Lauren Adrian - Jennifer Lopez - wants v much to be a foreign correspondent for her employer, the newspaper Chicago Sentinel. Her boss George - Martin Sheen- dangles a carrot in her face. If she will go to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and discover why women are being murdered, Lauren will get her prized job. Reluctantly, she agrees. Although her parents were migrant workers, Lauren was orphaned early and raised in an Anglo family. Her Spanish is poor. Nevertheless, she goes to the Border town right across from El Paso. Once there, she reconnects with Alfonso - Antonio Banderas - a former writing partner. He runs a paper in CJ. As he explains, there are many theories about who is raping and murdering the young factory women. The death count is also speculative; there may be hundreds of murders, mor than the official total. Then, Lauren meets Eva, a beautiful lady who says she was left for dead by the murderer and clawed her way out of a shallow grave. Is she the key to Laurens ambitions ? This film may not be award winning but it has an important story to tell. NAFTA has a dark side for low wage earners and Mexico has a checkered history in law enforcement and justice. Lopez is good as the ambitious reporter who is aghast by those who care nothing for the victims. It also has some scary moments which thriller fans will embrace. Sometimes movies have an agenda that matters. This is one such film.
Review of Bordertown
