Bordertown, the third collaboration between director Gregory Nava and producer Jennifer Lopez after Mi Familia and Selena, also stars Antonio Banderas, Martin Sheen and Sonia Braga.

Bordertown, following the same vein as the politically charged and fact-based Silkwood, sees Lopez playing reporter Lauren Adrian, who is sent to investigate the murders of female factory workers in notoriously violent Juarez, Mexico. She teams up with ex-colleague (and former flame?) Banderas, where they uncover a possible conspiracy between the Mexican and American governments and the American corporations who run these factories. The powers-that-be want to sweep these murders under the rug in order to protect and expand the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to Central America.

Don’t let that last sentence worry you – the movie successfully combines topical relevance and suspense that will both entertain and enlighten. This politically charged expose is so well done that it makes me wonder if those same forces conspired to prevent this movie from getting a theatrical distribution deal as well.

Grade: A

Bordertown is currently available.