The Mule

A female American reporter (Sharon Stone) searches for her missing brother (Billy Zane) against the backdrop of violence and human smuggling across the United States / Mexico border.

The key to remember in this film is that, as is said twice, the issue of the border is "not that simple". Any political stand on the issue has to be very nuanced or probably uninformed. I am not going to even try to explain where the arguments on many sides of the issue go wrong, as that is a book in itself.

And that is how I have to frame this film. I feel like it generally has a sympathetic view towards illegal immigration. And, indeed, there is reason to feel that way -- if my life could be substantially improved by crossing an imaginary line, I would probably consider doing it, too. But that ignores the importance of a strong border: keeping threats out and formalizing the citizenship process.

Yet, if the point of the film was to spark debate, I suppose it may succeed there. Immigration and border control is not an all or nothing issue, and there is much worthy of debate in these topics. Are we morally obligated to help improve people's lives? Or perhaps we are more obligated to ensure a strong homeland defense?

Sadly, Billy Zane (6-foot-2-inches of pure bad-butt) has far too little screen time and Sharon Stone is well past her acting prime. She was not a strong lead, and whoever decided to give her that terrible hair just made her more distracting than necessary.

Watching Jennifer Lopez in Bordertown was more believable at least she can speak Spanish and looks the part and Jennifer Lopez is from the brown race and Sharon Stone no way.....!! Sharon Stone looked ridiculous in that black wig and tried to look like the brown race, that's an insult to the brown race. Hollywood get actors that fit the scene and the parts. And Billy Zane needs to stick in movies like the Mummy. I guess these actors you used were getting desperate to be in a movie that they just do not fir into. Hollywood get with it and quit using these washed up actors especially that Sharon Stone....

I was curious about the movie when I saw a trailer and saw that Stone and Zane were in it. As I watched the movie I was put off by Stones' acting? Talk about a buzz kill? The story was based on true events that I found very interesting even though it was way off on many areas. The characters that popped up as the story unfolded kept me from turning it off. All these unknown actors were much better actors then Stone and they were the reason that I watched the whole movie. Maybe Stone thought she didn't get paid enough to give it her best but it was annoying to watch her pretend to whine and cry at every turn when she was supposed to portray some experienced investigative reporter who acts tough and cry's at every turn. But if you have a couple of hrs to kill and want to see some interesting actors help Stone earn her money then try to enjoy...

As most of the reviews on this film state, the film has great potential but falls short due to certain performances. Border Run does a great job at depicting just what crossing the border entails for many illegal immigrants.

However, Sharon Stone does not deliver at all. She is both over-dramatic and detached from her character. The acting may actually bring out a chuckle in what is certainly not a comedic movie.

All the blame cannot be put on Stone as it is the director's job to, well, direct the actors' performances. Tagliavini not only misses this mark with Stone but also with the story-line. Certain areas that warrant more time and detail are simply brushed over and some that should be short and to-the-point are dragged out for simple shock value.

It is in my opinion and those who watched it with me: This was a great story line with many twists and surprises, and even a satisfying ending, that was completely ruined by bad acting and even worse directing.

It is rare that I give up on a movie within 30 minutes but in this case, I was so unimpressed that I did just that. I have enjoyed some Sharon Stone movies in the past, especially her performance in Casino, but I found her acting to be abysmal in this case. As another reviewer pointed out, this may well be in great part due to the direction she was given. I'm not familiar with the work of the director and will likely avoid any of his films in the future. I cannot comment on the story itself as it did not really have a chance to develop in the short time I was able to stand it. I would advise against watching this film unless you are hell bent on keeping track of the lead actor's career which, going by this effort, is heading deep South.