Political satire is one of the trickiest ventures a filmmaker can dabble in; it is inherently challenging to integrate insightful commentary into an entertaining piece of cinema. Efforts range from sublime (Barry Levinson's \Wag the Dog"") to silly (Warren Beatty's ""Bulworth""), as the attempt to put a unique spin on political events can either result in a seminal film or a laughably misguided sermon. In a year rife with politic films of all shapes and sizes, it is John Sayles' toothless, shamefully mediocre ""Silver City"" that makes the slightest impression.
Sayles' politically charged ""whodunit"" centers on Dickie Pilager (Chris Cooper), a dim-witted, ""grammatically challenged"" candidate for governor of Colorado (no prizes for guessing which presidential candidate Pilager is intended to emulate).
During a commercial shoot, Pilager accidentally hooks a dead body and jump-starts an investigation from journalist-turned-sleuth Danny O'Brien (Danny Huston). O'Brien is hired by Pilager's nefarious campaign advisor (a Cheney-esque Richard Dreyfuss) to locate the person presumably behind the placement of the body. Over the course of his muckraking adventure, O'Brien will encounter smarmy, greedy industrialists (Sayles regular Kris Kristofferson), witty anarchists (Tim Roth and Thora Birch), and an ex-flame (Maria Bello) with whom he rekindles a romance. But none of this really matters, because the threadbare plot is merely an excuse for Sayles to create characters that serve as mouthpieces for his redundant, pedantic political views.
""Silver City"" is a bland, eminently forgettable series of pedantic speeches given by talented performers who must have mistaken pontification for emotion. Sayles skillfully sets up the plot, and then instead of adding tension or conflict, becomes content to distribute his rants evenly among his talented ensemble. Our flawed hero, portrayed by the inexplicably monotonous Danny Huston (the only member of the Huston clan to lack dynamism or talent), is one of the most lackluster protagonists that has ever graced the silver screen. Any element of the actual plot (the token romance, the big revelation, etc.) is presented in a manner that is essentially half-hearted, half-baked and half-assed-serving only to transition between meandering lectures.
The only scenes that bring this dull muddle to life involve Daryl Hannah's character, the rebellious nutjob that also happens to be Dickie Pilager's sister. In these scenes, Sayles wisely downplays the political content that runs rampant the rest of the movie, and succeeds in creating a vibrant character that serves a purpose. After her delicious performance in ""Kill Bill: Volume 2,"" and as the sole saving grace of this film, Hannah has cemented her reputation as Scene Stealer of the Year. Even Cooper's character, a satirical goldmine if there ever was one, is written broadly and poorly despite the caliber of his acting.
The failure of ""Silver City"" would not be so conspicuous if it wasn't surrounded by infinitely better political fare. With George Butler's commendably modest ""Going Upriver"" at one end of the spectrum, and Michael Moore's gleefully entertaining ""Fahrenheit 9/11"" at the other, ""Silver City"" is comparably insipid and lifeless. Hopefully the cold critical reception of this film will inspire Sayles to buckle down and crank out another ""Lone Star,"" or at least stop letting his soapbox mentality cloud his potential.
