Reading the negative reviews of this movie was kind of shocking, really. This heartbreaking story was one that needed to be told, and with all the meaningless crap that is peddled out of Hollywood, this was like a breath of fresh air. Perhaps "Bordertown" won't get 10 Oscar nominations or whatever, but I enjoyed watching Jennifer Lopez unravel the mystery of what happened to Eva, the young girl attacked, left for dead, and miraculously survived. I thought the performances were courageous and not overdone, and the direction and cinematography was great. The price we pay in our humanity to get lower prices on electronics and other goods, and to line the pockets of corruption wherever it is found, is much too high. I wish more movies like "Bordertown" were being made...it is quite sad to me that movies like this (also Erin Brokovich, North Country, Silkwood, as well as others) go straight to DVD and so many other movies with no message, just a grandiose budget and special effects, are more important than those with something to say.

Jennifer Lopez performance is commendable as well as other supportive roles (Antonio Banderas, Martin Sheen); it's about a story that needs to be told, a disturbing tale - due to the subject handled - that could have been more compelling if it were less clichéd. Nevertheless it's not that easy to judge negatively a film not badly acted and trying to bring attention to such a problem, something different from usual human rights matter - this one is of public ignorance. To sum up I wouldn't define it a mediocre motion picture but "Borders" is not even that far from being a b-movie. Reviewers slammed it and they probably exaggerated but I expected something better.

It was sad to me when people on this site asked if Gandhi was a fictional character, when they thought Judi Dench in &quot;Ladies in Lavender&quot; came off as a &quot;dirty old lady,&quot; when they thought Kenny O&#39;Donnell in &quot;Thirteen Days&quot; was a fictional character to give Kevin Costner a part when the film used White House transcripts (I guess they just stuck Kenny&#39;s dialogue into transcripts?) - it was sad. <br/><br/>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&#39;re complete morons.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>The North American Free Trade agreement, NAFTA, was expanded in 1994 and provided new opportunities for the maquiladoras. <br/><br/>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. <br/><br/>It&#39;s not a great movie. As a TV movie, it would have been much better. It also doesn&#39;t look very expensive. I don&#39;t happen to think Jennifer Lopez is a horrible actress. Unlike some here, I thought her back story, shown in flashback, was very clear.<br/><br/>This is an important story, made by sincere people. One can at least appreciate that they wanted to raise awareness of this issue. It&#39;s easy to sit and criticize a film; it&#39;s another to go out and make one. <br/><br/>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.