The Virgin of Juarez

Moviecut—The Virgin of Juarez

This movie is quite possible the worse movie i have ever seen. Me being a native from the area wanted to see this really bad and what i got was a total disappointment. The acting is awful, the story is ridiculously lame, and the locations of the movie are not well thought. I have been to Juarez many times and what they show doesn't seems to portray what Juarez really looks like. The victims of the never ending tragedy happening in Juarez deserve better story tellers and better movies. They don't need stories or in this case a movie, that tries to find justice in Religion propaganda. This was a waste of time and money, assuming they used some. I say this is definitely in the top 10 of worse movies ever.

This movie is a typical glorified Hollywood production that the Americans have yet again screwed up. I don't understand how much pride we always seem to have to take by coming in and saving the day, as is the case with the LA Reporter. It is a true disgrace that this movie has been made into America's very own money driven society, and are always looking to make a little extra not matter the expense to others, such as the unfortunate murders of innocent young women of the Juarez region of Mexico. So to hell with the director of this production. I hope that one day something happens to someone you love, so that someone can come in and make millions off of your loss. Asshole!!

THE VIRGIN OF JUAREZ is based on true events surrounding the crime problems of Juarez, Mexico reflected in the gringo exploitation of businesses in neighboring El Paso, Texas. The story contains many important facts that desperately need to be brought into the light, but the impact of the film falters because of the choices made by the writer and director. Karina Danes (Minnie Driver) is a journalist for a Los Angeles newspaper who has flown to Juarez to investigate the multiple (in the hundreds) killings of young women. The targets for these murders seem to be young women working in the US sponsored sweatshops in Juarez who are picked up at night after work, raped, beaten and killed. Danes is convinced the Juarez police force is doing nothing and takes on the mission of exposing the tragedies, in part due to her own past issues of being to idle with similar crimes in the US. She meets Father Herrera (Esai Morales) and a community activist Patrick (Angus MacFadyen) and together they probe the police files and follow the most recent murder, discovering along the way a survivor named Mariela (Ana Claudia Talancón), a frightened young girl whose memory of her rape and beating is erased by her apparent vision of the Virgin Mary. A father of one of the victims, Isidro (Jorge Cervera, Jr.) nurtures Mariela and helps her to escape the hospital, placing her in a 'church' where she becomes a 'saint' to the people of Juarez who long for the crimes to end. Mariela appears to the public with the stigmata of bleeding hands and offers hope to the victims' families. Danes works hard to discover evidence that will expose the perpetrators, taking a sheet of photos of 'most wanted men' from the police office of Detective Lauro (Jacob Vargas), and works with the police and Father Herrera to resolve the tragic chain of events that continue in Juarez. Fearing for Mariela's life, they transport her to Los Angeles where mysterious events end the story. The squeaky, mawkish script was written by Michael Fallon and directed by Kevin James Dobson. Had their vision been more directed toward defining the line between realism and fanaticism, the story would possibly have been better related. There are some good performances by Driver, Talancón, Morales, and Vargas but the minor roles vary in quality. Reporting atrocities such as the one this film addresses is a valid and valuable contribution of contemporary cinema. It is sad when script and the production dull the impact. Grady Harp

I grew up on the Texas/Mexican border a little further south of El Paso/Juarez and what is happening there and Nuevo Laredo is nothing short of tragic. Anyone who thinks this film brings light on this horrible situation must be on drugs. If you are ignorant to what is going on at our borders, this film will only confuse you into believing that this much death could not possibly be true. I watched this film and could look past the "After School Special" directing approach Kevin adopted. I could even look past terrible casting & bad acting but as a Latino growing up in that area, I couldn't help but being offended with the stereotypical way we are portrayed. Growing up as a gang banger in LA with a gang banger lifestyle could not be further than the way I grew up. I guess that is the only way you can portray 1st generation Latinos in this industry and make money. I am not saying those things don't exist but that is not the only way Latinos live in this country. DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM!!! Please read about what is really happening on our borders and how the drug lords have taken over in these areas and educate yourself about the people who are dying everyday. The producers of this film obviously didn't have enough respect for these poor dead women to take this subject seriously.

This film although not a great classic brought this sadness and suffering to my attention. For this I give it 10. The film itself probably rates a 7. But I will give it 8 just for casting Minnie Driver who is awesome. It is always good to highlight the evil in this world, if only to remind people it's not good enough.

This movie is almost as bad as the experience of working on it was - for me, anyway. I think that men with waning careers, such as the director of this movie, should find some sort of an exploitation vehicle to try and remain afloat. To take a true story, where so much innocent blood was - and apparently continues to be - spilled on the streets of Juarez and turn it into a shoot 'em up comic book farce that has zero to do with what actually took place is great disservice to the victims. The story is real, and needs to be told; I am looking forward to the Gregory Nava/Jennifer Lopez vehicle in the works. This movie is very well made, for the means allotted (very low budget), and the cast does an excellent job: too bad the opportunity to bring needed attention to the horrors taking place on our border was wasted by substandard storytelling.

Juarez is the Mexican city opposite El Paso, Texas. Juarez has become a center of manufacturing by American companies. There has been a spade of murders against young women. L.A. reporter Karina Danes (Minnie Driver) arrives to do a story on the killings. She finds help from Father Herrera (Esai Morales) and activist Patrick (Angus MacFadyen). The police is ineffective. Mariela (Ana Claudia Talancón) survives an attack. She becomes the saintly Virgin of Juarez. The seriousness of the real situation puts this movie to shame. Of course, it opens with "Inspired by actual events." The movie itself is a silly mess. The actors are perfectly fine. I accept the perfunctory white lead actor. The problem is mainly about the awkward script especially when it's compared to the real story.

Beautifully shot, fabulous soundtrack, lovely editing. The director Kevin Dobson's work always has a wonderful sense of movement and feeling, He has a great cinematic sense of pace. Well cast. Some of the reviews I've read are outrageous!!! Sounds more like a bitter and twisted crew member, with a small brain. Grips aren't necessarily known for their brain power, more for brawn and pretty blouses. Took me to Mexico and back, somewhere I've always wanted to go, and showed the culture beautifully. It's a small budget independent film, and well worth a look. Some really fabulous moments. I've seen a thousand worse huge budget movies. The Jlo and Gregory Nava movie about exactly the same subject had a massive budget and was boring and slow.