No Man's Land

The bad: average acting performances. Well, to be honest, these were BELOW AVERAGE acting performances with NO actor's chemistry. This movie was intended to be a real drama and for me personally when I see a drama I really (REALLY) need credible, good acting performances. No actor's chemistry to be enjoyed though in this movie. What a bummer.

More bad: this movies' plot is predictable from the get go. Which makes it pretty boring to watch. The photography or soundtrack look and sound like a commercial; in other words CHEAP

Upon a first look it looked like an honest, real life drama, but what I finally got wasnt bad, but simply below average. Nothing worse then being below average, when making a drama.

I had to review because it doesn't deserve less than a 6. It was a decent film that I wouldn't mind watching again and I'd recommend to my sons. The story was moving, I didn't find it boring or slow like most of the popular reviews. The land, the people, Jackson, and Sundance (gorgeous paint horse) kept me invested. The only drawbacks were a couple a couple trope-y characters. I think it was a well rounded story and worthy of telling.

After reading the summary I thought it would be one of those border movies where people migrate, drugs get trafficked and patrols do their job. However, I was pleasantly surprised this one had a surprising twist. This movie is about guilt, forgiveness, family and life decisions - all packaged in a modern Western. Cinematography, acting and plot were all outstanding, this is a movie you shouldn't miss. Some reviewers may focus on the aspect of illegal immigration alone; while this is the initial plot of the movie, the further course of the film isn't focused on it.

This thoughtful film could have been a minor modern epic if it had been given a stronger script. As is, it holds interest until some poorly developed story details begin to become too obvious. It's also photographically patchy, with cheap handheld shots bringing down the better-constructed sequences. Some distracting editing in the first half won't help it gain the attention the overall story is straining for - a pity because the whole thing has very good intentions as we follow a young man's attempts to redeem himself for an accidental killing.

Performances are sincere with the casting generally convincing, it's just the weak moments in the script that let it down. Music is well used throughout including a couple of interesting songs and the outdoor locations standing in for the Tex-Mex border add impact - those who don't feel the need to analyse their entertainment won't mind the flaws, others may be let down.

Simple but still enjoyable. Actually very pleased in George Lopez acting skills.