Beyond Borders

2003 Drama

Martin Campbell directs the romantic adventure Beyond Borders. Angelina Jolie stars as Sarah Jordan, a American living with her wealthy British husband, Henry Bauford (Linus Roache), in London during the early '80s. At a charity benefit, she meets passionate relief worker Nick Callahan (Clive Owen), who chastises the rich people for not helping out the needy in war-torn countries. Sarah is quickly compelled to join his humanitarian cause to fight the famine in Ethopia. She then follows him to Cambodia, where they start up a love affair and Nick gets involved in an arms-smuggling operation before they finally end up in Chechnya. Teri Polo appears as Sarah's international journalist sister, Charlotte.

Director: Martin Campbell

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Clive Owen, Teri Polo, Linus Roache, Noah Emmerich

 40 Reviews  2 Awards

Reviews

  • When the suffering of real children is used to enhance the image of movie stars who fall in love against the backdrop of their suffering, a certain decency is lacking. Beyond Borders wants it both ways -- glamor up front, and human misery in the background to lend it poignancy.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    29 November 2012

  • Jolie, in this movie at least, has exactly two expressions: blank wistfulness and blank dismay. She reduces the tides of history to one more raided tomb.

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    29 November 2012

  • Angelina Jolie slums her way through Beyond Borders, a film that telegraphs its plot and then drags ploddingly, its humane spirit obscured by an inane script and Jolie's implausible character.

    Claudia Puig - USA Today

    29 November 2012

  • The hard truth is that the line between being deadly earnest and unintentionally silly is thinner than these people think, and Beyond Borders turns out to be an unreal film about a real situation, unavoidably cartoonish, as was the earlier "Tears of the Sun," in its attempt to join crucial issues to ridiculous melodrama.

    Kenneth Turan - Los Angeles Times

    29 November 2012

  • A film with its heart in the right place. Unfortunately, its head is stuck so far in the clouds that it dissolves into preachy do- gooder mush.

    C.W. Nevius - The San Francisco Chronicle

    29 November 2012

Awards

  • Peace

    Political Film Society (2004)

     

  • Worst Actress

    Razzie Awards (2004)

     

Lists

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