X
  • 2004
  • R
  • Screen Media Films
  • 1 h 43 m
  • 2004
  • R
  • Screen Media Films
  • 1 h 43 m

Summary This true-to-life drama, based on Drug Enforcement Agency and U.S. Border Patrol reports as well as countless first hand accounts of hopeful migrant struggles, depicts the current civil unrest occurring at the U.S. Mexican Border. (Gatekeeper Productions)

Directed By: John Carlos Frey

Written By: John Carlos Frey

  • 2004
  • R
  • Screen Media Films
  • 1 h 43 m
  • 2004
  • R
  • Screen Media Films
  • 1 h 43 m

The Gatekeeper

Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 14 Critic Reviews
48
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary This true-to-life drama, based on Drug Enforcement Agency and U.S. Border Patrol reports as well as countless first hand accounts of hopeful migrant struggles, depicts the current civil unrest occurring at the U.S. Mexican Border. (Gatekeeper Productions)

Directed By: John Carlos Frey

Written By: John Carlos Frey

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 14 Critic Reviews
48
21% Positive
3 Reviews
64% Mixed
9 Reviews
14% Negative
2 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 14 Critic Reviews
48
21% Positive
3 Reviews
64% Mixed
9 Reviews
14% Negative
2 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
70
Has a certain stiffness and awkwardness at the start, but this deeply personal work steadily grows more powerful and eloquent, creating a tragic vision of the plight of illegal aliens that transcends its melodramatic elements.
By Kevin Thomas FULL REVIEW
63
Isn't the most seductive film ever made about border life or undocumented immigrants, but in a way it's unfair to compare it to such artistic triumphs as ''Touch of Evil,'' ''El Norte,'' ''Lone Star,'' and ''Traffic.''
By Janice Page FULL REVIEW
60
Though the film is far from polished, the force of its significance to Mr. Frey, as well as the urgency of its political message, give it some genuine impact.
By Dave Kehr FULL REVIEW
50
The DIY approach entails significant limitations, including barely TV-quality visuals and the Seagal-like stiffness of Frey's performance, but the truly hellish portrayal of the workers' post-crossing indentured servitude in a meth lab makes up for a sluggish opening act.
FULL REVIEW
50
Suffers from Frey’s diluted multitasking. The director, writer, and star are not equally talented.
By Marjorie Baumgarten FULL REVIEW
40
Thematically the film starts off like “The Believer,” Henry Bean's 2001 drama about an anti-Semitic Jew, and winds up like “Sullivan's Travels” without the comedy.
By Jonathan Rosenbaum FULL REVIEW
25
It's a movie you want to like, but its sometimes laughably bad execution makes that difficult.
FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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Details

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Production Company Gatekeeper Productions
Release Date Mar 19, 2004
Duration 1 h 43 m
Rating R
Genres
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Awards

Phoenix Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Temecula Valley International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

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