"Silver City" is supposed to be yet another movie in a long line released this election year to take shots at George W. Bush. However, unlike "Fahrenheit 9/11" and subsequent documentaries, "Silver City" in no way attempts to mask itself as being a source of information that was not readily available to the public. Instead, it uses its star-studded cast to poke fun at the president in a manner less obvious than "Saturday Night Live," yet less interesting than a bag of flour.
Oscar-winner Chris Cooper plays a slow, docile politician running for the governorship of Colorado and - along with his manipulative, fast-paced campaign manager Chuck Raven, played by Richard Dreyfuss - they ride a road to the election that is filled with shady characters, mysterious murders, corporate corruption and moral dilemmas.
However, one might say that being elected the governor of Colorado may, in fact, be easier than watching all of this two-hour-plus film. Over the course of the plot's twists and turns, the audience is introduced to about 20 new characters, all of whom are intertwined with the big scandal involving the governor-elect. The other lead role is the private investigator searching for the answers, played by Danny Huston, known for being barman No. 2 in "Leaving Las Vegas." He's shown little improvement in his acting abilities since then.
The political aims of this movie are to direct the viewer to notice the corporate corruption and complete lack of care toward the environment that have been criticisms of Bush-era government. The question, then, is: Who is unaware that Bush is controlled by corporations and does not care about the environment? Is this a shock to anyone? Do people really need to spend two hours of their lives to reinforce a message that everyone in the world is already aware of?
Instead of being intriguing and thought provoking, "Silver City" is boring and uninteresting. The only redeeming quality is its tremendous cast, which includes notable names like Daryl Hannah, Thora Birch, Tim Roth, Billy Zane, Kris Kristofferson and Maria Bello. But fans of these high-quality actors will just walk away from this movie disappointed.
A sad satire gone wrong, "Silver City" says in a 10-page paper what other politically charged films of the past two elections have said in a sentence: "Things need to change." Sadly, "Silver City" tried to be a "Bulworth" but ended up being just plain bull.
