I liked this movie for several reasons. First, I thought it portrayed the "maliquidoras" (companies that move their plants and factories south of the Rio Grande) quite realistically. Second, I believe that the drug cartels deserve every bit of bad publicity they can get. Third, I also believe that the corruption of government officials in Mexico should be exposed. Of course, I realize that this was a film that was totally fictitious. But things very similar to this actually happen when greed takes over and people are treated like "widgets" and nothing more. And I believe people need to be made aware of this. But despite the politics involved, I also liked the film due to the way the movie played out. Jeff Daniels (playing International Rights Watch advocate "James Rhodes") did pretty well in conveying the "crusader" spirit that is necessary for the job at hand. Additionally, I liked the cynicism of "Douglas Draper" (James Spader) and the cautious attitude of the Mexican investigator named "Claudio Castillo" (Clifton Collins Jr). All three characters seemed to fit quite well. And then there is the attractive American State Department agent named "Emily Thompson" (Portia de Rossi) whose presence brightened the screen as well. As far as the plot is concerned, I thought it kept my attention. At least for the most part. However, I seriously doubt that any drug cartel is going to be that concerned about its public image like this movie tried to depict. After all, they're thugs and hired killers and it's what they do. So shooting it out with the Mexican police to defend their reputation was a bit far-fetched. Likewise, the ending was a bit too convenient. But other than that I enjoyed this movie.
