing drama that ranks with his finest work. Slated for a June domestic release by Sony Pictures Classics, the Castle Rock Entertainment pic was sneak previewed to resounding applause in a public screening at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin.
 

Bountifully rich in incident and characterization, "Lone Star" recalls the vast canvas of Sayles' "City of Hope." This time, instead of offering an overview of contemporary urban life, the maverick writer-director focuses on a small Texas border town where the sins of fathers continue to haunt sons, and no one can break free from the grip of the past without a determined struggle.

Chris Cooper is first among equals in a strong ensemble cast as Sam Deeds, the taciturn but easygoing sheriff of Frontera. His late father, played in flashbacks by Matthew McConaughey, held the same job for 15 years, and continues to be revered by most of the townspeople as a legend. (Sam remembers him as a far less admirable figure.) The locals still swap stories about the fateful night 40 years ago when Buddy Deeds (McConaughey) ran his corrupt predecessor, Charlie Wade (Kris Kristofferson), out of town.

No one has seen or heard of Wade since his hasty departure, but everyone remembers him as a racist, murderous despot.

When skeletal remains are uncovered at a long-abandoned Army rifle range near the town, Sam is called in to investigate. He finds a rusty sheriff's badge near the bones and begins to suspect that there's more to his father's legend than anyone has revealed.

Sure enough, the remains are identified as those of Charlie Wade. Sam suspects his father killed the villain, and begins to question Buddy's friends and associates. Mayor Hollis Pogue (Clifton James), Buddy's former deputy, urges Sam to let sleeping dogs lie. Not surprisingly, Sam continues to probe. Even less surprising is that the more he digs into his father's past, the more he learns about himself.

As dramatic counterpoint to Sam's investigation, Sayles unfolds a subplot involving Col. Delmore Payne (Joe Morton), the newly assigned commander of the nearby Army base. The assignment is a mixed blessing for Payne, a Frontera native whose father, Otis (Ron Canada), still operates the only bar for blacks in the area. Otis walked out on his wife and son years ago. Now Col. Payne is erring on the side of overcompensation by being a demanding father to his own son.

Repeatedly, Sayles emphasizes his central theme: History is merely a collection of highly subjective appraisals. Truth, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, is seldom pure and always ambiguous.

Hispanics in Frontera are demanding that more balanced and multicultural history texts be used at the local high school, and Pilar (Elizabeth Pena), a widowed schoolteacher, is sympathetic to their demands. But she is more interested in her own history, which involves an edgy relationship with her restaurant-owner mother (Miriam Colon), and memories of her long-ago romance with Sam.

Sayles skillfully intertwines all these relationships and revelations in a complex but lucid mystery plot. The secret behind Charlie Wade's violent demise is dramatically sound and genuinely surprising. Even more interesting, however, is the chain of family ties, secret passions and ruthless ambitions that unites the characters.

Much as he did in "City of Hope,""Passion Fish" and "The Secret of Roan Inish ," Sayles vividly conveys the racial, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of his dramatic landscape. ("Lone Star" was filmed in and around Del Rio, Texas.) Even relatively minor subplots about interracial romance and political maneuverings ring true with their precise and persuasive detail.

Kristofferson makes the most of his relatively few scenes, so that his malignant presence hovers over the action even when he's nowhere to be seen. Morton brings an unexpected touch of compassion to his stern military man, while Colon makes a memorable impression as an equally stern parent.

Pena reveals a quiet strength and sad-eyed sensuality in her multifaceted role as wife, mother and lover. She and Cooper bring out the best in each other as Sam and Pilar take their first, wary steps toward rekindling their passion.

Canada and James give vibrant performances as characters who would prefer not to shine light on their own dark secrets. Frances McDormand is both comical and tragic in her one-scene role as Sam's ex-wife, Bunny, a manic-depressive football fan.

Tech credits -- especially Stuart Dryburgh's fluid cinematography -- are first-rate across the board.

Camera (color), Stuart Dryburgh; editor, Sayles; music, Mason Daring; production design, Dan Bishop; art direction, Kyler Black; set decoration, Dianna Freas; costumes, Shay Cunliffe; sound (Dolby), Clive Winter; associate producer, Jan Foster; assistant director, John Powditch; casting, Avy Kaufman. Reviewed at South by Southwest Film Festival, Austin, Texas, March 14, 1996. MPAA rating: R. Running time: 134 min.