Just so...so bad

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Blistering performances.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This could have been much better. I think the writer/directors efforts to use this story / script as a vehicle for their leftist views ruined any potential this film had. Too much was crammed into the film to give real life to any of the characters, resulting in a series of what seemed like cameo roles for out of work actors, aka the "Love Boat Syndrome". I kept expecting the story to come together at the end with a plot twist, but unfortunately it was extremely predictable.Also, the Argo mine in Idaho Springs exteriors were used, but the interior shots of the mine were actually of the Phoenix Mine, which got no credits in the film.

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.

This movie is not as good as Passion Fish or even Lonestar, but it makes a point about how politics works in this country...and that is what Reinzi and Sayles were looking to bring to us in telling this story. Think of it as a metaphor for what has been and continues to take place in American political life and in our collective reality.The lead character, Danny, is kind of a loser and that is what makes it so difficult for the viewer to connect with the character; lost job, lost wife, lost girlfriend, another lost job, not to mention lost opportunities along the way. Danny serves a purpose, but what is it? Is he a metaphor for the hopelessness that has come to permeate the American experience? This is a tragedy play for sure and foretells the tragedy that is becoming more real for us day by day. The fact that Danny has makes no real lasting impact over what he discovers serves to illustrate what we as individual Americans will face when we attempt real change.John Sayles' movies don't have happy endings, or what we understand as such. Life goes on...albeit a little changed...for the characters in these movies. In Passion Fish and LoneStar in particular we know that love will eventually triumph, although that is not presented to us as what will happen. As for the characters in Silver City, well...that is Danny, you and I, and America. The point made is what will be our future if we allow politics to continue as it does in the American reality? We all know why this movie was made when it was; it still makes its point today, probably more so...since we are now reaping the 'benefits' of eight years of Republican rule....oh when will we learn?! It matters little who of the two candidates running for president today will be victorious in November 2008...the 'boss' remains the same and it is nameless and faceless, although we all know who the 'boss' is. Systems are like organisms; they don't want to die and they will do anything they need to...to survive. But maybe someday...

From the so elegant titles of the beginning to the very end with that song of Steve Earle, everything it's been well cared in this story about political intrigues, corruption, mistreatment of the immigrants, and critic of the system. The cast is just superb (in fact it is the strong point of "S. City"), and Chris Cooper looks great playing that drip Governor that's just a puppet in the hands of his father's rich friends (does it sound familiar to any of you, guys??). John Sayles had all the necessary ingredients to create a superb movie, but there's something wrong: maybe that there's not a specific target, maybe the so linear narration, maybe the excessive length... There's a very thin line that separates great movies from ordinary movies, and "Silver city" does not trespass it in any moment. Anyway, it is a good try, and it's good to have some quality stuff from Hollywood.*My rate: 6.5/10