"Silver City" is a competent and absorbing drama/detective story that is laced with political satire. There are also many obvious film noir flourishes in the story.

Danny O’Brien, a pathetic private investigator takes on a seemingly simple case involving a threatened politician (Chris Cooper) and a murder. He later finds out that he may have bitten off more than he can chew, as he untangles complex webs of political corruption.

The maverick filmmaker John Sayles wrote and directed the film. He specializes in low budget, fictional features about the complicated relationships in whole towns. He uses large ensemble casts with many reoccurring actors such as Kris Kristofferson and Cooper.

Sayles’ films often champion the little guy and depict institutions as corrupt. He’s like a more humanistic and socially conscious version of Robert Altman. He probably peaked with "Men with Guns" and "Lone Star," but "Silver City" is a respectable effort.

Dickie Pilager, candidate for governor, is a thinly disguised satire of President George W. Bush. Dickie is a mentally vacant conservative who spouts off family value clichés, and speaks mostly in sound bites. He can get into trouble when he speaks off script.

Pilager is pushing to build a retirement home community, but he is unconcerned about the long lasting effects of the pollution. It’s clear that he has no mind of his own and that he is a mere figurehead for corporate interests.

The real brain behind the operation is an unscrupulous and predatory campaign manager played by Richard Dreyfuss. Appropriately enough, his name is Chuck Raven.

The ethical but unsuccessful, Danny O’Brien is his opposite. The anti-heroic O’Brien is an updated version of Columbo. He has a strong moral code but he basically screws everything up whenever he gets a decent crack at success.

He is hired to work on an unrewarding case. A dead man was found near where a gubernatorial candidate was supposed to speak, and Danny is hired to intimidate some of the suspects so that they will stay away from the candidate.

One of the perceived threats is a sexy, dope smoking neohippie (played by Daryl Hannah), who lives in a commune with her son. She happens to be Pilager’s sister Maddy, and she harbors resentment towards her brother. She is a rather sympathetic femme fatale but of course, Danny makes a big mistake in getting involved with her.

Along the way we meet some other attractive characters such as a left-wing Internet editor (played by Tim Roth) and a powerful investor who seems like the cowboy next door (Kris Kristofferson).

There is also a great subplot involving a Hispanic cook, who investigates a corrupt businessman who exploits immigrant labor. Eventually many of the plot threads come together in a satisfactory fashion.

"Silver City" is drawn in broad strokes with clearly separated hues of good and evil. It may strike some as being a bit simplistic, but it’s difficult not to fall under the spell of the fascinating characters and winning performances.