A First Look At Border Man

Where would this contest be without Pat? He is both our Francis Ford Coppola and our Marlon Brando of the competition, writing quality work while only showing up when he can or feels like it. Though he missed out on a Best Picture nomination for May and June, his newest bait may have a possibility at putting him back at the top. That bait is Border Man.

Border Man is a story set on the U.S./Mexican border. A powerful Mexican drug lord is attempting to recuperate his loses after the U.S. border patrol starts cracking down even harder on illegal immigrants. In this desperation, he sends his girlfriend Rosa to make an important run. However, Rosa gets lost on the way and is picked up by a border patrolman named Dennis. What follows is a touching story about interracial love and border policy control.

Pat wisely, though also typically, chose Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu to direct the film. His style of filmmaking seems most likely to bring justice to this bait. Teamed up with Babel writer Guillermo Arriaga, they weave together a powerful story that seems like a great way to play on the academy’s love for racial films. Pat proves that he still has what it takes to accurately bait a film to the academy.

However, the bait’s key strength lies in its cast. Pat wisely strays from overused and safe choices by choosing a cast of lesser-known but still talented actors. Dario Grandinetti, known for his performance in Pedro Almodovar’s Talk to Her, is a great choice to play Mexican drug lord Benito Alverez. Maribel Verdu, who shined as Mercerdes in last year’s Pan’s Labyrinth, is well chosen as Rosa, the girlfriend to the drug lord. However, the truly great choice is Tom Berenger as the patrolman Dennis. With a great press section to back him up, Berenger is a likely candidate to be nominated for Best Actor.

So, is this bait a sure fire hit? Well, it may and it may not. The bait is good and it’s better than a few he’s done lately, but some people may not be ready to vote for Pat for a Best Picture nod. It has potential for that spot, but I’m betting it has its best chances in pushing for acting or creativity fields.

Pat has a lot riding on this bait for his writing career. However, I feel confident that Pat will find some good success with this bait. A-

Possible Nominations

Best Picture
Best Director (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)
Best Actor (Tom Berenger)
Best Supporting Actor (Dario Grandinetti)
Best Supporting Actress (Maribel Verdu)
Best Plot/Synopsis
Best Awards Campaign
Best Cast
Best Crew
Shameless Oscar Vehicle