Reviewing Movies

Rio County, Texas is a land political correctness forgot. A place where the niggers live in Dark Town, whites are in the minority, and the majority Mexican American’s refer to their border hopping cousins as “wet backs”. Where political malfeasance is assumed and the Sheriff is expected to take a lead role in conducting graft. Where sheriffs commit murder and the town has a sixty-cell jail for housing “wetbacks” and is talking about building another one.

As the movie starts the town fathers are about to unveil a memorial to Sam Deed’s steely-eyed Dad a much-loved sheriff who drove off his corrupt predecessor and was judge, jury, and executioner at home. Sam is dismissively referred to as Sheriff Junior but must rise to the occasion as a skeleton that should have remained buried comes inconveniently out of the closet. The Masonic ring, County Sheriff’s badge, and Colt 45 bullet found with it lead to obvious conclusions—does this make Sam’s Dad Buddy the killer?

Rio is a southern town without the southern drawl and air of gentility. The nearby army base that is about to close just adds more tension to the pot that simmers under the sleepy seeming exterior. The white school board members object to a Mexican-American Teacher who gives a Mexican slant on History. The idea of a Spanish-American/Black-American union raises hackles on all sides. Why would a sheriff want to run for re-election; especially since the town father’s have already endorsed his replacement?

As a personal aside and not necessarily a comment on the movie for the third time I’ve fallen asleep repeatedly while I tried to watch this movie.