4. Lone Star

Writer-director John Sayles' movies have often tackled tricky social themes like labor unrest and racism, but what makes Lone Star a unique entry in his canon is that its entertainment value prevents it from ever seeming like a social studies lecture.

Recent Oscar-winner Chris Cooper stars as Sam Deeds, a beleaguered Texas sheriff attempting to solve the mysterious death of his corrupt and downright evil predecessor Charley Wade (a terrifying Kris Kristofferson) nearly forty years before. Sam thinks the killer was his own father (Matthew McConaughey), who threatened Wade and later took over the badge. Whereas many of his fellow townsfolk talk about Sam's dad in glowing terms, Sam resents his long dead father.

The murder mystery that anchors Lone Star seamlessly connects to other intriguing subplots including: a previous forbidden romance between Sam and his teenage crush (Elizabeth Peña); a look at the fictional Rio County's sordid history; a new Army base commander (Joe Morton) trying to deal with both a problem soldier and his estranged father; a rare twist ending that's both jaw dropping and surprisingly logical.

It's fun to watch the film again to see how cleverly Sayles and company have snookered us. Sayles keeps all of this intriguing by using some creative editing techniques. The flashbacks don't dissolve into the present. The camera merely pans, indicating that the past and present are closer than the characters are willing to acknowledge. He also presents the regional cultural feuds without simplifying them. Within each of the ethnic communities there are disputes that prevent any of the sides from speaking with a unified voice. Miriam Colon is terrific as a former Mexican immigrant who continually resents new arrivals. Sayles deserves special credit for penning what may be the wittiest post-coital exchange in the history of cinema: Peña: What are we going to do about this? Cooper: More…I hope. (Dan Lybarger)