I Witness (2003)

Simply Perfect

Powerful

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The acting in this movie is really good.

This looked like it was some sort of straight-to-video piece of junk, but it turns out to be a well-written thriller with very good production values. The plot is a bit over-the-top, but palatable. Spader and Daniels do a great job, while di Rossi is at least tolerable.If you have to have justice and happy endings, this movie is probably not for you.*****MAJOR SPOILER***** The only problem I had in watching this film was that one of the critical turning points in the movie (you'll know when you get there) made me think of the Saturday Night Live sketch about The Pepsi Syndrome. In the movie, this is supposed to be a very serious flashback essential to solving the mystery, but all I could think about was Dan Aykroyd standing around as President Carter and Garrett Morris dressed in drag mopping up contaminated coolant. It makes me smile even thinking about it after finishing the movie.*****END SPOILER***** If you liked Traffic and political thrillers, you will probably enjoy this movie.

All bad things that happens in Latin America is because the drugs dealers right? Wrong. This is what this movie is about. As a Latin American I saw a different point of view at this movie, something that is rare when the subject are "the third world countries". Usually Hollywood shows Latin America as poor, full of drug dealers, violence and ignorance. This movie shows the poor Latin America but starts to escape of stereotypes during the story, at certain point we discover that was not the drug cartel the responsible for the murderers but the police, what is a big difference compared with other movies that uses the same subject. This is what I most like in this movie, it shows that not everything that causes problems to the "third world" comes from drugs, some of the problems are sometimes caused by the big non-Latin American corporations and corrupted police.

In Tijuana, Mexico, near to the border with USA, James Rhodes (the excellent Jeff Daniels) is a member of the Human Rights organization, working as an observer of the election of the workers of an American company, represented by the member of U.S. Government Emily Thompson (Portia de Rossi). The local workers are supposed to decide whether they want the union in the company or not. Meanwhile, twenty-seven bodies of humble people are found buried in an abandoned tunnel, drilled in the past by the lord of the drugs Voltan. In the same day, two young American are killed while driving their motorcycles off-road, in a track in a desert area. These events apparently not related are investigated by Claudio Castillo (Clifton Collins Jr.), a honest detective from Mexican homicide department, pressed by James and his superiors. Voltan is blamed for all the deaths, and resolves to help indirectly James in his investigation. Douglas Draper (James Spader) is a cynical liaison of the American police force, working together with the corrupt Captain Madrid (Jordi Caballero). The conclusion of this realistic story is full of revelations of dirty secrets. This movie was the wonderful surprise of the year: it is an excellent thriller. There is no clichés, no special effects and the characters are very human and well developed. The screenplay is very tight, without flaws; the direction is outstanding; and the magnificent cast has a marvelous performance. The plot recalls a Costa-Gravas movie, showing corruption both in Americans and Mexicans. The resolution of the situation is not corny or commercial, and does not spare or redeem any character, what is not common in American movies. Congratulation to all the persons that contributed for such an excellent entertainment. I just do not understand why this movie has had no promotion from the specialized critics and means of communication. My vote is ten.Title (Brazil): `Testemunha Ocular' (`Eye Witness')

Finally - an action/thriller flick that rocked me with a bona fide mystery! I hate "spoiler" reviews so I can't get into too much story. Needless to say, it's a top notch thinking man's action film. Jeff Daniels plays a Human Rights Watch type whose been demoted and sent to Tijuana because he punched out a journalist. This ain't no Greenpeace bleeding heart. He is one p***ed off and tortured tough son of a bitch. But Daniels never swaggers. He plays it with such subtlety and finesse, you know you're witnessing the kind of performance only given by actors who have the trust and confidence in their skills borne of years of experience. Clifton Collins is a Mexican homicide detective afflicted with the job of aiding Daniels in his investigation of a peasant massacre on the US/Mexican border. Collins has the same temperature of Latin fire as Al Pacino. His characterization is so convincing, it didn't even dawn on me until I saw the credits that this is the same actor who played Frankie Flowers the gay, sadistic assassin in "Traffic." He is an entirely different being - a star to watch. Spader mesmerizes by virtue of his edgy intelligence. He can ask for a drink of water and you are compelled to wonder about what he really wants. Portia De Rossi gives a gutsy performance as Daniels US government adversary, though it took me a while to get used to her playing a true hard ass. No Ally McBeal here.The writing was first rate. Maybe the bottom line best thing about the movie. I don't know who the writing team is - Colin Green and Robert Ozn - they don't have any other credits - I looked them up on imdb. It's kind of the best of old-school, 70s writing meets 21st century dialogue and pacing. I could picture these guys writing "The French Connection" as well as "Desperado." I do wonder, though, if the Ozn part of the team is the same (or related?) Ozn from the band Ebn-Ozn.It's by far the best thing Rowdy Herrington's ever directed. Miles above his Bruce Willis action flick - can't remember the name off the top of my head. He's very good with street action, makes it ring true without any tricks, never amping you up with manipulations or pyrotechnics. There's a moment where a union activist gets knee-capped, and I could feel the hammer drop. Cinematography and production values are filled with foreboding and dark secrets. At times, it's almost claustrophobic and creepy and then suddenly - there's sunlight.The only thing I'll give a 'fair' grade to was the music. It was sound design styled synth stuff, and for a film set in Tijuana, it didn't work for me. It wasn't bad, just the wrong color.