Customer Reviews

Beyond Borders

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was expecting the worst when it came to this movie. I am a fan of Angelina Jolie, but it didn't do very well at the box office and I didn't really hear anything about it.

Well, none of that matters because this is a very good movie. Angelina does a good job here, as does Clive Owen, her love interest. The story was interesting and eye-opening. It kept my attention even though this isn't a lightning-paced movie. I wanted to know what would happen to Angelina's character. I was also surprised by a few twists that happen unexpectedly. There's a key scene midway through the movie that doesn't mean a lot at the time, but perfectly foreshadows something that happens later on.

I highly recommend this movie. It was very entertaining and it really did make you think. I'm not a big fan of movies like this, but this is an exception. It should have been a bigger hit.

This movie is deeply bitter. It's touchimg and it deals with a premise that we forget too many times , inmersed as we are in our daily activities.
In a beautiful wedding a doctor will suddenly appear and will denounces the injustice for having denied them an important amount of money for the homeless and poor people from Africa.
This breakthrough will twist the life of Sarah Jordan (Angelina Jolie) and she will become the most exhaustive fighter for this noble cause.
Campbell makes a good and haunting movie , even there are some irrelevant scenes , but you never miss the interest in the story . Obviously this world of injustice will generate the unavoidable atraction between them .
Jolie gives a very realistic portrait.
The rest of the story runs for you .
Interesting story , above the average .

This movie is very good! I will have to say, to the individuals who are watching it for the first time, pay attention to every detail because it makes the ending pack more punch! Even though the ending is sad...I think the movie is well done and Angelina Jolie's performance is OUTSTANDING!!! Enjoy...

WOW! THIS MOVIE IS PHENOMENAL! IT'S A STORY OF A YOUNG AMERICAN WOMAN WHO FINDS LOVE IN THE MOST UNLIKELY OF PLACES. SARAH JORDAN (AFTER WITNESSING A VERY EMOTIONAL AND POWERFUL OUTBURST OF ANGER AND DISSATISFACTION TOWARD THE WRONGFUL TREATMENT OF THOSE SUFFERING IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES DISPLAYED BY A YOUNG ENGLISH MAN NAMED NICK CALLAHAN) DECIDES THAT SHE ABSOLUTELY MUST GET INVOLVED AND SUPPORT THIS CAUSE. SHE NOT ONLY CONTRIBUTES TO IT FINANCIALLY BUT SHE ALSO DECIDES TO VISIT THESE SITES OF SUFFERING HERSELF. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IS BOTH WONDERFUL, TERRIBLE AND VERY EYE-OPENING. SARAH (PLAYED BY THE BEAUTIFUL ANGELINA JOLIE)GETS PERSONALLY INVOLVED WITH THESE PEOPLE AND COMES TO LOVE THEM AND CARE FOR THEM VERY DEEPLY. AND IN THE PROCESS SHE ALSO FALLS IN LOVE WITH THIS STUBBORN BUT DEEPLY DEDICATED YOUNG DOCTOR, NICK CALLAHAN. SARAH MAKES AT LEAST 3 TRIPS TO THESE THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES FROM HER HOME IN LONDON DURING THE MOVIE AND ON HER SECOND VISIT SHE AND NICK FINALLY GET A CHANCE TO SHARE THEIR FEELINGS AND A FEW BRIEF MOMENTS TOGETHER. SHE IS SAD TO LEAVE HIM BUT SHE WILL SEE HIM AGAIN. SINCE HER ENGLISH "HUSBAND" IS A REAL PIG! WHO CHEATS ON HER AND WON'T WORK I COULDN'T WAIT TO SEE HER HOOK UP WITH NICK. THE PROBLEM IS THE NEXT TIME SHE GOES TO LOOK FOR HIM HE'S BEEN TAKEN BY POLITICAL ENEMIES AND NOONE KNOWS WHERE HE IS. WILL SHE BE ABLE TO FIND HIM? AND WILL HE STILL BE ALIVE? SHE IS SO MUCH IN LOVE WITH HIM! YOU REALLY HAVE TO SEE THIS ONE. IT IS ONE OF THE TOP 5 LOVE STORIES I HAVE EVER SEEN. AND IT ALSO EXPOSES US TO THE MISERABLE PLIGHT OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE UNFORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE BORN INTO POVERTY, SICKNESS, WAR, FAMINE, DROUGHT, POLITICAL CORRUPTION AND FOR MANY OF THEM, AN UNTIMELY DEATH. EVERYONE SHOULD SEE THIS MOVIE. IF YOU ARE LIKE ME YOU WILL CRY MORE THAN ONCE SO HAVE THE TISSUES HANDY! THE ENDING IS BOTH SAD AND HOPEFUL. JUST LIKE LIFE I GUESS! 5 VERY BRIGHT STARS!!!!!!

The worst thing about the film is the casting. Angelina Jolie is very pretty and I've enjoyed her performances in several films. But she's way over her head here, cast as a socialite U.N. worker who thrusts herself into danger, not only for her empathy with the suffering that goes on. She's also attracted to a fearless outspoken doctor, played by Clive Owen, who dedicates his life to helping people and advocates their causes loudly and bluntly. For example, in 1984 he crashes an upscale London charity event and brings a starving Ethiopian child with him. That's how he and our heroine meet, of course. And as she is married, this adds to the complexity of their romance.

We then see the couple in Ethiopia, where Jolie is a novice in the ways of the world. It's all very sad but she does manage to rescue a child. This part of the film was shot in Namibia and I was a little shocked at the casting because they obviously used people who are really and truly starving. Ms. Jolie's lips, however, remain perfect throughout and they are so unnaturally large that I couldn't help wondering if she has them cosmetically enhanced. This kind of thinking distracted me from the very seriousness of the situation. She and the good doctor respect each other but don't really get together in a romantic way at this time.

Years later, in 1989, they meet again in Cambodia. This section of the film was shot in Thailand and is action packed. There are guns and double dealing and very bad people and one of their friends is murdered. Here's where their romance really begins but, alas, they are separated again.

Fast forward to Chechnya in 1995 where the good doctor is captured by bad guys and the beautiful woman tries to rescue him. This part was shot in Montreal in the dead of winter. It's a very scary segment and the ending is not a happy one.

It's a good story held together by the couple but it just was a little too artificial for me. Also, it tried to say too much in too short a time. I would have rather they focused in just one place. It did hold my interest throughout, however, and the pace kept me interested. I also think that it should be seen just to keep us aware of what is going on in the world.

Generally speaking, I found Beyond Borders very entertaining. However, I felt it suffered very significantly from an inability to decide whether it's a love story or a piece of social commentary. In the end, both the romantic plot and the social commentary suffered.

Clive Owen does, as per usual, does a spectacular job. And Angelina Jolie, as per usual, gives a more than adequate performance. The relationship between their characters, however, lacked heat I was expecting. From the perspective of the audience, their relationship also seemed to lack a bit of history. They went from barely knowing each other to being secretly in love. Perhaps some scenes were left on the cutting room floor or perhaps it was supposed to be "understood." Either way, it didn't work.

The social commentary does get fairly heavy at times. However, with the love story struggling to maintain the interest of the audience, I can understand how some critics would feel that the movie trivializes the struggles of international relief workers.

Overall, I would recommend this as simply an entertaining movie for a Friday night or an enjoyable piece for someone who lives either Clive Owen or Angelina Jolie. If you're looking for something beyond that, keep looking.

Movies are supposed to move you. However, Beyond Borders did not do that at all. It was like watching the evening news with a little romance added in. The romantic resonance that centered around Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen's characters appeared detached and incomplete as a result of the conflicting plotlines. There was too much going on, and it looked like the filmmakers were trying to make two films in one. If the movie was attempting to be another English Patient, but with late twentieth to twenty-first century issues, it failed.

The most memorable aspect of the film was the attempt at presenting issues that have occurred or are occurring within the eastern borders both in the pacific and the baltic or in between. It had been unfortunate that the climax of the film ended with the loss of one of the major characters. However, it leaves you thinking why one of the lovers survived. There's no happy ending here.

Great chemistry between Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen.
Poor ending, I did not like the ending, it was too vague and made all her efforts for naught.
Mixed reviews on whether the "message" gets through. I found myself not really caring and getting frustrated with the doctor, Nick, for putting everyone in danger all the time.

It was worth seeing if only for that incredible scene when Sara says "why don't you say my name?", and he explains. Clive Owen's performance was heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Clive Owen outdid himself; his actiing was stunning. I think I fell in love with him at that moment I was so deeply moved. Angelina should have squeaked out some tears. She stood there looking forced and confused. But the movie never again reaches that beautiful, deep touching moment. It never quite captures it again although you know they care.

A terrible ending, a lot of physical chemistry, Owen & Jolie are amazing just to watch look at each other, but not a terrific love story. I ended up feeling sorry for the husband and children more than I felt any compassion for Sara and Nick. After all, Sara and Nick made their own choices. The husband and the poor children got stuck with the consequences. Sara's irresponsible actions got her kids nowhere.

I admired the political messages of "Beyond Borders," but I can't say the same for the love story. It seemed out-of-place and forced. Sara (Angelina Jolie) was a troubled housewife who was deeply moved by a doctor's efforts to feed starving children in Ethiopia, Cambodia and Chechnya. She journeyed to those countries over a decade and eventually fell in love with the doctor (Clive Owen). The movie tried very hard to be a politically motivated film and I respect that. They should've left out the love story but kept the level of passion for their cause to rise throughout the movie. You don't know whether to feel for the characters in the end or the whole charade they went through to make a difference, to help. But, it's worth your time and it's a lot different than most movies.

This is a movie that really makes you think about our world today. It is an amazing story. The actors do a great job portraying these difficult roles also. The movie shows what is really going on in these third world countries. Sometimes me live so blindfolded, we do not consider others not nearly as fortunate as we are. This movie should be shown to all those who do not fully appreciate how great their lives are, and to not take things for granted. This is an absoultly outstanding movie and I strongly recommand it to all.