Lone Star (1996) is a western mystery that takes place in a Texas town where secrets have been kept for many years until, one day, a body is uncovered, and the truth begins to unravel. The movie focuses on a variety of people of different races all living uneasily together in a small community; the past and present collide through varying perspectives of memories from the past. At the center of it all is Sheriff Charlie Wade (Kris Kristofferson); he caused the town anguish with his looming presence and sadistic behavior. Throughout the film, we learn about Wade by means of other people’s recollections of him: he shot innocent people, demanded that everyone follow his rules, and was a racist.
Figure 1 is a medium shot of Wade confronting Buddy (Matthew McConaughey, unpictured). We can see Hollis (Jeff Monahan) in the background almost out of focus; we can tell he is uncomfortable and does not want to get in the middle of them. Blurred in the background, we see people staring at the confrontation between Charlie and Buddy. In the seconds before Figure 1, we see the people’s reactions as they turn in response to the altercation between Wade and Buddy. Wade is looking down on Buddy, who is sitting; he has a powerful looming presence over Buddy. However, POV shots reveal Buddy is not at all afraid of Wade’s threats and he stands his ground. This first scene with Wade establishes the theme of Wade as a powerful character who gets what he wants while, at the same time, showing Buddy is not threatened by Wade. Buddy is a character who is going to do what is right and he is not going to let Wade push him around. Figure 1 is from Hollis’s memory (played by Clifton James in the present). Hollis recounts how the story unfolded and proceeds to tell Sam, in the present, that Wade disappeared the next day after the dispute.
Figure 2 is a low-angle shot capturing Wade over the shoulder of Otis (Gabriel Casseus), who is on the floor. Hollis is once again on the sidelines within the scene, taking in Wade’s aggressive behavior. As before, he looks frightened by Wade’s actions. Hollis has seen what Wade is capable of; however, he must stay loyal, fearing what Wade might do to him. Wade, sheriff of the town supposedly charged with protecting the people, is instead, ironically, an outlaw/villain who all the townspeople are afraid of. The lighting in this frame is very theatrical: light shining down on Otis produces a rim of light around his head and it feels almost like a staged production. In this frame, Wade is seen at his highest point; he is the largest figure near the center of the screen, standing over Otis and pointing a gun at him. Past Otis’s shoulder, we can see a bystander of the incident, who is shocked by the sight. We see the rest of the crowd in a later frame and all their reactions portray this same sense of shock and fright. Figure 2 depicts a memory from Minnie Bledsoe (Beatrice Winde), one of the owners of the club at the time. She tells Sam (Chris Cooper) that if Wade did not like something that was going on or if he was not told about it, he would shut people and places down to get his way. Bledsoe explains how they had to be very careful around Wade and watch what they said and did. This particular incident occurred after Otis stands up to Wade for deliberately spilling the drink on the table. In response to Otis’s bravery, Wade pulls out his gun. This scene is an example of Wade’s racist behavior toward African Americans; he wanted Otis to pour his drink and clean it up because Wade thinks he is more important than other people.
Figure 3 is a medium straight-on shot of Wade and Hollis looking down at Eladio Cruz’s (Gilbert R. Cuellar Jr.) body after being shot by Wade. Hollis is appalled that Wade shot a person in front of him, especially when Eladio did nothing to warrant it. Wade shows no remorse for his actions and seems to be satisfied with himself. He is once again standing over another human being, asserting his dominance. This shot further exemplifies Wade’s racist behavior; Eladio was doing nothing wrong but, given that he was Mexican, Wade shot him. Figure 3 is a memory from Chucho Montoya (Tony Amendola), who witnessed the event while under the bridge, in hiding. Before telling Sam the story, he makes sure Sam understands the “invisible line” that is between Mexico and Texas and the danger for Mexicans to cross that line when Wade was the sheriff.
It is interesting that we never learn anything more about Wade except for the fact that he was not well liked, and that he killed innocent people. We never see Wade as an actual person in his own right; we only see him as a fragment of other people’s memories, portraying him in a negative way. He is not a “real person” in the film; instead, he is an “imaginary character” pieced together from stories of the past. The audience does not get to know anything about Wade’s personal life or emotions. We only learn to despise his behavior based on the portrayal through other people’s perceptions of him. This film is intriguing because it is told from multiple points of view, via past and present events of racially diverse characters. Though we never truly see Wade’s point of view, we know that he was a villain in all of the stories and deserved the ending that he received.
Lone Star (Spine #1202) is available from The Criterion Collection.
Author Biography
Hannah Robinson will graduate from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) in December 2025 with a double major in film studies and theatre with a concentration in theatre tech and design. Hannah intends to use her experiences and knowledge gained at UNCW to pursue a career in either the film, theatre, or music industry.
