There’s a good movie in No Man’s Land, but its pieces don’t fit properly.
The cast is fine and the story has potential, but sluggish pacing and underdeveloped characters prevent it from hitting its target. No Man’s Land has a well-intentioned message and some decent performances, but is let down by an undercooked script.
RELATED: ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI REVIEW: REGINA KING’S BRILLIANT DIRECTORIAL DEBUT IS A MUST WATCH
Check out our more detailed review below:
The No Man’s Land Between Intent And Execution
The Greer family lives on the border between Texas and Mexico. Patriarch Bill (Frank Grillo) and sons Jackson (Jake Allyn) and Lucas (Alex MacNicoll) spend their days herding cattle and their nights playing vigilante, looking for illegal immigrants.
When an encounter with an immigrant family leaves the immigrant boy dead via Jackson’s gun and Lucas hospitalized, Bill takes the blame. Ranger Ramirez (George Lopez) isn’t convinced and attempts to question Jackson, who flees across the border without a passport. Now, Jackson must brave the elements, police, and other dangers while immigrant father Gustavo (Jorge A. Jimenez) seeks retribution.
No Man’s Land is a good idea, but it is underdeveloped. The characters and their relationships are rushed, and the revenge plot that kicks in part way through builds to a major character shift that the film hasn’t spent enough time setting up. Lopez and Grillo do what they can, but Andie MacDowell is underused as the Greer matriarch, and the other supporting players aren’t fleshed out enough.
Jake Allyn is fine in the role, but I rarely rooted for Jackson and didn’t buy his transformation. The film has interesting ideas and strong individual moments, but it’s attempting to do too much at once without knowing how to balance everything out.
No Man’s Land has decent performances and a good theme at its core, but underdeveloped characters and poor pacing hold it back from greatness. Rent it if you like the cast.
2.5 out of 5 stars (decent)
Rated R for Violence and Language.
KEEP READING: OUTSIDE THE WIRE REVIEW: GREAT ACTION CAN’T SAVE A GENERIC MOVIE
