The Films of John Sayles

[Watashi]

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My next and current director that I am venturing into is American filmmaker John Sayles. I don't plan to complete his entire filmography below but just his essential works and maybe a few of his early independent works.

Honeydripper (2007)
Silver City (2004)
Casa de los babys (2003)
Sunshine State (2002)
Limbo (1999)
Men with Guns (1997)
Lone Star (1996)
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
Passion Fish (1992)
City of Hope (1991)
Eight Men Out (1988)
Matewan (1987)
The Brother from Another Planet (1984)
Baby It's You (1983)
Lianna (1983)
Return of the Secaucus Seven (1980)

The films in bold are films I have yet to see.

[Watashi]

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City of Hope

This is the best John Sayles film I have seen so far. It's too bad because of the lack of a proper DVD release, it will remain his most underseen. This dynamic thread-woven narrative follows an all-star ensemble in a fictional middle-size New Jersey city. City of Hope is the film that Crash so desperately wanted to mimic, but failed hard with its forced racial commentary and sentimentality. Here, Sayles explores urban socialization within the decaying boundaries of a city on the edge of destruction. Everyone isn't painted with a broad stereotype and even though everything suffers from 1990's dating, the anger and passion is still relevant today. Hopeless and bleak, this is Sayles at his most sleaziest (he even cast himself as the "villain" in the film).

****

[megladon8]

John Sayles is one of the best screenwriters of the latter half of the 20th century.

Great list idea, Watashi. Look forward to your thoughts on Matewan.

[Ezee E]

Pretend like Silver City doesn't exist. It's best that way.

City of Hope and Men With Guns are sadly unavailable from Netflix. :(

[balmakboor]

Secaucus Seven and Brother from Another Planet are worthwhile. Baby It's You, Matewan, Eight Men Out, Passion Fish, Roan Inish, and Lone Star are pretty great.

I saw City of Hope at the Seattle Film Festival long ago and remember comparing it to things like Nashville, very unfavorably. I guess anything blows Crash away though.

We had a thing Sayles thing going with our film series each year for a while, because a few on the selection committee are big fans. We ran Men with Guns, Limbo, and Sunshine State. After the dust settled and we looked back on each series, we all agreed that the Sayles film was the worst of the bunch. Haven't bothered with him since.

I really think he lost it after Lone Star.

[Morris Schæffer]

Matewan is fabulous!

[Raiders]

I really think he lost it after Lone Star.

Except Men With Guns is his best film. Opinion... DQ'd!

[balmakboor]

Except Men With Guns is his best film. Opinion... DQ'd!

I don't know. More than a dozen of us sat around a table having dinner afterwards and none of us particularly cared for it.

And Matewan is far and away his best film.

[Raiders]

I don't know. More than a dozen of us sat around a table having dinner afterwards and none of us particularly cared for it.

And Matewan is far and away his best film.

Dude, I already disqualified your opinion. All of this is unnecessary.

[soitgoes...]

Except Men With Guns is his best film. Opinion... DQ'd!


I don't know. More than a dozen of us sat around a table having dinner afterwards and none of us particularly cared for it.

And Matewan is far and away his best film.
Yeah, I'm afraid Raiders is correct.

[Arthur Seaton]

I think he lost it after Limbo. Come back David Strathairn!

[Raiders]

I guess I'll do it:

1. Men With Guns [****]
2. Lone Star [***½]
3. Limbo [***½]
4. Sunshine State [***½]
5. Passion Fish [***½]
6. Matewan [***½]
7. City of Hope [***]
8. The Brother from Another Planet [***]
9. The Secret of Roan Inish [***]
10. Eight Men Out [**½]
11. The Return of the Secaucus 7 [**]
12. Silver City [**]

[Yxklyx]

1. Men with Guns - 9
2. Lone Star - 8
3. Limbo - 8
4. Matewan - 8
5. The Secret of Roan Inish - 7