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Rated: R; Genre: Drama; With: Chris Cooper, Kris Kristofferson, Matthew McConaughey and Joe Morton
B+

LONE STAR Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Pena (1996, Columbia TriStar, R, priced for rental) Everything's larger than life in Texas, it's said, and writer-director John Sayles' rich, Oscar-nominated screenplay begins with the outsize legend of Rio Grande County sheriff Buddy Deeds (Matthew McConaughey). Years later, Buddy's son, frustrated, weary sheriff Sam Deeds (Cooper), takes on that legend by delving into his father's role in the unsolved murder of a corrupt lawman (a coldly reptilian Kris Kristofferson). Director Sayles deftly enhances the story's resonance with seamless flashbacks, and on video, the handy rewind button makes it easier to sort out the intricate plot. But muddy sound (especially in the film's crucial finale) frustrates viewers who, like Sam, have struggled to extract the truth from the calcified remains of history, memory, desire, and myth. A-


Posted Apr 11, 1997
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