Lone Star (1996) ****

John Sayles' western/noir-tinged Lone Star (1996) beautifully blends the past and present to investigate and navigate borders both physical and metaphorical, those between countries, ethnicities, races, and families alike. The theatrical transitions between time periods are wonderfully and seamlessly captured by cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh. The cast is populated by a truly talented ensemble that shine on screen. Sayles is a filmmaker that has a lot to say about a lot of things—relationships, politics, history, and more. This is only the second film directed by him that I've seen (the first being 1987's Matewan (review), also released by The Criterion Collection), but I've loved both and greatly look forward to diving into more of his work, which I hope becomes better represented on 4K UHD or Blu-ray.

John Sayles Feature Films Ranked