Frontera (2014)

Usually I watch really bad movies, intentionally. I don't review new films due to the mass amount of voices that can do a better job than I at discussing cinema. First, I am shocked that this didn't get the distribution it should have, wtf is wrong with Hollywood that we get Apatow on every corner but a gem like this never makes it to the cineplex. Secondly, I would put this film alongside movies like No. Country for Old Men, Fargo, Pulp Fiction and Django in the column of Celluloid Art. Here's why...there are no weak performances. Each actor is at the top of their game, from the teenagers ,the Sheriff to the actress who plays the investigator that aids Harris on his quest to find the truth. All roles are played as though we are watching incidents taking place in real time with honest portrayals. The writing may seem to be manipulative on the surface to some viewers, in reality a close look shows that it is more deftly crafted allowing us to follow along, rather than lead us. The material does more than cover the hot button issue of undocumented immigration with a right vs. left storyline ,we as viewers are fortunate that the directors and writers are able to pull off the Herculean task of dropping us in the middle. The greatest part of this movie is that it is gripping until the last second of the movie, that is not an exaggeration, until the very last second of this film. Definitely put this on your list to watch, you won't be disappointed.

We were able to watch this movie via Netflix streaming movies. The illegal crossings of Mexicans into the USA has been big news in 2014 and this movie bridges on that. It does not attempt to encompass the issue but uses a small fraction of the issue to build this drama.It involves a basically hard-working an honest Mexican, Michael Peña as Miguel, who has been caught and deported before and tries again, he wants to find work so that he can make a better life for his family.His wife is played by Texas native, Eva Longoria as Paulina. Even though the actress was in her late 30s she was able to look much younger here. She is pregnant and also tries to cross but gets in with a bad band and is assaulted, along with a group of others.The central story with an older couple with a ranch on the border in New Mexico, Ed Harris as Roy, former sheriff, and his wife Amy Madigan as Olivia. When she rides her horse out that day she doesn't return alive. The Mexicans discovered nearby are accused of her murder and locked up. But Roy, as distraught as he is, has an other idea what happened. Unravelling that mystery is what the movie is all about.Well-acted and well-written, good movie. Harris is his usual reliable self.SPOILERS: In a parallel story we see three young men go out on Roy's property, and near the border are looking for Mexicans to shoot at, presumably to scare them. But when Olivia was talking to Miguel and his buddy a shot rang out, spooked the horse, she fell off and split her head on a large sharp rock. One of the young men was the son of the current sheriff and the sheriff's high-powered rifle was used. Roy recovered shell casings matching what the sheriff reloaded with. Getting the boys to finally come clean cleared the Mexicans, Roy rode Miguel to the border fence on his property, asked Miguel to (from the Mexico side) keep it in repair and Roy would pay him, they would meet a certain time each week. But a rogue sniper had Miguel in his cross-hairs, was about to shoot him when Roy is shown with a pistol to the sniper's head. The sniper's 4X4 had a sticker on the back window "Americans doing the job the government won't" on an elongated American flag background.

The production value and acting was fine - no issues. The story left a lot to be desired. It paints an anti-American view of how illegal immigration is perceived and dealt with in the US, trying to portray the illegals as the victims while concurrently suggesting US border patrol and police are corrupt.Sorry, way to PC for my taste. It struck me as a plot trying to paint the darkest picture possible of American immigration policy and the consequences from that policy versus the Mexican workers who simply want to "work hard."In addition - several plot points begun in the 1st half of the movie end up going nowhere - its as if the writer simply forgot about them. What of the family that is robbed? What of the 2 Muslim illegals who run off once in the US??

Two Mexicans trying to cross the border are implicated in a murder they didn't commit. The film follows the fallout as the dead woman's husband pieces together the mystery of who was responsible for her murder. This is an excellently played and filmed modern day western drama which thankfully steers clear of many of the obvious clichés and is never predictable. The intelligent script sparkles and is helped by a superb cast led by Ed Harris, Michael Pena and Eva Longeria all of whom put in superb performances. The ending for me was a little rushed and disappointing and therefore it just falls short of a great movie in my opinion. This is just a personal opinion though and for others it may work out fine. Frontera is a good addition to the modern western genre and well worth watching.