Amazon.com video review:
Robert Redford's underrated directorial follow-up to his
Academy Award-winning Ordinary People,
The Milagro Beanfield War is a loose and whimsical fable about
community pride and social activism in the face of modern
progress. Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider
Woman) plays a local mechanic in a small New Mexico town who
takes up the challenge of rallying support for a local farmer who uses
water owned by a real estate developer to grow beans in his
field. Everything escalates to a showdown between the townspeople and
the developers, with unexpected results. The strongest aspect of the
film is the way it doesn't take itself too seriously, with Redford
adopting a leisurely tone and allowing his fine cast (including Ruben
Blades as the pragmatic town sheriff and Christopher Walken as a nasty
state police officer) to deliver finely nuanced performances that
touch on themes of faith and perseverance without seeming
heavy-handed. The Milagro Beanfield War is an overlooked
gem. --Robert Lane
