One of Sayles’ biggest successes at the box office, presumably because it has a (seemingly) more conventional structure, being a murder mystery. An old skeleton is discovered outside a Texan town, triggering off various revelations. This is a film about history, really – black, Mexican, white, family (Indians are mentioned but not as prominent as the others), heroes, villains. Lots of oral history, which means long speeches, intercut with flashbacks. Like all top Sayles works the story is solid, the characters are rich – it feels like a genuine town, populated by real people. Also like Sayle’s work, occasionally it falls into essay mode – historical essays, which are interesting to hear but do sound a bit clunky at times. Charlie Wade is one of the few out-and-out unredeemable villains Sayles created – utterly corrupt, ruthless, racist, terrifying. The ending is a bit yuck, with the half brother and sister deciding to continue a romantic relationship with each other.
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