No Man's Land Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

No Man's Land Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 3, 2021

“No Man’s Land” begins in a Texas border town on the edge of the Rio Grande, but it largely plays out on the other side of river, in Mexico. This blurring of border and culture inspires parts of the screenplay, credited to David Barraza and Jake Allyn, who labor to build some level of suspense around a central ideal of understanding between fragile communities. It’s an immigration story explored from a different perspective, and if “No Man’s Land” remained there, providing a strange education for its characters, perhaps the picture might’ve been meaningful. Barraza and Allyn don’t trust such softness of feeling, injected a tedious revenge subplot into the feature, which torpedoes much of its honest intent to study the bitter realities and karmic dangers of intolerance.

Bill (Frank Grillo) is trying to run a cattle ranch near the Mexico border, putting his hopes in Jackson (Jake Allyn), his first-born son, who’s about to depart his small Texas town for New York, accepting an opportunity to play for a minor league baseball team. When a collection of Mexicans march across Bill’s ranch, they leave fencing wide open for cows to escape, putting the cowboy on edge as he’s forced to round up his property, making his way into Mexico to do so. During the trip, the family crosses paths with Gustavo (Jorge A. Jimenez), a seasoned organizer of border crossings, bringing his son, Fernando (Alessio Valentini), to America. Panic ensues, with Bill’s youngest, Lucas (Alex McNicoll), taking a bullet, while Fernando is gunned down by Jackson. As Bill attempts to frame the event as an unfortunate accident, Jackson’s guilt gets the best of him, fleeing to Mexico to escape arrest, learning more about the locals as he experiences their generosity while a grief-stricken Gustavo considers revenge.

“No Man’s Land” establishes Bill’s ranch as a piece of property in the middle of nowhere. He’s trying to protect ownership during difficult times, maintaining routine with his wife, Monica (Andie MacDowell) while attempting to keep Jackson focused on an amazing opportunity ahead of him. The family dynamic is understood during the opening act of “No Man’s Land,” as is the parental mentality of Gustavo, a man so practiced in the ways of crossing the border, he’s earned the nickname “The Shepherd.” He’s excited to have his son with him, providing him with safety “coyotes” in the business wouldn’t, hoping to inspire a fresh start for his child. That dream is shattered during an evening encounter with Bill and his sons, who are looking for cows and come across Mexicans, triggering panic as guns are drawn and Fernando ends up dead, with Jackson responsible for the crime. The writing transitions from a study of families into more customary scenes of psychological disturbance, as the situation brings in Ramirez (George Lopez), a Texas Ranger of Mexican descent who doesn’t speak Spanish, exposing him to ridicule on both sides of the border.

There’s a story to be told concerning Jackson’s criminal reality, with the young man returning to America, unable to process all that’s happened. “No Man’s Land” attempts some sort of poetic escape instead, following Jackson as he evades Ramirez, working his way into Mexico, finding out how difficult the journey is. The writing breaks off into subplots, following Jackson as he finds the comfort of strangers, including a family that offers him a bed in exchange for menial labor. Their kindness opens Jackson’s eyes to communities he was previously trained to fear, picking up the language and intimacy as he lays lows. Gustavo is destroyed by grief, unsure what to do about his son. He’s pushed into violence by Luis (Andres Delgado), a young gangster who was previously a customer of The Shepherd, dealing with his own anger issues. “No Man’s Land” offers ample time for soul- searching, eventually braiding the two experiences while Ramirez conducts his own investigation.

No Man's Land Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.40:1 aspect ratio) presentation deals with a darker feature, but screen particulars remain, with clear facial surfaces (on a weathered cast) and textured costuming that includes tough cowboy gear and tighter law enforcement uniforms. Outdoor activity is dimensional, capturing open world travel and small-town tours. Interiors highlight decoration, visiting homes and churches. Colors are sharp, offering lush greenery and natural skintones. Household primaries, including flower displays, are bright, and evening lighting for club visits are vivid with reds and greens. Delineation is satisfactory. Some banding is detected.

No Man's Land Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix offers compelling atmospherics, visiting the activity of ranch life, with subtle panning effects for horse movement and community sounds for group gatherings. Dialogue exchanges are sharp, supporting dramatic escalation without distortion, and accents are distinct. Scoring supports with various moods, offering more percussion for suspense sequences, and sharp strings for reflective moments. Low-end delivers some rumble with animal movement and violent activity.

No Man's Land Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:03, HD) is included.

No Man's Land Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"No Man's Land" desires to be an open-hearted understanding of human frailty and programmed ignorance, but director Conor Allyn often goes one- dimensional to do so, weakening any lasting messages. Performances are acceptable (it's a nice change of pace for Lopez), but Delgado goes overboard as Luis, portraying a key character as a video game criminal, which doesn't fit the tone of the movie. In fact, everything involving Luis should've been cut out, as the menace is intended to bring a more expected level of gun-wielding threat to the picture, offering worthless emphasis in a story that's better off with an internal processing of pain. "No Man's Land" gets obvious when it run out of ideas, losing its primary purpose as a story of a unique awakening, hoping to share such soulful illumination with its audience.