The Borderland

This picture is really weird. Filmed in France? I think it was supposed to be an action packed thriller. For me it was also a comedy. I laughed out loud several times. The plot has so many holes, worse than a Swiss cheese. The acting was meh, the dialogue was written by Yogi Berra sitting on the toilet and eating crackers. The main bad guy was also always uptight. He was a caricature of what a western person might think of an Asian evil dude. You could tell the hero was a professional martial artist. He was really good, the fight scenes were OK, but also contributed to the comedy. You know, the unwritten law that only one man at a time can attack the hero even though he is surrounded by 16 martial arts guys.

Yet still I liked it. I gave it a seven.. I'm easy

... you are ever likely to see.

The genre is ... confused.

It is has simultaneously elements of a martial arts film, a spy film, a comedy, and a horror film.

For example, there is a lot of humor around and about the topic of North Korea. Being from the west, I was not even aware that this was a bountiful source of material for comedy, but the screenwriter clearly saw the matter differently, and wrote jokes accordingly.

The shifts in mood & tone are unpredictable, and that is not necessarily a good thing.

A North Korean officer runs into the barracks only to find one of the soldiers reading a porn magazine. So he takes out a gun and shoots him in the head. In an adjoining scene a captured spy is being tortured by having his intestines removed while he is still alive.

Not quite as funny, that second bit..

All this takes getting some used to.

Nor does it help that the protagonist, the hero, speaks English with an odd accent. Now, in fairness, Jean Claude Van Damme did the same thing at the beginning of HIS career but I somehow doubt that Sedina Balde is about to follow in Van Damme's footsteps. More likely, he is simply going to be a bottom-tier action hero with an annoying accent.

The director TRIES. Boy does he try. There is a scene where simultaneous fights are taking place on two contiguous floors of the same building and I swear the camera angle actually inverts (goes upside down) to prepare the viewer for what comes next.

That is a very cool scene, perhaps the highlight of the film. Seriously cool.

Other directors will see it and copy it. It's THAT good.

Unfortunately, it comes near the half way point and its is all downhill from there.

------------------------------------------------------- PS added 11-12-14. Noticed 4 new reviews added, all rating this film at the level of THE MATRIX or GODFATHER, all by reviewers with only one single review in their IMDb profile. Make of this what you will.

I am not normally a follower of these types of films, though this one is unlike anything I had expected. The genre is an interesting blend of action, thriller, adventure, martial art, and even some comedy. If you are expecting something in particular, then you may not get the full appreciation of this film. I came in not knowing what to expect and I was very impressed. The action scenes are professionally done (for once!) and some of the camera work is also quite beautiful. Immediately after watching the film I wanted to watch it again. Even simply the visuals of the scenery and exotic setting were captivating. I simply loved this film.

Seydina Baldé is a better actor than Barak "I'm-not-a-communist!" Obama.

He can swing a karate chop faster than Obama can sign an Executive Order.

Since being a natural born American citizen is no longer required, Seydina should run for U.S. President!

What a great movie!

If Seydina were the American President, he could cut our taxes because he could defend himself.

We wouldn't have to waste taxpayer-dollars on a Secret Service that visits whorehouses, allows psychos to hop the White House fence or allows armed, disgruntled nut jobs onto the same elevator as the President.

Seydina could defend himself!

And if he disagreed with a Republican member of Congress, well he could just karate chop them across the throat.

Done, end of conversation.

Seydina is the bomb! He is the best!

I have to say I strongly disagree with those reviewers praising this movie. It really really is just horrible. The script is just awful. The plot is so full of holes- that it is unbelievable. I have never seen the lead actor in anything else, so I don't know if his performance is a result of his lack of ability or a result of bad directing. His line delivery is worse than a second grader reading a book out loud for the first time. It is an action movie lacking much in the way of action. The few action sequences are bland and unexciting. Any attempt at comic relief falls flat. So if you come across this flick, pass it by and spare yourself the suffering.