Released in 1988, "The Milagro Beanfield War" is a whimsical drama about a Hispanic town in Northern New Mexico that's being invaded by land developers who want to turn the town into a resort and drive out the Chicano villagers. Chick Vennera plays the owner of the beanfield, Sonia Braga the champion of his cause, John Heard an aging ex-hippie lawyer who supports them and Daniel Stern a New York college student who takes up living on the beanfield property; Christopher Walken and Richard Bradford play the villains while Melanie Griffith has a cameo.
This was Robert Redford's second movie in the director chair after the successful "Ordinary People" (1980). It failed at the box office perhaps because, while "Milagro" isn't bad at all, it's not great either; it's somewhere in between. It's professionally made with a great cast and locations, but it's only mildly engrossing. The problem is that there are so many characters, Braga's being the best, none of them are portrayed with much depth. It would've been a better movie if they cut out the fat and focused on a few of the characters, throwing in a dramatic hook, like Jack & Rose in "Titanic." A good example of something that could've been cut is Daniel Stern's character. Although Stern does fine in the role it's really an unnecessary character since the story already features a gringo who sides with the villagers. Despite this negative, I enjoyed the film and it leaves you with a good feeling. It's reminiscent of 1984's "The River" in tone and quality, albeit chipper and quirkier.
The film runs 117 minutes and was shot in Espanola, Los Alamos, Truchas and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
GRADE: B-
This was Robert Redford's second movie in the director chair after the successful "Ordinary People" (1980). It failed at the box office perhaps because, while "Milagro" isn't bad at all, it's not great either; it's somewhere in between. It's professionally made with a great cast and locations, but it's only mildly engrossing. The problem is that there are so many characters, Braga's being the best, none of them are portrayed with much depth. It would've been a better movie if they cut out the fat and focused on a few of the characters, throwing in a dramatic hook, like Jack & Rose in "Titanic." A good example of something that could've been cut is Daniel Stern's character. Although Stern does fine in the role it's really an unnecessary character since the story already features a gringo who sides with the villagers. Despite this negative, I enjoyed the film and it leaves you with a good feeling. It's reminiscent of 1984's "The River" in tone and quality, albeit chipper and quirkier.
The film runs 117 minutes and was shot in Espanola, Los Alamos, Truchas and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
GRADE: B-