source: Frontera

Miguel Ramirez (Michael Peña) crosses the border illegally leaving behind his wife Paulina (Eva Longoria) and family. Miguel and his annoying traveling companion Jose encounter helpful rancher Olivia McNary (Amy Madigan). She dies from an accidental fall off her horse when three local teens shoot at the illegals. Her husband and former sheriff Roy (Ed Harris) arrives assuming Miguel to be her killer. I like the premise and the start. It might work even better if the primary incident is left with a bit of mystery. I was concerned that Roy seems to ignore the gunshots at first but that can be explained away with the shock of his lost. Ultimately, the story has lots of drama but little tension. It's lacking the mystery which could supply the tension of discovery. Roy figures it out too quickly and Miguel is left without the tension of dire danger. Then there is the nameless vigilante. The movie would be better without him and the final scene is too convenient by half. I rather have more effort put into the three boys' story. This is worthwhile but in need of more tension.

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).

Good thing about Frontera: It has Ed Harris. And he plays his part decent. But everyone else's performance is somewhere between below average and bad. The story is weak, missing any tension or suspense. Former sheriff loses his wife on an incident, because some teenagers where playing with guns to scare away mexicans. One of the mexicans gets caught and blamed for murder. The mexicans wife travels to save him but ends as a hostage for ransom. That could be exciting or at least sad, but the characters remain very shallow and you don't feel like taking part in their misery and struggle, left aside feel any concern for them. Then the mexicans wife is freed, they find the shells and confront a teenager, who start crying and confesses instantly. What a twist! The only real surprise was that Ed Harris talked with the teenagers father, showing some understanding for the fact that it was actually only a very unfortunate accident. To sum up: Can a good actor alone carry a otherwise weak movie? He can try. And it prevents the movie from being terrible. But it's also far from good. Not even average. Frontera left me with the feeling that it wasn't really worth the time.

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.

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.

After watching this film last night, I, as an immigrant who came to America legally, am disgusted by the message delivered in this film. I am compelled to write a negative review. The root cause of all the tragedies in the film is the Mexicans disregard American rule of law by entering this country illegally. They make a decent living in Mexico. They don't have to cross the border illegally. They choose to do so because they want to make MORE money in America. Their illegal crossing triggers a chain of events, shooting by the teenagers, horse being spooked, woman being killed, another woman being raped and abused and human trafficking running rampant etc.. Illegal immigration is WRONG. In reality, illegal immigration is responsible for many bad things happening in America, and sadly, it puts American people in a moral dilemma. It should not be glorified by Hollywood and the media. At the end, the film is trying to feed audience a very distorted view by portraying the illegal immigrants as victims and Ed Harris as a hero. Despite its spectacular cinematography and superb acting, to my opinion, this film delivers a very wrong message.

I am retired and living in Mexico. Like most Americans, I knew nothing about Mexicans, even though I grew up near the border. When I was in high school in the 60's, I would hear the garden hose come on at night. Being only 10 miles from the border, I would hear the quiet sounds of Mexicans getting a drink of water on their way North. My bedroom door was unlocked. These illegal aliens were 10 feet from my door. I had no fear of them, nor did I have any reason to. Frontera is a movie about how little Mexicans and Americans understand one another. Americans, with their sense of entitlement, have no understanding of the aspirations of the less fortunate neighbors to the south. Mexicans have no understanding of how hard their Northern neighbors to own what they have. To Mexicans, we are all lazy rich people. To Americans, our neighbors to the south are whores and taxi drivers, not worthy. The story begins realistically, a hopeful Mexican man hiking north, leaving his wife and family behind. He crosses the border on foot, his only crime is illegal entry. Bad stuff happens, all of it unnecessary, and all of it because of the suspicion and mistrust between neighbors in different countries and different worlds. There are few real villains in this movies for all the violence and hatred it displays. The misunderstanding between the two cultures is the real villain. Ed Harris and his real life wife, Amy Madigan, are excellent. You won't recognize Eva Longoria without her * makeup and push up bra. Surprise! She can act a little! Michael Pena also deserves praise for his portrayal of a man caught in a culture war while simply trying to obtain a better life for his family. The story works. People change, and have a better understanding of what each needs from the other. A good, entertaining film with a happy ending and a message of hope for two countries who could learn a lot from each other.

It's films like this that remind me why I love this art form so much. A literal masterpiece, filled with emotion, incredible acting from a superb cast, along with beautiful cinematography, set in one of America's most spectacular regions. Its when a film can make you feel so many things in one sitting, its the most amazing thing. Centers around a really relevant topic. Drew me in right from the start, and I felt a connection with the characters after a short while. A hard thing to come by in film now. Beautiful direction, I'm looking forward to seeing what else is to come in the future.

This movie represents the reality of people from countries that don't provide them good life the way US do. The movie also shows how Americans can be bad and really good when they want to. I was once an immigrant , not illegal but didn't know English at the time, and even not knowing the language I found very nice people out there . Most of Americans have good feelings and great heart, and they will help you if you find your self in trouble, exactly how happened in the movie, the poor family just wanted to live life better, because in this era, money is the answer for the most of your problems. So I definitely recommend for everyone to watch this great movie, its even better with family or friends together, so more people will know the reality about immigrants trespassing from Mexico to USA .