User reviews

Beyond Borders is a slightly better film than most of the reviews I've read would indicate. Examining the people and politics behind relief aid to war torn and poverty stricken countries, it's an `issue' movie that tries to make a statement that is overshadowed by Hollywood special effects and dialogue that is a bit too trite at times. And, while it bogs down in several places, it does bring to light in a very emotional way the struggles of entire countries of people to survive and the valiant efforts of those who would save them in spite of overwhelming odds. Much has been written concerning the casting of Angelina Jolie in this role. Many have felt that she looks out of place in the film, too sexy and glamorous to play the part. But, I think that's exactly what makes her perfect for it. The idea behind Sarah Jordan is that she is pampered, sheltered in a family whose idea of philanthropy is to write a check from a comfortable distance. She's out of her element and when she shows up in the desert of Ethiopia wearing am impeccably white ensemble, complete with wide-brimmed hat and smelling of perfume, her motives immediately become suspect to the hard-edged and frustrated Nick. It is Jolie's look that sells the idea that his woman would have no business being there were it not for her relentless compassion for these people. And, Jolie does a nice job with what the script offers. Owen (Gosford Park, The Bourne Identity) is intensely focused as the doctor willing to do whatever it takes to meet the needs of the people he cares for. Teri Polo (Meet The Parents, Domestic Disturbance) delivers a quietly effective supporting performance as Sarah's journalist sister and Linus Roache (RFK, Pandemonium) does good work as Jolie's long-suffering husband. Beyond Borders is a fairly good film that could have benefited from a bit less proselyting and a bit more storytelling.

I didn't even know about this movie until I chanced upon a trailer of it and then realised it hadn't even made it to the cinemas. I wondered why so I searched on IMDb, most comments are mixed but I reckoned I should give the movie a watch but couldn't get hold of the DVD until now. Only then did I know why it never made it to the box office nor even near any cinemas in certain countries.

Let's face it - we go to the cinemas to forget our problems and not be reminded of them which is precisely the reason why movies like these don't make any money but others do. Most movies about injustice and persecution always have the good guys win in the end but this movie doesn't. In fact, we're introduced to the startling reality of the lives of volunteer workers and what they have to go through with all their good intentions in place. We are also introduced and/or reminded of the ugly side of humanity as to why certain countries will never be able to have peace because people are just too selfish fighting out their own agendas to spare any thought for another person.

Clive Owen was superb in this movie and whilst I would've liked to see him paired up with Catherine-Zeta Jones (the original choice for the female lead), Angelina Jolie was pretty decent as well. It could've been worst coz the behind-the-scenes commentary said their original male lead was Kevin Costner. No offence but I don't think he would've pulled it off. He's too 'The Bodyguard' if you know what I mean.

The love story is just a sub-plot and was so subtly done and there are no mushy lovey-dovey sequences to make your eyes roll. It's just a simple story about two people bonded by their common passion but whilst one chooses to act it out whole-heartedly, the other keeps a silent but burning fire for it. Now, that's love!

One commentator here said that this movie doesn't do any justice for the refugees and the victims but I must say that no movie can. Even if you do visit these places to see for yourself what really goes on, you have a choice - you can leave whilst these people don't so unless you are in that exact same position, I think nobody should ever try to comment about it because it's something I don't think none of us in developed countries can ever truly understand. Besides, this movie is about the volunteer workers and what they have to go through and the love story between the two leads as the backdrop to distract us from the painful realities depicted in the movie. I don't really agree with some inaccurate plots in certain movies but I don't know the 110% truth about this movie so I just accept it and then find out more about it if I want to. It's something you can't expect from movies anyway coz movies are not supposed to educate but just to entertain and maybe enlighten us a little. You want a 100% accurate show, then go watch National Geographic.

All in all, the filmmakers of Beyond Borders deserve some credit for trying to tell a story different from the rest of the junk playing in the cinemas nowadays. Some of you might have felt they didn't really succeed but I still think they gave it their best shot. Now, you have to give them at least that!

The movie had some great scenes and plenty of action. Not an Epic mind you but the film was well worth seeing. Makes you want to donate money right now. Watching this film while I was at my 15th anniversity scored points in the feeling column with my wife!

I was astonished to learn from IMDb that film critics and the Liberal establishment had shunned this, on the whole, well well acted and engrossing story about the problems of gaining support for aid to the civilians populations in devastated areas of Africa, Cambodian and Chechnya, on the grounds that it was "too depressing." I couldn't help contrasting the paeans of enthusiasm these same critics had heaped upon Sean Penn for his truly dreary performance in The Assassination of Richard Nixon. Well, after all, you know, Nixon is such a satisfying target.

But the indifference of the Liberal Establishment to the terrible sufferings and deaths of these poor, poor people and the manifest failure of themselves and their perennial darling, the United Nations, to effectively respond, is quite another matter. Even today, these professed do-gooders seem to smile rather indulgently at Angelina Jolie's efforts, newly become newsworthy because of her marriage to Brad Pitt.

Beyond Borders' African scenes were particularly compelling. I thought the Chechnian scenes were unnecessary and used time that could have been more effectively used in developing the Cambodian story which could have been much more dramatic because the horror there was at least as great as in Africa. But the latter had been filmed before and, perhaps, enough is enough. My capacity to absorb horror, especially horror that could have been avoided or at least minimized by resolute action, is, I am afraid, rather limited. But some things cry out for the telling even though it may hurt to listen.

The movie Establishment should be ashamed of itself for not recognizing the virtues of this excellent screenplay. Perhaps the sting of its indictment, which was as sharp as that of the old play, The Deputy, was just too close to the mark to be endured.

And my hat is off to Angelina Jolie as a truly remarkable human being.

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Beyond Borders makes a necessary compromise, telling the story of aid workers and their constant battle against governments with their own agendas and countries with compassion fatigue, by having the love interest and drama needed to get people watching. If this is the formula movies must adhere to in order to get audiences thinking, and more importantly acting about their internal messages, then so be it. And this is still more dramatic, more educational, and therefore more entertaining than the endless stream of American teen dramas which ultimately act by dumbing down audiences.

Angelina Jolie is to be commended for her role in this, not only as an actor, but for using her position and her influence to draw attention to issues that desperately need it. Jolie's work with UNHCR and various charities show she is not just in it for the publicity!

Well... Iam a big fan of Angelina Jolie , I think as whole the movie was acceptable , but really it was very provoking and irresponsible from Angelina's character (Sarah) , you can really see her making very bad calls that shouldn't come from someone who works in helping others and have such great responsibility towards suffering people , for example her decision to leave her kids and go to find her love in Afghanstan , that was pretty irresponsible and unfaithful too , but if you evaluate it from from the romantic dreamer point of view you might consider her a martyr which is something that really provokes me knowing that by her wrong call she deprived her kids from mother care and also unrealistic of her to believe that she can go in a conflict torn region , do the work of an entire army and survive a zillion bullets and get the man back . Overall the acting was good but i didn't think Clive Owen was the best choice (Too much cursing for someone who is a peace keeper!) i think i give this one a 7/1.

I am appalled to see that the overall IMDb rating for this movie is only 5.2 (edit: now down to 4.9! Madness! Later edit: Ah, now it's up to 5.4 - still abysmal. Oh, and now it's up to 5.9 - going the right way, at least!). Hopefully posterity will be kinder to it than that. It is a very good, well-acted, well-written and well-filmed movie. Apparently, though, it is too subtle for many viewers.

The humanitarian situation it shows is reality. The characters may be fictional, and they may not be representative of the typical relief worker - but they aren't supposed to be. This is a story of those particular two people, and how their feelings for each other grow out of the humanitarian work they are embroiled in. There's no separating the love story from the relief efforts, because she falls in love with him because of his commitment to those efforts. It's true that, at the end in Chechnya, she is more interested in him than in the local situation, but there are two very good reasons for this: One, unlike in Ethiopia and Cambodia she was only there to find him; she wasn't involved in some relief work there, so obviously his safety was foremost in her mind. And two, and more importantly, if she managed to save him, he could have continued being the man she fell in love with; continued his courageous commitment to fight death and suffering. So, I repeat, the love story and the humanitarian subject matter of this movie cannot been separated.

And the thing about her leaving her own family; fer crying out loud, it wasn't a happy family! Her cheating husband represented, both to Angelina's character and in a wider metaphorical sense, the numbing meaninglessness of a trivial, awkward and frequently loveless domestic situation, compared to the importance of saving lives and being in the company of infinitely more inspiring people.

(And what a refreshing change to see her husband - Linus Roach - in the kind of role that so many women portray in the usual Hollywood movie, being the colorless, passive backdrop to the male hero. Gratifying to see it reversed, for once.)

The ending of the movie was unexpected, and yet, in retrospect, it couldn't have ended any other way. If the movie were serious about its subject matter - the relief efforts *as well* as the love story -, it required an end of that sort. The surviving daughter keeps the hope for an eventual happy end alive.

I'm saddened that so many people did not "get" the movie. Many of the criticisms leveled against it are of scenes that were *meant* to evoke that response, and which are addressed later in the movie. There's a development going on; the characters are growing in the course of the story, and so is the movie. Many people apparently couldn't perceive that.

This was an extremely well-structured, rare, thought-provoking and sobering type of movie that I'm thankful could get made in this day and age (and I've just bought the DVD). But what a pity it met with such an insensitive public response.

9 out of 10.

What I like about this movie is that it is realistic and authentic. Meaning, it shows us how it is in poverty and war filled countries. It gives us experience and insight of all humanitarian aid workers and organizations like UNHCR, UNPROFOR, Red Cross... Also it gives us realistic insight into weapons and diseases like starvation, landmines, etc. But as a movie not that good because too much talk, bit unrealistic evasion of death, and everything is too much focused on one hot girl. She shows us having two or more lives at once. Maybe better if this was in form of documentary.

Beyond Borders brings to light the very realistic struggles of the millions of refugees created by war and the valiant efforts of aid workers who contribute to their survival in spite of overwhelming odds. The storyline of crossing your life's borders away from a comfortable life to help other struggling human beings is a story worth being told. In this type of humanitarian experience, every aid worker I have come into contact with has described the experience as extremely enriching. I'm saddened most of America did not embrace this subject matter at the box office. We, as Americans, live a very comfortable life comparatively, and perhaps it's out of fear, complacency or just selfishness that we generally do not cross borders to help fellow human beings. This attitude does not make us very popular around the world, but perhaps if more people become aware and did something to help other people in their struggles, the world would be a better and safer place to live.

As a journalist who covered the Afghan / Soviet war, recently watching the "Making of" on the DVD was compelling to see how the filmmakers made something so realistic without putting their cast or crew in harms way. I hope this film will be embraced as a DVD so that studios will continue to make films of solid subject matter. Angelina Jolie was well-cast in this role for she (in real life) is the Ambassador for the United Nations High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR). She brought much passion into this role, and while she appeared a little "girlish" initially, the character had to grow out of her pampered life for us to follow her across the borders both real and metaphoric. I am pleased she was brave enough to embrace such a role, and hope she will continue to grow in her range of acting choices. Noah Emmerich reminded me of a very gentle Aid worker I knew killed on the job, which tugged at my heart strings. While Clive Owen's portrayal of a man who closes off his heart to survive the cruelty of every day life in the war zone is accurate, for the general public who has probably not lived through these extreme conditions, it's difficult to empathize or care. I'm sure that is why there might be a general dislike of this character. For a handful of my friends, the romantic connection was unrealistic, but in reality if you're living day to day in such extreme conditions and you're friend dies, you'll let down your guard just to feel alive. I'm sure a lot of people had sex just after the Sept. 11 attacks.

The excellent production design, cinematography and poignant music moved the story forward, but while I loved this subject matter, I also felt the transitions between three very distant locations caused the film to feel somewhat disjointed. Perhaps that was due to "behind the scene" budget constraints (maybe some transition scenes were cut before they could shoot them) or perhaps some studio executive was pushing the film out to theaters before the cut was ready because the investors were crying out for their ROI. Who knows what the politics were...

Either way, I liked the film, am going to buy the DVD and will definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to be inspired beyond their own border. I certainly was.

Ever since I heard about the plot of this movie, I really wanted to see it and it did not disappoint. "Beyond Borders" is about the extent of passion that can lead you to take the most incredible chances with life for the good and the bad. Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen do a brilliant job in their roles as Sarah and Nick, they make you believe that they are those characters for real!

I think what makes it more moving is the fact that Angelina Jolie really is a ambassador and actually makes the attempt to help out the many people in need.

I don't understand why this movie was slammed so much but in my opinion I don't even think they were really watching it.

Please watch this movie!

-I have worked with various government, "super government" (e.g. the UN and regional coalitions) and non-governmental aid agencies for almost 20 years. I had really high hopes for the movie and was absolutely devastated by using a corrupt "aid" worker as the plot for an insipid romance. Many of the camp shots were pretty good; too bad they couldn't capture the smell and the sense of despair. When I first saw Ms. Jolie was now a UNHCR representative I almost dropped my coffee in surprise. It struck me as using a modern Bela Lugosi to spearhead goodwill campaigns for blood drives... or perhaps tax collectors. Yes,there have been corrupt persons using the cover of relief operations to run guns, narcotics, slaves, prostitutes, etc. but they constitute an almost infinitesimal percentage of the total relief effort. Using "Beyond Borders" to learn about relief is like watching "Dumbo" to learn about elephants.

No one can accuse 'Beyond Borders' of not having its heart in the right place. After all, how many mainstream American movies so much as acknowledge the existence of starving people in the world, let alone make them the centerpiece of their stories? For its willingness to do that, the film deserves a certain amount of genuine praise. Unfortunately, having gone this far, the filmmakers then cheapen it all by pasting onto the film a corny, superficial love story more appropriate to a Harlequin Romance than an ostensibly serious social drama.

Angelina Jolie plays a United Nations relief worker who flits from one worldwide trouble spot to another - Africa, Cambodia, Chechnya - dispensing aid and carrying on an adulterous affair with a handsome field doctor (played by Clive Owen) whom she met several years earlier (the film takes place in the 1980's and '90's). It's a little hard to take seriously the extreme plight of these suffering people when Sarah and Nick are making goo-goo eyes at one another in between saving lives and delivering inspirational, we-are-the-world speeches. As with so many movies of this type, the put-upon, indigenous people become little more than extras in their own story, a mere backdrop for the trite personal drama occupying center stage. It's as if American audiences couldn't possibly find any interest or relevance in all this misery if we didn't have some well-fed, well-scrubbed white people serving as our guide to get us through it all. I'm sure that the last thing the people who made this movie intended was to in any way demean the incredible efforts done by relief workers around the world, yet that is exactly what they end up doing by forcing all this heartbreaking human tragedy through the funnel of a hackneyed love story.

The moments of highest interest come when we see the incredible amount of power politics that goes on even when it comes to delivering food and medicine to dying people - although the filmmakers don't always make those complicated logistics entirely clear for the lay audience. We often can't tell what exactly is happening on a socio political level that's preventing the aid from getting through. A little less time spent on the romance and a little more on the behind-the-scenes aspects of the story would have gone a long way towards redeeming the film. Unfortunately, there's something almost comical about the sight of Sarah and Nick, nattily dressed and perfectly coiffed, making passionate love amidst the rubble and ruin of war torn Chechnya.

Jolie and Owen turn in relatively lackluster performances, not entirely their fault given the stock characters they play and the bland dialogue they've been assigned to deliver. Jolie has one basic expression throughout - that of teary-eyed sympathy and concern - that wears awfully thin after awhile.

The filmmakers are highly critical of all those well-off people who merely pay lip service to helping Third World causes but who are really only concerned with salving their own guilty consciences (the film begins at one of those lavish fund raising dinners with everyone dressed to the nines and enjoying a sumptuous banquet while they're giving one another awards for great humanitarian achievements for helping to eradicate poverty and hunger). Yet, by treating the material as if it were some sort of bourgeois romantic fantasy, the movie makers are, in many ways, doing the very same thing they accuse the elite snobs of doing - which is making misery palatable and easily digestible for the complacent, self-satisfied masses.

'Beyond Borders' is, obviously, a labor of love for all those involved in its making. That is turns out to be a misfire of almost laughably bad proportions is, perhaps, the greatest tragedy of all.

Starring Angelina Jolie, Clive Owen - Beyond Borders is a very sentimental and political movie.

A sheltered American woman (Angelica Jolie) living in London is deeply impressed by a doctor (Clive Owen) and his humanitarian efforts in war-torn countries. Driven by her new-found enthusiasm while working in the United Nations (UNHCR), she embarks on a dangerous journey to the far corners of the world.

This movie is recommended to those who wonder how bad things are in others part of the world. This movie is not recommended for those who have weak stomach. Strong images from people dying of starvation.

The film is an epic drama that tells the turbulent love story between socialite Sarah Jordan (Angelina Jolie) and doctor Nick Callahan (Clive Owen). Sarah is married to Henry Bauford (Linus Roache), the son of a wealthy English businessman. When Sarah meets Callahan, she is fascinated by his humanitarian ideas as he helps refugees in Africa. Determined to be happy, she embarks with Callahan on an exciting journey to the African continent.

By showing social militancy in humanitarian causes and the romance between a socialite (Angelina Jolie) and an engaged doctor (Clive Owen, from Dealer and Murder in Gosford Park), both English, in three moments in three different countries between 1984 and 1995, director Martin Campbell and his photographer Phil Meheux (partners in the films 007 against Goldeneye and The Mask of Zorro), opt for a palette of cliché images. Just notice the underlying discourse behind these images. Ethiopia, with the air of a sunny Africa full of mosquitoes, with a kind of vital energy that disturbs the conscience of well-thinking Anglo-Saxons; a humid Cambodia, with unctuous landscapes that seem to the West to hide inaccessible secrets of another civilization; and a Chechnya of glacial, metallic gray beauty, suitable for Angelina to parade in her best clothes in the film. These are clichés that could even have some validity, if the film's great themes, politics and love, were properly treated.

Few times, by the way, has a Hollywood project made such an effort to portray this type of social tragedy (caused or complicated by political and/or climatic problems) in such a wealth of detail - and for that, first-time screenwriter Caspian Tredwell-Owen deserves applause. I say 'deserve' for a very simple reason: after a certain moment, he decides to change the focus of his plot and focus on the romance between Nick and Sarah, which is disappointing. If addressing humanitarian efforts around the planet is an admirable move, putting them on the back burner to prioritize a love story is more than frustrating; it's unforgivable.

The involvement between the characters of Owen and Jolie is unlikely: portrayed in an excessively bitter way, Nick is a cold and aggressive guy who never evaluates the consequences of his actions. His attitude at the fundraiser, for example, soon ceases to arouse our admiration, as it turns out to be a selfish attitude that results in the death of an innocent child - a responsibility that does not cease to exist simply because Nick recognizes it (the film seems to believe that, by being aware of his mistakes, the doctor is automatically redeemed, which is an offense to anyone's common sense). Compromising even the negotiations of his companion Elliot Hauser (this one, yes, worthy of admiration), Nick comes to irritate with his self-pity. Now I ask: what, in a guy like this, could attract Sarah?

Sarah, in turn, proves to be a slightly more interesting figure, as she crosses a clear dramatic arc throughout the projection: initially displaced in a country like Ethiopia (she even wears perfume on her trip), the girl at few realize that donating a shipment of food does not even work as a palliative for all that poverty - which leads her to adopt a more active and admirable posture. However, the character also reverts to superficiality from the moment her love affair comes to the fore, and she goes so far as to interrupt an important speech because she is grieving for Nick. Now, what does your flirtation interest you in the face of the death of millions of people around the world? To make matters worse, Sarah even ends up turning into a kind of Lara Croft in the third act of the projection (which, by the way, is embarrassingly bad).

Using the misery of others as a backdrop for a weak romance, Beyond Borders misses the chance to become a relevant project in order to show Jolie suffering for a man. At times, the film seems willing to discuss important issues, such as the difficulty in bringing aid to countries whose government systems are displeasing to the United States and the ethical dilemmas faced by NGO volunteers, who must refrain from any involvement with politics. (as revolting as it may be) so that their assistance work is not compromised - but the script soon discards these themes and returns to what interests him: the melodrama (in a certain scene, someone even asks: 'Are you willing to risk everything for love?').

After acting in this production, Angelina Jolie decided to adopt a Cambodian child and became a UN Goodwill Ambassador - in a clear indication that her experiences in the different locations used by the project affected her significantly. It is unfortunate, therefore, that the film itself is so futile, as its behind-the-scenes seems to have represented a strong experience for all involved.

But African landscapes, the title does not let us forget, are not enough. Until the long-awaited love scene, the protagonists will still pass through Cambodia and Chechnya, which will allow the director and his athletic actress (Jolie) to gradually enter the territory they dominate best, that of action films. Still, Campbell won't spare us his cheap emotional blackmail, demonstrating just how low it can get by placing, at some point in his interminable narrative, a grenade in the hands of a baby.

Greetings from Lithuania.

The only reason i watched "Beyond Borders" (2003) was the fact it was directed by a great director in my opinion Martin Campbell. As of 2023 i saw most of his films, and he never disappointed me in creating a movie which is at least very watchable despite some not so good stories.

"Beyond Borders" is a bit of a mixed movie, but with more positives then negatives. While in lead roles we have Clive Owen & Angelina Jolie, neither of them gave a great performance in my opinion - they were just OK both. The story while kind of epic and romantic and brutal at the same time was also a bit mix of a lot of things and nothing coherent. The scrip has dragged, and yet directing by Martin Campbell was best thing about this movie as well as some good cinematography and set design.

Overall, "Beyond Borders" is a mixed movie but with enough positives to see it once.

Perhaps lingering is the wrong word, since as I write this, I only left the theater about 30 minutes ago... But I can still feel my heart clenched in my chest, and my mind is still rolling back and forth over what I've just seen. In my experience, those are the kinds of films that stay with you.

There have been a lot of reviews on both sides as far as Beyond Borders goes, and I think it comes down to knowing yourself as a movie viewer. Beyond Borders presents you with a glimpse of the world, and it asks you to believe in it, to internalize it. If you're the kind of person who can EXPERIENCE a film, rather than just kick back and watch it, than you'll be brushing flies out of your eyes, and jumping at every sudden burst of gunfire. You'll be overwhelmed by the desperation around you, and you'll feel despair, and helplessness, and you'll think "Good for those people who go to Ethiopia/to Chechnya/to Cambodia. I'm so glad someone's helping," and then deep down, you'll be ashamed to realize that you think that just because you elected to see a movie about Relief Workers rather than The Texas Chainsaw Massacres, you deserve some sort of gold star.

And yes, there is the love story. And if you love love stories (as do I) you'll love this one. Again, it comes down to how much you'll let your self believe in a movie, and how much you expect to be convinced. Certainly, I would NEVER accuse Angelina Jolie and Clive Owens of sharing no chemistry, as I was completely unable to breathe during most of the scenes they shared. Both actors excelled in their roles, together and separately.

No, it wasn't fast-paced. It wasn't full of witty acerbic dialogue, or fantastic car chases. There were no jokes about bodily functions. It was just sincere, and powerful, and good (in every sense of the world). Though it was by no means perfect, I gladly rated it a 10 for excellence.

Beyond Borders is a moving picture full of drama , emotion , a love story and touching scenes of the turbulent romance between two star-crossed lovers set against the backdrop of the world's most dangerous hot spots . Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie , giving a very magnetic performance , stars as Sarah Jordan (Angelina Jolie), an American living in London in 1984. She is married to Henry Bauford (Linus Roache) , son of a wealthy British industrialist (Timothy West) . When Sarah meets Nick Callahan (Clive Owen) who helps unfortunate and distressed African people , then she falls in love for him . As a result, Sarah as member of an international aid agency embarks upon a journey of discovery that leads to danger , heartbreak and romance in the far corners of the world. They embark in a dangerous journey directing efforts to provide medical care in acute crises which will take various countries risking their own lives . Eventually , she becomes chief of an international aid agency in UN , a high commissioner for refugees, coordinating the international activities common to the operational centres , as well as raising international awareness of potential humanitarian disasters . A Place She Didn't Belong , Among People She Never Knew, She Found A Way To Make A Difference !. Where hope survives !.

This is a thought-provoking and beautifully dramatic film , packing a really romantic love story , though slowly paced and paying tribute to the sacrificed helpers working in troublesome countries . An epic tale in which the world's cruelty is confronted with the love of two different people who try to save mankind from war , hunger and poverty . This is a deliberately paced flick , a satisfying journey of love , justice and self-discovery amidst countries with full of starvation , war , violence and revolutions . It displays great feeling , thrills , and provoking melodrama in which a couple takes on strong choices surrounding humanitarianism and tough lives through civil unrest . Being compellingly developed in sensibility and intelligence , here is narrated ethic , moral issues with great sense of style and ductility . Cast is frankly good and giving top-notch interpretations . As Angelina Jolie providing an awesome acting , she grants his character a self-righteous drive that is made poignant for her determination and sheer will , she gives the right balance of self-righteousness which makes her performance more real , she also creates her character human , heart and determination with her role , not a stereotype ; while Clive Owen is pretty good as a renegade doctor , whose impassioned plea for help to support his relief efforts in war-torn Africa moves her deeply . Both of whom are accompanied by a fine support cast , such as : Teri Polo , Linus Roache, Noah Emmerich, Yorick van Wageningen , Timothy West , Kate Trotter . The movie contains thrilling and violent scenes like the breathtaking fights , attacks and other battles in blood and fire developed in Sudan , Cambodia and Chechenia, as well as rampage , ravage and the indiscriminate massacres carried out by the extremely violent soldiers . The picture is dedicated to the stubborn international cooperators who expand accessibility to medical care and food across national boundaries and irrespective of race , religion , creed or political affiliation such as ¨Médecins Sans Frontières¨ (MSF , vast majority of staff are volunteers) , also known as ¨Doctors Without Borders¨ and others.

It displays a beautiful , haunting and mesmerizing cinematography by camaraman Phil Meheux . Perceptible , and at times rousing musical score by the prestigious composer James Horner , including some really sensitive sounds . The motion picture was well directed by Martin Campbell. Here Martin tells a brooding story full of love , death and violence and presents it with impressive truth ; being both , thrilling and touching . Martin is a good craftsman and expert on thrillers and action movies , such as : ¨No escape¨, ¨Criminal law¨, ¨Lovecraft¨, ¨The mask of Zorro¨, ¨The legend of Zorro¨, ¨Three for all¨, ¨GoldenEye¨, ¨Casino Royale¨, ¨Vertical limit¨, ¨Reckless¨, ¨Last resort¨, ¨Edge of darkness¨, ¨Green Lantern¨, among others. Rating 7.5/10. Well worth seeing. Better than average . Essential and indispensable watching for Angelina Jolie/Clive Owen fans.

You might find this a good movie if you don't get a bad taste in your mouth watching a rather typical old fashioned love story in exotic settings, being played out among relief workers having real life tragedy all around them. If this movie pretends to really care for the unfortunate background characters, that really seems to be there to make our protagonists look heroic, it even does so in a very bad way. At no point are these people introduced to us as other than set pieces, colorful background. They are there to make you forget, that the Jolie character actually seems like an extremely selfish woman. She leaves her husband and later one, then again later two children, to run round the world seeking for true love (not that she cares much for the dying around her either, she's there for her man). And my argument for the romance being cliché? Well have the man first detest the woman (but hey, they are the stars, so we know where they'll end up) and her fighting for his respect (the only time Jolie seems to care for other people is till she gets his attention - again even the character use these unfortunate like props). Then changes of location, one more exotic and strange than the other (By the way, how does Africa look like, is that not something like earth tone color? And Tjetjenia is rather blue and it snows of course and you hear gun fighting every single second. We know the Jungle from Apocalypse Now, so we'll remake that).

All in all boring, but worse distasteful. Only reason for this entry is that i read that Jolie is actually an ambassador for UN and these cases and wonder however she could agree to do this? The film does show some aspects of corruption and politics standing in the way of real aid, and that may be new to many? But far more interesting movies could be made on that subject, we don't need a love story as sugarcoating.

This movie leaves you speechless, and takes you to a new emotional level. I feel this movie will not reach people like it should though... People and Middle America will pass it off and just play it up as Hollywood hype and just really not want to acknowledge what is happening in the real world... This movie is a 10 and I just hope it can bring light to subject matters that just get pushed under the carpet.

Angelina Jolie's participation in this film is what makes it watchable; if not for her deeply committed performance, Beyond Borders would have been heavy-handed claptrap of the worst kind - a star-crossed/tragic romance masquerading as social commentary. But her presence is so riveting, her characterization so thoroughly controlled and believable, that you find yourself buying into the proceedings against your better judgment.

The heavy-handedness starts out early in the film, when Owen's character blazes into a private upperclass event with his ace in the hole, his emaciated Ethiopian boy JoJo, who is made into a mockery by both the crowd AND Owen, unbelievably enough. This scene did not bode well, of course, but then Jolie takes over, and dammit, you're sucked in. The ending is predictably tragic, but sad nonetheless because you did feel for her character.

Beyond Borders had the potential to show viewers the plight and suffering of peoples around the world. However, instead of focusing on the suffering of people viewers are given a half-baked romance. Do makers of films today believe that viewers are incapable of watching a film without romance/sex scenes? The film was informative by showing the many areas of the world where refugees, disease and famine are rampant. However, the time spent in each area is so brief that the sense of these issues does not truly penetrate the viewer. It's as if these missions of mercy are just day trips by Jolie's character to the desert, jungle and tundra.

This film could have been so much more; it had the chance to promote awareness and charity. Jolie's character of Sarah is supposed to be concerned with children however; her own children in the film are virtually neglected by her. Owen and Jolie have no on screen chemistry and most of the dialogue is on par with 17-year-old high school girls. The makers of Beyond Borders should have decided whether the film was going to be a romance or an informative film. By blending the two genres together it cheapens and blurs the intent of the film.