Bordertown (2007)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Excellent but underrated film

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

It was sad to me when people on this site asked if Gandhi was a fictional character, when they thought Judi Dench in "Ladies in Lavender" came off as a "dirty old lady," when they thought Kenny O'Donnell in "Thirteen Days" was a fictional character to give Kevin Costner a part when the film used White House transcripts (I guess they just stuck Kenny's dialogue into transcripts?) - it was sad. But to laugh and give a negative review to a movie that tells an important story, whether or not it stars Jennifer Lopez, is awful and shows that there are people who are regulars on this board who are not just stupid. They're complete morons.This is based on a true story about murders of young women that have been taking place in Juarez, Mexico for years, with a large number of women have been raped and murdered or simply disappeared. The women work in the maquiladoras, 24/7 companies that employ cheap labor, usually women, and create disposable products. Apparently the women are disposable too. The women are normally attacked as they are going home.Jennifer Lopez plays a reporter who is assigned this story against her will but becomes involved in it, protecting a young woman who dug herself out of her own grave, and going undercover in a maquiladora herself to uncover one of the murderers.This horrible situation is not dealt with efficiently by the government or the police. In part, this is due to political pressure and the fact that mob and drug money is often involved in the ownership of the factories.The North American Free Trade agreement, NAFTA, was expanded in 1994 and provided new opportunities for the maquiladoras. This was an issue director Gregory Nava wanted to explore, and Jennifer Lopez, Martin Sheen, and Antonio Banderas signed on. Because of the R rating and the opinion of several focus groups, it was not released in theaters. It's not a great movie. As a TV movie, it would have been much better. It also doesn't look very expensive. I don't happen to think Jennifer Lopez is a horrible actress. Unlike some here, I thought her back story, shown in flashback, was very clear.This is an important story, made by sincere people. One can at least appreciate that they wanted to raise awareness of this issue. It's easy to sit and criticize a film; it's another to go out and make one. And maybe a few people will think about a rich country like Mexico - rich in minerals, tourism, manufacturing -- that pays people $3 to $5 a day and has a population that lives in poverty while the people that control the money send it out of the country. Is it any wonder they try to sneak into the U.S.? Anything is better than how they are forced to live. And nothing is done to help them. Nothing.

"Lauren Adrian" (Jennifer Lopez) is a newspaper reporter who goes to Juarez, Mexico to investigate the murders of hundreds of female factory employees. Upon her arrival she discovers that a young woman by the name of "Eva Jimenez" (Maya Zapata) has survived after being raped and left for dead on the outskirts of the city. Eva wants her story told and Lauren needs more details in order to report it. But she soon finds that she is over her head. So she contacts an old friend named "Alfonzo Diaz" (Antonio Banderas) who works for one of the Juaraz newspapers to help her make sense of it all. But there are people who don't want this story to go to press and they will do anything to keep the truth hidden. Anyway, rather than disclose any more of the film and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was a grim movie but it had a story that needs to be told. I really liked the performances of Jennifer Lopez and Maya Zapata. I also thought the director (Gregory Nava) did an excellent job depicting the scenery and flavor of Juarez as well. On the other hand, some of the action was a bit too much and seemed totally unnecessary. But that's Hollywood for you. Be that as it may I liked the movie and I rate it as slightly above average.

Despite her being Spanish, Jennifer Lopez was terribly miscast in this film. You needed someone who was extremely tough and could convey grit in this film dealing with Mexican women being murdered after a day's work at an American owned factory in Juarez, Mexico.There are some inconsistencies in this film as well. Why would the Lopez character take the young lady who survived the murder attempt to a gala where she could easily be recognized? Sure enough, she is.The film really takes hold when it shows the complicity of our government in trying to squash the killings in order to preserve the NAFTRA treaty.Antonio Banderas co-stars and is effective as the tragic editor of the Mexican newspaper trying to shed light on this mystery.

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.