Lone Star
1996 · Movie · R · 135 min · ★ 7.0 · 85% critics
After a skeleton is discovered in the desert, a small Texas border town’s sheriff reopens an old case tied to his predecessor’s disappearance. As he questions locals and revisits the past, the investigation stirs up buried grudges, community tensions, and uncomfortable truths about power, race, and family legacies.
Where to watch
Watch free on Tubi — also streaming on Howdy.
2 hours to watch.
Stream (included)
Streaming availability and prices may be inaccurate or change — verify with the provider before subscribing.
unSUB's subscription recommendations are informational only, not financial advice.
More value for your money
Similar titles, ranked by watch-hours per subscription dollar.
Details
- Years
- 1996
- Release date
- 1996-06-21
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 135 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 85/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.0/10 (414 votes)
- Budget
- $5,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a thoughtful, slow-building mystery that doubles as a portrait of a border town’s history and tensions; Not for you if you need fast action or simple answers, like in Wind River.
Pros: engrossing slow-burn mystery; rich community tensions; strong lead performance | Cons: slow pace for some; many characters to track; a few uneven subplots
Themes
- sheriff
- texas
- family secrets
- neo-western
- dark secret
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Original Screenplay · 1997 · nominated
Cast & crew
Chris Cooper
as Sam Deeds
Elizabeth Peña
as Pilar Cruz
Kris Kristofferson
as Charlie Wade
Clifton James
as Hollis Pogue
Miriam Colon
as Mercedes Cruz
Ron Canada
as Otis Payne
Joe Morton
as Delmore "Del" Payne
Matthew McConaughey
as Buddy Deeds
Jeff Monahan
as Young Hollis
Gabriel Casseus
as Young Otis
Directed by John Sayles