Amigo

For more than 30 years, John Sayles has been a maverick in the world of independent filmmaking, telling stories with a unique sense of time and place while refusing to bow to mainstream conventions. His latest film, Amigo, is a bilingual period drama set during the Philippine-American War in 1900.

Specifically, it takes place in the rural village of San Isidro, where the locals are frightened following a victory by U.S. troops over a small group of Filipino rebels. A small garrison led by a young lieutenant (Garret Dillahunt) is left behind to maintain control. After an uneasy beginning, a mutual trust develops between the soldiers and the Filipinos, leading to the democratic election of a mayor, Rafael (Joel Torre), who tries to earn the trust of the Americans. A priest (Yul Vazquez) becomes an ally on both sides for his ability as a translator and mediator.

But Rafael’s brother leaves town as part of a group of guerrillas who continue to fight the occupation elsewhere in the country. That angers a no-nonsense colonel (Chris Cooper), who orders the troops to step up their brutal punishment of the citizens as a result.

Sayles doesn’t provide much historical or sociopolitical context to the war, because it’s not really relevant to his story. He’s more concerned with the relationships between specific characters, and how military bravado sometimes replaces common sense during wartime, with innocent lives caught in the middle.

That’s not exactly a revelation, and neither is Sayles’ attempt to draw parallels to contemporary overseas conflicts and American imperialism in general. The movie makes its political stance clear, and it won’t come as a surprise to those familiar with the filmmaker’s work.

Still, Amigo has plenty of compelling drama after a slow start. There aren’t many grand battle sequences or rousing speeches, but the script is sharp in its depiction of the effects of colonialism on the masses. Performances on both sides reflect both strength and vulnerability, in particular Dillahunt and Vazquez, whose characters each seek a peaceful solution but are powerless to stop the fighting.

Sayles likewise seems to have a bleak outlook on the subject, as his ambiguous ending reflects. But the film overcomes its flaws to give viewers a thought-provoking glimpse into a world they might know nothing about.

Rated R, 129 minutes.