Bordertown (2007)

A journalist investigates a series of murders near American-owned factories on the border of Juarez and El Paso.

Director:

Gregory Nava

Writer:

Gregory Nava

Stars:

Jennifer Lopez, Antonio Banderas, Maya Zapata

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maya Zapata	...	Eva Jimenez
Irineo Alvarez	...	Domingo Esparza
Rene Rivera	...	Aris Rodriguez
Jennifer Lopez	...	Lauren Adrian
Martin Sheen	...	George Morgan
Karolinah Villarreal	...	Young Lauren
Debrianna Mansini	...	Flight Attendant
Randall Batinkoff	...	Frank Kozerski
Gonzalo Mauro Montiel Aguirre	...	Curandero (as Gonzalo Mauro Montiel)
Antonio Banderas	...	Alfonso Diaz
Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez	...	Lourdes Jimenez (as Zaide Sylvia Gutierrez)
Amelia Zapata	...	Lourdes's Friend
Julio Cesar Cedillo	...	Julio
Jorge Urzua	...	Eduardo Lopes
Ruben G. Rojas	...	Eduardo's Man (as Ruben Rojas)

Storyline

Lauren, an impassioned American reporter for the Chicago Sentinel heads to Juarez, a Mexican bordertown, in order to investigate a series of mysterious slayings involving young factory women from all over Mexico. As she discovers hundreds of victims, she gains the trust of local factory workers but falls into danger.

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Plot Keywords:

person in a car trunk | human smuggling | woman wears only a man's shirt | factory | juarez | 

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Taglines:

Lies. Corruption. Murder. One reporter will break the silence.

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence including a brutal rape, sexuality, nudity and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

During a scene in which Jennifer Lopez's character, Adrienne Morgan, is speaking to her boss, George Morgan, played by Martin Sheen, she says: "I've been running away from who I am my whole life, because you dont want to be Mexican, not in this country." This is interesting because, she is saying these lines to Martin Sheen, Who's real name is Ramon Antonio Gerardo Estevez, and he adopted the screen name "Martin Sheen" in order to get acting jobs because of opposition he experienced trying to use his birth name given to him by his immigrant parents. One can imagine that the emotions his character displayed might have actually been real since her words were relevant to the actors real life experiences.

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Quotes

Alfonso Diaz: Are you going to endanger their lives for a fucking story?

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Jumper/Step Up 2 the Streets/The Spiderwick Chronicles/Definitely, Maybe/Bordertown/I Could Never Be Your Woman (2008)

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Soundtracks

Y Los Sabes Tu
Written by Rafael E. Rivera
Performed by Rafizone
Courtesy of BIHG, Inc.

User Reviews

A failed movie, though its worthy intention

This is not the kind of movie I usually see, and I must admit that while watching it on TV, I gradually realized that it was not the documentary film I expected. The story is based on a horrifying and tragic reality of raping and killing of women on the Mexican border, of which I did not know anything, as underreported throughout the world. The movie has so the laudable merit of bringing to light and denouncing the terrifying drama of thousands of women being raped and disappeared in those waste lands, working in those appalling "maquilladoras", where even the most basic human rights are completely disregarded, and where deep economic interests prevail over respect for human dignity. However, as the story progressed, I realized it was more an action-thriller than a documentary picture, standing out for gripping though improbable, twists, a tense and quick pace, intertwined with some more relaxed and relaxing moments, which appear as really improbable and above all of bad taste and out of place if we consider the grave topic of the movie. It is as if that worthy aim gives way to more entertaining and market needs. So my doubt was: how can such a highly committed movie be bent to the logic of the box-office? How can you shift your attention from scenes of rape of terrifying violence to the underlining of J. Lo's perfect silhouette? It is evident that the production aimed at attracting audience through an attractive cast and some shrewd devices, such as pacing action, a thriller-plot, sentimental flash-backs, some entertaining music, thus losing its seriousness and credibility. I watched it till the end, because it was gripping and, like all thriller movies, you want to know how it ends up, but I realize this is not the reason why I should have wanted to see it till the end, and in this sense I think it is, in the end, a failed movie.

Details

Official Sites:

movie website Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

English Spanish Central American Indian languages

Release Date:

16 May 2008 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Bordertown

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,332,427

Company Credits

Production Co:

Möbius Entertainment, El Norte Productions, Nuyorican Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1