Frontera

Frontera (2014)

Part of me says: any movie that helps our understanding of the real illegal immigration situation from Mexico should be watched. This does that.

The problem is made immediate and intimate, and you are meant to understand both sides of the issue. It also avoids for awhile the sensationalism of lots of these cross- border dramas. A young man crosses into Arizona in one of those remote areas where it seems possible to sneak through and walk away. Some American kids taking pot shots at him with a high powered rifle end up accidentally killing an American woman on her horse (she falls off when the horse is spooked) and the immigrant becomes the main suspect.

This all happens early in the movie, and it is the dead woman's husband, played by Ed Harris, who holds up the other half of the movie. We follow then the Mexican (played by Michael Peña) as he flees and encounters "justice" (and later his wife, played by Eva Longoria arrives to help him). And we follow Harris who steadfastly digs into what really happened.

So there is plenty of drama here (one reviewer on rotten tomatoes said this had no drama, and that is completely false—just wait until you get to the coyotes kidnapping people). And yet there is a sense of balance, that there are good guys and bad guys and misapprehensions on both sides. You might say this makes the movie too balanced, so it lacks punch, but instead I think it has depth, which is better.

It's imperfect, for sure, as things get wrapped up and plots become increasingly intertwined. But overall I found it strong and well intentioned. And well acted, set in some genuine looking arroyos and deserts (it was filmed in New Mexico).

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.

A former Arizona sheriff's wife (Amy Madigan , Ed Harris's real wife) is mudered while riding on their ranch property. It would appear a Mexican man (Michael Peña) illegally crossing into the US is at fault and he's framed and relentlessly pursued as a killer . As the former and the current sheriff (Ed Harris) search for answers, but things go wrong . As he decides to take a stand for his deceased wife and against the corruption he's found out into the police station ; eventually , he'll stop at nothing , at whatever cost. The hard investigation of the complex case will change their lives forever . As the ex-patrolman moodily scratching his conscience pitying the poor immigrants and wetbacks and going up against undercover operations .

An interesting film exposing tragedy and corruption along America's chain-link souther frontier . The border is not only a fence between two countries , it's a moral line between decency and indecency, between moral compromise and being our starring a truly humane and compassionate person , regardless of the consequences . Not an award-winner, but an effective and interesting character study . All of the actors here deliver nice but rather under-rated performances . Ed Harris plays a on-the-take ex-border patrol cop or sheriff trying to go straight, but surrounded by corruption on both sides of the fence . Ed Harris finally has to choose between fitting in by being a good man and being true to himself and cutting his ties with his other colleagues . With Ed Harris , there's no theatricality, no eccentricity, just a good, straightforward, impassioned portraya l. Portraying the desperation of a man trying to make a difference , and do the right thing . And being well accompanied by Michael Peña as the unfortunate Miguel , Eva Longoria who is lovely and extremely engaging in spite of her distresses , and one might wish that she'd had more opportunities in American film over the years, as well as Amy Madigan and Aden Young. Michael Berry made his professional feature film debut with this border drama Frontera which he directed and co-wrote. He often uses Mexican/Hispanic based characters and themes in his films . Following Frontera, Berry wrote the screenplay and directed the original musical feature film Stuck, which is based on the stage play of the same name. And Berry also directed the stage production of Stuck in New York. Berry has an extensive background as a New York based stage actor and has appeared in Broadway productions, including Next To Normal and Les Miserables .

This ¨Frontera¨ 2014 belongs to a subgenre usually set in the Tex-Mex border concerning illegal immigration , such as : ¨Border Incident¨ 1949 by Anthony Mann with Ricardo Montalban , George Murphy , Howard Da Silva . ¨Borderline¨ 1980 by Jerrold Freeman with Charles Bronson , Bruno Kirby , Michael Lerner , Wilford Brimley and Ed Harris . ¨The Border¨ 1982 by Tony Richardson with Jack Nicholson , Valerie Perrine , Warren Oates , Harvey Keitel. ¨Crossing over¨ 2009 by Wayne Kramer with Harrison Ford , Ray Liotta , Jim Sturgess , Alice Eva , Alice Braga , Ashley Judd . ¨Desert¨ 2015 by Jonás Cuarón with Jeffrey Dean Morgan , Gael Garcia Bernal, among others.

I'm a big movie buff and I focus on the values of writing, production, and entertainment. I'm tired of all the buddy-cop, cookie cutter action movies these days. They are ALL THE SAME. I look for movies that have interesting ideas.

Frontera was a welcome relief to my annoyance with the current movie industry. The writing was very well done and the pacing was perfect. I felt interested and engaged the entire time. I like how the Mexicans actually spoke Spanish. Even though there were a lot of subtitles, it was much more realistic.

I loved the implications of importance placed on the family. The families of Miguel, Roy, and the sheriff are all placed in extremely difficult situations which must be overcome. I feel like most people could relate to these situations in some way-- I did. In addition, the things that Miguel's wife goes through sheds light on the circumstance and difficulties of those looking for a better life. The maltreatment and suffering they go through are real.

Finally, I loved the ending. My heart was racing because I had established a personal affection for the characters. This movie was well worth my time.

A very relevant and worthwhile watch. The acting is good. The story is complex, deep and without a perfect solution, and so goes life on earth, and that's exactly what this film really hits you with. There are no perfect solutions to many of our problems, and also that innocently intended pranks can sometimes result in drastic and irreversible consequences. There certainly is a good size audience out there that will appreciate this film. So far it hasn't found enough of that audience it seems. This is a very realistically minded film that will make you think and feel, either that or its realism will just scare you even further back into your already well zombified state. Goodnight sleepwalker!

7.5/10.