Colon Classification Movie Reviews

My teenage son wore out a VHS copy of this film listening to Denzel play the piano ("I woke up feeling so bad, you know I laid right back down again"--Taj Mahal), my husband and I wore out a second for the thrilling murder mystery and the magnetism of the star. Lush, seductive, and fast paced, the music is terrific, the setting is exotic, and the action and sexual tension never let up to the last scene.

First of all, and of supreme importance, the writing is excellent. The first few times I watched it I kept on finding more and more wonderful nuances. There is even a story within a story. There is so much more to this movie when you keep your ears pricked and your expectations high.

The camera is magical, and seems to capture the very essence of each scene. The cast is brilliant -- practically everyone can act, and act well (except for the Lizard-Fish). The soundtrack rocks with sweet old school reggae (this is a 1987 movie, after all).

Denzel Washington plays an overworked, righteous and heroic chief of police, endowed with a highly accurate intuition and overflowing with charm. Ladies, he is hot. His best friend, Maubee, is the prime suspect in a murder that makes no sense. Add to that suspicion and conspiracy and a ten thousand dollar bill, and you have a mystery sleeper that keeps you guessing and entertains consistently. Great for any audience.

The dialogue is rhythmic, musical -- the Jamaican accents are rich in variety, pleasing to the ear, comprehensible, and believable. Even Denzel's accent leaves nothing wanting.

I've lost count of how many times I've watched The Mighty Quinn solve this mystery while juggling his personal obligations. You will not regret getting this movie.

The movie focuses on three stories with characters from each ethnic group and the issues that they are confronted with both within their cultures and also as their culture relates to the other cultures. The characters experience prejudice and acceptance, love (sometimes forbidden) and hate, democracy and dictatorship, tragedy and triumph, and success and failure. The relationships touch on family dynamics, romance, social and political aspects of the individuals in this film. In addition to the movie's entertainment value, the hidden educational content was a pleasant addition. I found it difficult to stay emotionally detached from the characters in this film and I was surprised to learn how their lives intertwined.
I think this movie was extremely well done and I think it has something to offer just about everyone. Although I was disappointed in the way the movie ended, I truly enjoyed Lone Star and I would give it a four out of five star rating. This is an excellent movie that I would recommend to anyone.

Chris Cooper's potrayal Sheriff Sam Deeds is compelling evidence of what a masterful actor can accomplish with a well written screenplay . A lesser screenwritter would have resorted to dialogue that fit Sam Deeds into the mold of a stereotypical screen cop. In Hollywood, the Sheriff Deeds role gets written as either a facist, a buffon, a flawed anti-hero, or the Sgt. Friday perfect role model. Chris Cooper's tender and heartbreaking conversations with Elizabeth Pena's character should be studied by students of film, as a rare moment when accomplished acting is supported by a well written screen play. Chris Cooper's triumph is that he authenticates his character by playing against the prevailing "wisdom" of who cops are. Over the years, Cooper has revelled in the challenge of playing roles which shatter stereotypes, like the closeted gay Ex-Marine father in "American Beauty", or the seriously demented but often charming orchid pirate, John LaRoche in "Adaption". I pray that Chris Cooper's new found success doesn't lead him away from his frequent collaborations with Sayles. Sayle's dialogue and Cooper's acting fit like a glove. Chris Cooper is an actor of astounding range and should be included among the great screen actors of this era.

The supporting cast of Kris Kristofferson, Francis McDormand and several Latino actors in secondary roles is impressive. Two actors merit special mention for their performances: Joe Morton is a long-time member of Sayles periodical ensemble of actors. His small role as Col. Delmore Payne is a painful reminder of how his prodigious talents are woefully under utilized. Morton a Tony Award winning stage actor appears to have been relegated to a character actor in supporting roles, since his astounding performance in another Sayle's movie "Brother From Another Planet". One hopes that a shrewd casting agent will realize Morton's untapped potential as an actor. The other performance of note is Matthew McConaughey's portrayal Buddy Dees. McConaughey was once the toast of Hollywood; but currently appears to be deadlocked by his own indecision on whether he wants to be a movie star or an actor. McConaughey has made some bad career decisions and in "Lone Star" we learn that he is capable of great things, if he doesn't let his pretty face get in the way.

The byazantine plot line is complex and the fine details of it's twin story lines may be alternatively fascinating and frustrating, to the viewer. One line involves a cast of characters in present-day and the other involves a separate cast that involves events 30 years prior to the present. For an attentive viewer, the rewards are great as Sayles skillfully merges, weaves, blends and resolves the dual story lines by the final credits. Along the way the viewer is treated to more murder, treachery, corruption, greed and incest than a Greek tradgedy.

It's safe to say that John Sayles will remain an outsider and renegade in the eyes of Hollywood. Sayles emerged from the counter-culture and stays at the margins, by choice. Hollywood doesn't like left leaning directors like Sayles or Oliver Stone. The fact that Sayles doesn't even make dogmatic films doesn't seem to matter, Sayles is "one of them" and it's unlikey that things will change. Oliver Stone for all of his huffing and puffing about the Establishment, still won an Oscar or two. Sayles is the better filmaker because he doesn't hammer the viewer with, overblown rhetoric, cartoonish characters and self-indulgent auteurism to make a politcal point. "Lone Star" managed tweak the establishment by being a favorite of critics who took the Academy to task for ignoring "Lone Star." Sayle's amazing legacy will be recoginzed with the passage of time. Perhaps when John Sayles is 85 years old and in an extended care nursing home, the Academy will finally wheel him out bestow a Lifetime Acheivement Award and soothe their guilt for never recognizing his artistry. I think Sayles would be more flattered by a National Book Award, if and when, he decides to write the Great American Novel.

LOWPOINTS: Giorgio Moroder's score; overdramatized at times; lacks consistent structure; gratuitously violent; Michelle Pfeiffer's acting; overlong.

CONCLUSION: One of the most influential films ever made, 'Scarface' failed both critically and at the box-office when it came out due to its three-hour length, Giorgio Moroder's straightforward synthesizer score and the ambiguous protagonist, Tony Montana. Not sure whether to root for him or loathe him, audiences failed to recognize a hero in the scarred face of Al Pacino, whose overall flaming performance was deemed offensive - Montana only wanter the cream of the crop, and nothing would stop him . Similar to 'Blade Runner', which also failed at its premiere and only now is considered classic due to its influences, 'Scarface' was later established as one of the most powerful gangster epics.
Brian DePalma ALWAYS exaggerates - it is the director's auterish touch that he inserts into his films to emphasize the action. While the film IS slightly off-putting in its structure (it lingers too long on unnecessary periods of Tony's life and skips significant ones, like his rise to success), and the Moroder score, along with Pfeiffer's uncertain amateurish performance, plainly suck, it is the palpable invigoration of the director at his peak in each scene that makes 'Scarface' a true classic. The violence IS excessive, but all is forgiven, because Pacino's forceful acting accomodates DePalma's style smoothly. Montana is all raw nerve. It is scarier to watch him snap at his friend, played impeccably by Steven Bauer, when Montana's sexually-charged obsession with his sister is challenged.
Uncompromising, elusive, offensive, 'Scarface' has become the landmark for the majority of rappers, including the likes of Method Man, Guru and,um, Scarface. Pacino's character is now a cult figure, cherished amongst the hip-hop community. The reason is clear: Montana's brutality, ambition and arrogance allowed him, a Cuban immigrant, rise to apocalyptic success. Rap artists mostly come from ghettos and projects, so they can sympathize with that strive, they know how it is. For an average viewer the film's brutality (amazingly stretched out in the controversial chainsaw scene) might be too much. Otherwise, 'Scarface' is a masterpiece of bad movies that re-triggered Oliver Stone's career, showcased De Palma's stylistic trends, shocked and provoked with its acting and amounts of gore, and inspired a generation of music and film.

SEE THIS IF YOU LIKED: De Palma's early films; Donnie Brasco; Bugsy; Bad Lieutenant; Carlito's Way; Dead Presidents.
DON'T SEE THIS IF YOU LIKED: A Walk to Remember; Bugsy Malone; Hudson Hawk; Empire

LOWPOINTS: Giorgio Moroder's score; overdramatized at times; lacks consistent structure; gratuitously violent; Michelle Pfeiffer's acting; overlong.

CONCLUSION: One of the most influential films ever made, 'Scarface' failed both critically and at the box-office when it came out due to its three-hour length, Giorgio Moroder's straightforward synthesizer score and the ambiguous protagonist, Tony Montana. Not sure whether to root for him or loathe him, audiences failed to recognize a hero in the scarred face of Al Pacino, whose overall flaming performance was deemed offensive - Montana only wanter the cream of the crop, and nothing would stop him . Similar to 'Blade Runner', which also failed at its premiere and only now is considered classic due to its influences, 'Scarface' was later established as one of the most powerful gangster epics.
Brian DePalma ALWAYS exaggerates - it is the director's auterish touch that he inserts into his films to emphasize the action. While the film IS slightly off-putting in its structure (it lingers too long on unnecessary periods of Tony's life and skips significant ones, like his rise to success), and the Moroder score, along with Pfeiffer's uncertain amateurish performance, plainly suck, it is the palpable invigoration of the director at his peak in each scene that makes 'Scarface' a true classic. The violence IS excessive, but all is forgiven, because Pacino's forceful acting accomodates DePalma's style smoothly. Montana is all raw nerve. It is scarier to watch him snap at his friend, played impeccably by Steven Bauer, when Montana's sexually-charged obsession with his sister is challenged.
Uncompromising, elusive, offensive, 'Scarface' has become the landmark for the majority of rappers, including the likes of Method Man, Guru and,um, Scarface. Pacino's character is now a cult figure, cherished amongst the hip-hop community. The reason is clear: Montana's brutality, ambition and arrogance allowed him, a Cuban immigrant, rise to apocalyptic success. Rap artists mostly come from ghettos and projects, so they can sympathize with that strive, they know how it is. For an average viewer the film's brutality (amazingly stretched out in the controversial chainsaw scene) might be too much. Otherwise, 'Scarface' is a masterpiece of bad movies that re-triggered Oliver Stone's career, showcased De Palma's stylistic trends, shocked and provoked with its acting and amounts of gore, and inspired a generation of music and film.

SEE THIS IF YOU LIKED: De Palma's early films; Donnie Brasco; Bugsy; Bad Lieutenant; Carlito's Way; Dead Presidents.
DON'T SEE THIS IF YOU LIKED: A Walk to Remember; Bugsy Malone; Hudson Hawk; Empire

LOWPOINTS: Giorgio Moroder's score; overdramatized at times; lacks consistent structure; gratuitously violent; Michelle Pfeiffer's acting; overlong.

CONCLUSION: One of the most influential films ever made, 'Scarface' failed both critically and at the box-office when it came out due to its three-hour length, Giorgio Moroder's straightforward synthesizer score and the ambiguous protagonist, Tony Montana. Not sure whether to root for him or loathe him, audiences failed to recognize a hero in the scarred face of Al Pacino, whose overall flaming performance was deemed offensive - Montana only wanter the cream of the crop, and nothing would stop him . Similar to 'Blade Runner', which also failed at its premiere and only now is considered classic due to its influences, 'Scarface' was later established as one of the most powerful gangster epics.
Brian DePalma ALWAYS exaggerates - it is the director's auterish touch that he inserts into his films to emphasize the action. While the film IS slightly off-putting in its structure (it lingers too long on unnecessary periods of Tony's life and skips significant ones, like his rise to success), and the Moroder score, along with Pfeiffer's uncertain amateurish performance, plainly suck, it is the palpable invigoration of the director at his peak in each scene that makes 'Scarface' a true classic. The violence IS excessive, but all is forgiven, because Pacino's forceful acting accomodates DePalma's style smoothly. Montana is all raw nerve. It is scarier to watch him snap at his friend, played impeccably by Steven Bauer, when Montana's sexually-charged obsession with his sister is challenged.
Uncompromising, elusive, offensive, 'Scarface' has become the landmark for the majority of rappers, including the likes of Method Man, Guru and,um, Scarface. Pacino's character is now a cult figure, cherished amongst the hip-hop community. The reason is clear: Montana's brutality, ambition and arrogance allowed him, a Cuban immigrant, rise to apocalyptic success. Rap artists mostly come from ghettos and projects, so they can sympathize with that strive, they know how it is. For an average viewer the film's brutality (amazingly stretched out in the controversial chainsaw scene) might be too much. Otherwise, 'Scarface' is a masterpiece of bad movies that re-triggered Oliver Stone's career, showcased De Palma's stylistic trends, shocked and provoked with its acting and amounts of gore, and inspired a generation of music and film.

SEE THIS IF YOU LIKED: De Palma's early films; Donnie Brasco; Bugsy; Bad Lieutenant; Carlito's Way; Dead Presidents.
DON'T SEE THIS IF YOU LIKED: A Walk to Remember; Bugsy Malone; Hudson Hawk; Empire

LOWPOINTS: Giorgio Moroder's score; overdramatized at times; lacks consistent structure; gratuitously violent; Michelle Pfeiffer's acting; overlong.

CONCLUSION: One of the most influential films ever made, 'Scarface' failed both critically and at the box-office when it came out due to its three-hour length, Giorgio Moroder's straightforward synthesizer score and the ambiguous protagonist, Tony Montana. Not sure whether to root for him or loathe him, audiences failed to recognize a hero in the scarred face of Al Pacino, whose overall flaming performance was deemed offensive - Montana only wanter the cream of the crop, and nothing would stop him . Similar to 'Blade Runner', which also failed at its premiere and only now is considered classic due to its influences, 'Scarface' was later established as one of the most powerful gangster epics.
Brian DePalma ALWAYS exaggerates - it is the director's auterish touch that he inserts into his films to emphasize the action. While the film IS slightly off-putting in its structure (it lingers too long on unnecessary periods of Tony's life and skips significant ones, like his rise to success), and the Moroder score, along with Pfeiffer's uncertain amateurish performance, plainly suck, it is the palpable invigoration of the director at his peak in each scene that makes 'Scarface' a true classic. The violence IS excessive, but all is forgiven, because Pacino's forceful acting accomodates DePalma's style smoothly. Montana is all raw nerve. It is scarier to watch him snap at his friend, played impeccably by Steven Bauer, when Montana's sexually-charged obsession with his sister is challenged.
Uncompromising, elusive, offensive, 'Scarface' has become the landmark for the majority of rappers, including the likes of Method Man, Guru and,um, Scarface. Pacino's character is now a cult figure, cherished amongst the hip-hop community. The reason is clear: Montana's brutality, ambition and arrogance allowed him, a Cuban immigrant, rise to apocalyptic success. Rap artists mostly come from ghettos and projects, so they can sympathize with that strive, they know how it is. For an average viewer the film's brutality (amazingly stretched out in the controversial chainsaw scene) might be too much. Otherwise, 'Scarface' is a masterpiece of bad movies that re-triggered Oliver Stone's career, showcased De Palma's stylistic trends, shocked and provoked with its acting and amounts of gore, and inspired a generation of music and film.

SEE THIS IF YOU LIKED: De Palma's early films; Donnie Brasco; Bugsy; Bad Lieutenant; Carlito's Way; Dead Presidents.
DON'T SEE THIS IF YOU LIKED: A Walk to Remember; Bugsy Malone; Hudson Hawk; Empire

LOWPOINTS: Giorgio Moroder's score; overdramatized at times; lacks consistent structure; gratuitously violent; Michelle Pfeiffer's acting; overlong.

CONCLUSION: One of the most influential films ever made, 'Scarface' failed both critically and at the box-office when it came out due to its three-hour length, Giorgio Moroder's straightforward synthesizer score and the ambiguous protagonist, Tony Montana. Not sure whether to root for him or loathe him, audiences failed to recognize a hero in the scarred face of Al Pacino, whose overall flaming performance was deemed offensive - Montana only wanter the cream of the crop, and nothing would stop him . Similar to 'Blade Runner', which also failed at its premiere and only now is considered classic due to its influences, 'Scarface' was later established as one of the most powerful gangster epics.
Brian DePalma ALWAYS exaggerates - it is the director's auterish touch that he inserts into his films to emphasize the action. While the film IS slightly off-putting in its structure (it lingers too long on unnecessary periods of Tony's life and skips significant ones, like his rise to success), and the Moroder score, along with Pfeiffer's uncertain amateurish performance, plainly suck, it is the palpable invigoration of the director at his peak in each scene that makes 'Scarface' a true classic. The violence IS excessive, but all is forgiven, because Pacino's forceful acting accomodates DePalma's style smoothly. Montana is all raw nerve. It is scarier to watch him snap at his friend, played impeccably by Steven Bauer, when Montana's sexually-charged obsession with his sister is challenged.
Uncompromising, elusive, offensive, 'Scarface' has become the landmark for the majority of rappers, including the likes of Method Man, Guru and,um, Scarface. Pacino's character is now a cult figure, cherished amongst the hip-hop community. The reason is clear: Montana's brutality, ambition and arrogance allowed him, a Cuban immigrant, rise to apocalyptic success. Rap artists mostly come from ghettos and projects, so they can sympathize with that strive, they know how it is. For an average viewer the film's brutality (amazingly stretched out in the controversial chainsaw scene) might be too much. Otherwise, 'Scarface' is a masterpiece of bad movies that re-triggered Oliver Stone's career, showcased De Palma's stylistic trends, shocked and provoked with its acting and amounts of gore, and inspired a generation of music and film.

SEE THIS IF YOU LIKED: De Palma's early films; Donnie Brasco; Bugsy; Bad Lieutenant; Carlito's Way; Dead Presidents.
DON'T SEE THIS IF YOU LIKED: A Walk to Remember; Bugsy Malone; Hudson Hawk; Empire

I'm very bummed out seeing these three excellent actors trying to recreate--or, re-realize--what is so classically timeless and charming and something that so belongs to three other actors that can never be matched! Julia Ormond is so beautiful in her own right, and she won my eternal admiration as a contemporary screen icon for her performance in "Smilla's Sense of Snow," but she cannot--and should not try to--compare with Hepburn. Ditto for Ford in his recreation of the Bogart role. I say, let all three of these contemporary actors become/remain screen icons in their own right/time, but there is no way they can compete with the screen icons of that other time via this movie. Furthermore, Audrey could not replace Julia in "Smilla," nor could Bogie replace Harrison in the numerous roles Ford has made classic and memorable. The updated scenarios/references in this remake are, for the most part, trivial and empty. Please, go buy/rent the original 1954 version of this film. It is simply NOT TO BE MISSED! There is a magic in it that you just won't find in this re-make, and I'm sorry (for these actors) to have to say it.