I Witness

Like Bordertown, I Witness exposes another underbelly of corporate internationalism seeking windfall profits by escaping fair trade practices, fair wages and scrutiny by government agencies created to protect environmental concerns. Hiding behind Mexico's drug wars, the new gangsters of corporate thuggery use criminal means to cloak the cost of dumping toxic chemical waste upon the unsuspecting in a country where a bribe can cover any crime, no matter the number and innocence of victims. And like Bordertown, I Witness takes with fiction the excursions into truth today's mess media would dare not touch upon. Jeff Daniels and James Spader typically provide glowing performances while Clifton Collier Jr's performance places as something grand to see. Rowdy Harrington's direction is professionally able and the camera work is exceptional. Writers Colin Greene and Robert Ozn are to be commended. A film whose time is come and whose value exceeds entertainment, this should have been required viewing by Congress before passing on trade agreements that have undermined the quality of life on both sides of the border. JCH

Spotted this DVD on eBay and bought it on the cheap from someone in the UK. Watched it last night and all I can say is what a great surprise! This is a really well done political thriller in the tradition of Traffic. Daniels, Spader, de Rossi, and especially Clifton Collins do some terrific acting. The direction is tight, the story is interesting, the political angle is provocative, the Mexican sets are authentic. All in all a very good film for what was obviously a smallish budget.

Why this movie isn't on video in the US (was it ever shown in a theater?) is beyond me. Especially considering all the crap that IS on video. Does anyone know what happened to this movie?

I've just watched this as the late night film on the BBC and have to say I was really impressed. I soldiered through the first 10 minutes or so which don't give a good impression of the film. After that however the characters grow or seem to be more comfortable, having moved away from a slightly stereotypical "do-gooder" (Daniels), "cute American" (de Rossi), "resentful cop" (Collins) and "enigmatic government agent" (Spader). When the characters are established they really seem to have a very natural relationship and the film stays away from any hint of being a "buddy movie", which given the seriousness of the topic, would have been a mistake. What you are left with are just well seen characterisations, the same is equally true for the supporting cast.

I enjoyed the setting of Mexico and the urban scenes which the director used to make the film look very 'normal'; no glossy idealised Mexican villages but equally no attempt to make the backdrop look squalid unless it needed to be. I suppose this is no big deal but it did make me pay more attention to the plot and the actors.

It is the plot and its unravelling which makes this worth watching. The viewer is lead through the story only knowing as much as the characters, and like them, is led down some blind alleys before the denouement, which in itself I found worthwhile.

Like another reviewer I found the ending just slightly contrived, apart from that I couldn't see any faults and have to say I found this thoroughly enjoyable and considerably more captivating and enjoyable than many of the so called thrillers being released at the moment.

If you get a chance to rent this or it's on TV then I'd say it's well worth watching.

In Mexico, two American dirtbikers are killed. In Tijuana, the police discovers a tunnel collapse with many bodies. This attracts the attention of human rights reporter Jim Rhodes (Jeff Daniels) and American representative Douglas Draper (James Spader). The police puts it as a simple drug tunnel collapse but Rhodes disagrees. Rhodes is also monitoring an union vote in an American company operating locally. Emily Thompson (Portia de Rossi) is an American trade representative. Roy Logan (Wade Williams) is the plant manager. Claudio Castillo (Clifton Collins Jr.) is a honest local cop. As the government lays everything on the drug lord, a deeper conspiracy is uncovered.

The production value is limited. The movie wants to be big. There are so many plot lines and characters going all over the place. Its ambition is bigger than the movie. Luckily for the movie, it has great actors at work. Jeff Daniels is great and all the actors down the line are top notch. The story needs a bit of simplification. It could slim the main cast down by one or two. The directions aren't good enough whether it's the action scenes or the crowds.

Sometimes when diving through the DVD bargain bin, you can find a gem of a movie. Other times you can find movies that while they are not great, are all the same good enough to be worth the small cost you have to pay. "I Witness" is one example of the latter. It seems to have been a labor of love for all concerned, given the obvious low budget. Actually, the small budget does not really hurt the movie, since the majority of the movie takes place in run down Mexican locations; without a big budget to spruce things up, you can really feel the poverty and the breeding place for crime and corruption. The cast does a pretty good job, especially James Spader, who really shines despite having a somewhat limited part. Jeff Daniels is also good, though his character seems at times to be somewhat naive for someone who has made a career going to various hot spots around the globe looking for human rights violations. If there is any other flaw with the script, it's that the story unfolds at a somewhat slow pace (though the movie never gets boring.) It's a good movie that's worth seeing. One warning, though: If you are thinking of travelling to Mexico for any purpose, by the end of the movie you'll probably be cancelling your plans.