Lone Star by a mile over the others I have seen. Everybody in the movie was brilliant and perfectly cast. Became a Chris Cooper fan after seeing this many years ago, and I still to this day think Joe Morton was as brilliant in LS as he is on "Scandal". MM, FMcD(even for just 5 minutes), and KK. Wow! What a cast, and what a brilliant script. A Sayles masterpiece!

"Passion Fish" I can watch that movie 100 times and see something new.

Out of the John Sayles films I've seen, my list would go as follows (in no particular order):
MATEWAN (1987)
EIGHT MEN OUT (1988)
LONE STAR (1996)
THE BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET (1984)
AS A WRITER:
PIRANHA (1978)
THE HOWLING (1981)
*Just to preface my selections, there are still several of John Sayles films I haven't screened yet as I write this post.

I am particularly glad to see that so many contributors appreciate
City of Hope
, which I also think is his masterpiece.
Baby it's You
is probably the most 'accessible', but though I love it, it is not one of Sayles' own favourite works as it was more of a commission than one of his wholly developed films.
You shouldn't forget the other early work,
Lianna
, which is emotionally uplifting and full of subtleties that only become evident after a couple of viewings.
Of the better-known later works, I like
Lone Star
but since then I have only seen
Honeydripper
and
Sunshine State
and both of those I found to be minor works.
I got to know Sayles and his partner Maggi Renzi quite well in the early 80s after they came to my cinema for a small retrospective at the time of
Lianna
. They are lovely people but very committed to the
ideas
that are inherent in their films. Unfortunately I have lost touch with them since I retired some years ago.
Keep watching the masterpieces.

Its remarkable how many different Sayles films are peoples #1. To me that says he's made many great films and its a matter of taste which one is your favorite.
Matewan is mine, but
Best
Matewan
Lone Star
Eight Men Out
The Secret of Roan Inish
Very Good
Sunshine State
Passion Fish
Return of the Secaucus Seven
Pretty good
Casa de los Babys
Not Bad, but I'll try again
City of Hope
Men with Guns
Silver City

I've been a huge fan of Mr. Sayles from way back. My ratings are:
9 - Return of the Secaucus 7
9 - Baby It's You
9 - Lone Star
8 - Brother From Another Planet
8 - Matewan
8 - Eight Men Out
8 - Limbo
7 - City of Hope
7 - Men With Guns
If I have to pick a favorite, it would be Baby It's You. So heartfelt, a stellar performance by Roseanna Arquette, and a killer soundtrack (which I'm told is one of the problems getting it to DVD).

I think his BEST film is Matewan, but my personal favorite is Lone Star.

I love City of Hope & The Secret of Roan Inish. If you're not into emotion then stay away from these two!

I've been a big Sayles fan 2000since I saw RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS SEVEN on TV after I had graduated from college. I've seen all of his films except for BABY, IT'S YOU - I tried watching on TV around that time and couldn't get into it, though I keep meaning to go back to it. My favorites of his are:
RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS SEVEN (still my favorite, as it's the richest in character)
CITY OF HOPE (maybe the bleakest political film ever made)
LONE STAR (works on so many levels)
LIMBO (the "two films in one" are actually closer than you might think at first)
I also like LIANNA, BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET, MATEWAN, PASSION FISH, THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH, SUNSHINE STATE, and CASA DE LOS BABYS a lot, and while it's a little static in its direction, I do like HONEYDRIPPER.
I don't hate a single Sayles movie, but I have to admit EIGHT MEN OUT, MEN WITH GUNS, and SILVER CITY all disappointed me. All three have interesting subjects, but they don't quite take hold.

I only discovered John Sayles earlier this year, so far I've seen nine of his films, and I guess the best way to put it would be to divide them into two groups:

1. Mind blowing:
   City of Hope
   Passion Fish
   Secaucus 7
   Lianna
   Brother from Another Planet
2. Very Good:
   Matewan
   8 Men Out
   Lonestar
   Silver City

All of his 90s films:
Lone Star
Men with Guns (a hardly seen masterpiece)
Passion Fish
Limbo
City of Hope
Secret of Roan Inish
And I also really liked Casa de los Babys

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"Lone Star" for sure, though all his films are worthwhile and most are excellent.