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List Price: $14.94 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 38508
Released: January 11, 2005 |
| Our Price: $1.05 |
| Used Price: $0.01 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Grammatically challenged, user friendly gubernatorial candidate Dicky Pilager has just launched a rosy campaign for the citizens of the New West. But things take an unexpected turn when the taping of an environmental political ad ends up with Pilager reeling in a corpse. Enter his ferocious campaign manager, Chuck Raven who hires idealistic journalist turned rumpled private detective Danny O'Brien to investigate potential links between the corpse and the Pilager family's enemies. In the tradition of the great films noir, Danny's investigation pulls him deeper and deeper into a complex web of influence and corruption, involving high stakes lobbyists, media conglomerates, environmental, plunderers, and undocumented migrant workers. Written and directed by John Sayles
Description of Silver City:
John Sayles tackles one of his most provocative projects in Silver City, a broadside on politics and campaigning. It's one of Sayles's multi-character tapestries, set during a tarnished governor's race in Colorado. Chris Cooper has kicky fun as a feather-brained candidate, whose nonsensical speeches deliberately evoke the 43rd U.S. president. He doesn't get nearly enough screen time, because the film follows a burned-out private detective (the awkward Danny Huston) as he tugs at conspiracies. Sayles's understanding of the connected relationships in the political world is keen, and his malignant ending scores points--though the issues are more convincing than the characters. A subplot romance between Huston and journalist Maria Bello is tired, and there's a rushed quality that undercuts the political barbs. The crowded cast helps it perk along. This is a companion piece to Sayles's City of Hope and Sunshine State, and proves his teeth are only getting sharper. --Robert Horton
Silver City Reviews:
Well, I liked it even though 
2009-03-10 - this movie tries to cover a lot of issues in a rather shallow manner and enters some subplots that could have easily been left out and would not have been missed. I have to agree w/ the critics that the detective/journalist main character could have been much stronger, more believable and certainly more likable. But hey, this is a satirical movie for entertainment, not a documentary. It wasn't made as a vehicle for Oscar nomination, but to encourage the viewer to wake up and pay attention to the world outside of oneself, and just maybe to start caring enough about American politics to get involved. Sure it takes digs at GW and the GOP prior to the presidential election, but none are out of line (although by now who hasn't heard it before?). I took it for what is, enjoyed the great cast demonstrate their movie magic skills. I even bought it for my DVD library to view when I need a good laugh and/or inspire me to reignite my political awareness and involvement.
Underrated
2008-09-18 - Lost in the glare of Michael Moore's 2004 pseudo-documentary Fahrenheit 911 was independent filmmaker John Sayles' far more incisive filmic take on politics called Silver City. While Moore's film was a frontal assault on the George W. Bush administration, Sayles' film was less a jab at Right Wing politics, although it clearly was, and more an assault on the sliminess of politics in general. I was surprised at how good the film was, considering all the negative reviews it got from critics. Is it a great film, in league with Sayles' best? No. But it's light years beyond typical Hollywood fare- especially bigger budgeted films like the Clinton era's Wag The Dog.
The film it most resembles is Roman Polanski's Chinatown, although set in contemporary Colorado, and this film having a lighter feel- in terms of the cinematography and humor.... t's a shame that this film was swamped by so many other screechy films, such as Fahrenheit 911 and Mel Gibson's The Passion Of The Christ, for it deserved it, despite its bad ending. The best thing about Sayles is that he is unpredictable- save that he writes and directs stellar adult dramas, and given his last several films, that aspect of his work seems to be in no danger of diminishing.
Two hours lost forever... 
2007-09-08 - There is really nothing to watch. This vehicle was really just a forced opportunity for the writer to spew hatred with petty, mean-spirited bitchery.
I had to wonder about the big names in this film. Are they like-minded with the little writer? Or just desperate for a mortgage payemnt?
Earnest attempt at political satire
2007-06-09 - I found the film very slow for the first half but it picked up a little and I managed to sit through it and actually enjoy it. I think the main problem is that John Sayles cares too much about the subject matter and loses the aesthetic distance it requires to make an enjoyable movie. I totally share his political concerns and only wish that this could have succeeded. He piles horrific offense on top of horrific offense and I got bogged down. The romantic encounters of the star, Danny Huston, with Darryl Hannah and Maria Bello, relieved the dreariness and made the film more watchable, at least for me.
The cast is excellent, and as others have mentioned, Chris Cooper does a pretty humorous version of the man we all love to hate, although I actually think he overdid it a little. I always enjoy Kris Kristofferson and would have liked to have seen more of him as the arch villain.
It's a film worth seeing, for the importance of the message. The last scene, of dead fish floating on the water, with someone singing America the Beautiful in the background brought tears to my eyes.
satire and commentary
2006-07-25 - I put this movie alongside "The Candidate", "Bob Roberts" and "Wag the Dog" for pointed political commenary that is also entertaining.
