Bordertown (2007)

Too much of everything

Simply A Masterpiece

Awesome Movie

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

An American remake of the Mexican film "El Traspatio", the film is LOOSELY (can't emphasize that enough) the case of Abdel Sharif and the subsequent mass graves found in the desert surrounding Ciudad Juarez. While "El Traspatio" bases its story through the eyes of protagonists in connecting stories, Bordertown is just a formulaic, linear plot based around a name-brand actress, Jennifer Lopez. Sadly, her role as a white American reporter with a "hidden secret" (she's really Mexican...SHHHHHH!) is just too laughable to be taken seriously (the director and Jennifer apparently believe making her wear a few hair-clips magically transforms her into a maquiladora worker). So, the original was bad...and this is slightly worse.

Lauren Adrian (Jennifer Lopez) is a reporter for the Chicago Sentinel. She is forced by her boss (Martin Sheen) to go to Juarez to do a story about a series of mysterious murders of young factory women who are attracted to the new jobs at the maquiladoras. She doesn't speak much Spanish and reconnects with independent reporter Alfonso Diaz (Antonio Banderas). The police is corrupt and trying to cover up the murders. Eva Jimenez (Maya Zapata) is a young woman who was taken by a bus driver to the dump where him and another man raped her and left her for dead. The only person she trust is Diaz. She goes to his newspaper but the police is close behind. Diaz is taken in by the police leaving Eva and Lauren alone together.Writer/director Gregory Nava got a couple of A-list stars to do small roles in this but it's Lopez that's asked to carry this thing on her shoulders. She needs help as an actress to keep this movie moving. Banderas is good but he's not in this enough. The movie keeps separating them which is a mistake in my opinion. The story is ripped from the headlines with some action added in. Nava isn't good at the action scenes. This is generally a weak construction. There isn't much of a mystery since everything is laid out right in front of us. It struggles to be a thriller or a mystery. Nava doesn't have the skills and the tension is very low. Then Lopez goes undercover and all the logic goes out the window. I don't know why she has to work in the factory since they know it's the bus driver. Also I don't know why she doesn't have somebody follow the bus. It's a bus and isn't that hard to follow. But the movie isn't done and it keeps going down the rabbit hole.

This is a terrific movie. However, I can see why some people might not like it due to the somewhat average production in places.Form: I thought the colour filters were a bit overdone but still quite nice, acting was acceptable but not the best given the cast, dialogue was clunky at times and sometimes quite unrealistic. I found much of the violence/exhumation extremely unsettling and the shanty towns and factory scenes leaving me a terrible sense of oppression and hopelessness, as they should.Content: While the plot was a little crazy and predictable at times (e.g. the baiting scenario) the underlying message is what really makes this movie worth watching. It's pretty well on the money for describing the institutional injustice of the corrupt US and Mexican government-corporate capitalists . As Chomsky succinctly puts it, the Free Trade Agreement is neither free nor trade nor an agreement.The movie also shows how most people in a position to do something about injustice choose the easier and often selfish option to ignore it, in favour of personal reward, or due to fear of financial loss and receiving a similar fate to the oppressed. While the resolution of the main plot was a bit awkward, it was wonderful not to see everything neatly resolved with everyone coming out a winner (obviously this is not a Hollywood film) – two of the three main characters did not triumph individually but received the true reward so often received for standing against injustice – personal sacrifice.Personally, I found the movie very challenging, leaving me with both a sense of guilt and desire to do something really worthwhile to affect change. I'm mystified as to why this movie has only now just reached my local video store (Australia)...Final score: Form (5) + Content (10) / 2 = 7.5

This movie is trying to shed light on an important subject, but the filmmakers go about trying to concoct a preposterously ridiculous story to do so. At no time did Jennifer Lopez come off as believable as a gritty reporter. (Spoilers) No, she runs around Juarez Mexico seeming to know her way around, unafraid of murderers, rapists, and corrupt government and/or elites all while supposedly speaking beginning Spanish. We are thrown a bunch of facts, some gruesome violence, and grotesque bodies - but acting and dialog doesn't hold weight. There are uneven scenes and poor direction in general. Martin Sheen has some light duty as a side character - interesting enough if limited. The movie has a decent premise, but script and screenplay need some major re-editing for better plausibility. Mildly worth passing your time if free viewing.