MOVIE - BEYOND BORDERS - Review Rating $$$$$ 1/2 (OUT OF 10)
STARRING - Angelina Jolie (Sarah Jordan), Clive Owen (Nick Callahan), Linus Roache (Henry Bauford), Teri Polo (Charlotte Jordan), Yorick van Wageningen (Jan Steiger) & Elizabeth Whitmere (Beatrice).
DIRECTOR - Martin Campbell (The Mask of Zorro, Goldeneye, Vertical Limit, Defenseless & No Escape)
Beyond Borders should be commended for attempting to shine some light on the plight of millions of dislocated and forgotten about refugees, worldwide, who are struggling to survive poverty, drought and war. As noble, as the cause is, Beyond Borders is undermined by its inability to free itself from Hollywood conventions.
In the opening sequence of the film Nick Callahan (Owen) crashes a fund-raiser, the cost of which would feed thousands for a year, to bring home the point that this spirit of self-indulgence is the height of hypocrisy for a relief organization. Just a few scenes later the script has rich-girl Sarah Jordan (Jolie) bathing her feet, in pristine accommodations, in the middle of a refugee camp that has a water shortage. Apparently, the producers missed the irony of this. Later on, after a wild night of sex in the jungle, Jordan and Callahan somehow manage not to break a sweat.
Beyond Borders, unlike Gorillas In The Mist, doesn't have faith in the compelling nature of its subject matter. Instead, as alluded to above, they feel the need to insert a love story. Not only is this unnecessary, if the film's subject matter had been dealt with properly, its also unbelievable.
This relationship, that sees Jordan following her man to the starkest corners of the world, is apparently based on love at first sight. It also requires a cheating husband (Jordan is married when the film starts) and a willingness for this mother of two to totally abandon her children so she can single handily rescue Callahan from the clutches of terrorists.
Credibility goes the out the window as the film becomes more and more driven by the relationship between Jordan and Callahan. That's a shame, and unforgivable, for a film that purports to be about the plight of the world's least fortunate. Beyond Borders, amazingly, turns refugees and some of the world's darkest conflicts into a mere backdrop for a fanciful Harlequin Romance.
Beyond Borders begins nobly enough but unravels due to increasingly heavy-handed plot devices and an assortment of discrepancies.
Running time - 127 minutes
Check out my TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2003 & WORST MOVIES OF 2003 lists.
Alternative Reviews:
Roger Ebert's Review
Rotten Tomatoes Reviews
Beyond Borders Official Web Site
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2005
David Schwartz.
Last update:
2/28/05; 1:48:19 AM.
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