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Preview by: Jack Foley
JOHN Sayles is often hailed as the king of independent cinema,
so it is little wonder that his latest movie, Silver City, was
able to attract such a mouth-watering cast.
Silver City, a scathing political lampoon and sun-stunned neo-noir
detective story, stars former Oscar winner, Chris Cooper, Maria
Bello, Thora Birch, Chris Cooper, Richard Dreyfuss, Daryl Hannah,
Danny Houston, Kris Kristofferson, Mary Kay Place and Tim Roth.
Set in Colorado, during a state gubernatorial race, the film
follows a grammatically challenged, born-again candidate (Cooper),
who is the scion of a formidable right-wing political dynasty.
The candidate is in the midst of fumbling his way toward elected
office when an unexplained corpse emerges to threaten his campaign,
his family's empire and the special interest groups that pull
his strings.
His subsequent investigation pulls him deeper and deeper into
a complex web of influence and corruption, involving high stakes
lobbyists, media conglomerates, environmental plunderers, and
undocumented migrant workers.
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The Hollywood Reporter describes
Silver City as Sayles' best film yet, and quotes Newmarket Films
president and partner, Bob Berney, as predicting that it will
‘really shake up this political season with its spirited
sense of mischief-making’.
Newmarket pulled out all the stops to ensure that they landed
distribution rights for the picture, but, as Berney adds: "John
has put together a truly amazing cast, all delivering inspired
performances."
The negotiations during the City deal were led for Newmarket
by company principal, William Tyrer,
who commented: "On behalf of my partners and myself, I can
honestly say that we could not be more proud to be in business
with John Sayles.
"He has created some of the most memorable and important
films of the last few decades, and we believe Silver City will
be the latest addition to this group."
The film marks something of a coup for Newmarket, who appear
to be on a roll, having backed some of the hottest independent
films of the year so far.
It is sure to inspire interest when it opens in America, given
the level of political awareness in the wake of Michael Moore’s
Fahrenheit 9/11.
Two of Newmarket’s other main acquisitions this year have
been Mel Gibson's ultra-successful The
Passion of the Christ, and the Oscar-winner,
Monster, for which Charlize
Theron took the best actress accolade.
Another upcoming project is Stander, starring The
Punisher’s Thomas Jane, as a South African police officer-turned-notorious
bank robber. It is already being tipped as another potential money-spinner
for the company, which could well complete a memorable year.
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