Borderline Murder (2011) starring Brooke Burns, George Stults, David Moscow, Alexandra Lydon, Clayton Rohner, Greg Vaughan, Jacqueline Pinol directed by Andrew C. Erin Movie Review

Borderline Murder (2011)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Brooke Burns as Abby Morgan in Borderline Murder (2011)

Borderline Murder

"Borderline Murder" is your typical made for TV thriller, a reasonably nice idea for a movie which is then turned into something run of the mill with ordinary characters, ordinary scenes and oridnary direction. It doesn't mean that "Borderline Murder" is a bad movie in fact the basic premise of corrupt cosmetic surgery clinics makes it that little bit more interesting but not once does it manage to create tension or atmosphere to suck you into the unfolding drama as we watch a sister go looking for her missing sister.

Abby Morgan (Brooke Burns - The Most Wonderful Time of the Year) and her sister Halie (Alexandra Lydon) are in some ways typical as they don't see eye to eye but when their mum doesn't hear from Halie for a few days Abby reluctantly heads down to the town in Texas where Halie had been living. Soon she discovers that Halie's disappearance has something to do with the strip club she worked at and a dodgy cosmetic surgery clinic across the border in Mexico. Contacting her friend Deputy Tim Corbin (David Moscow - Honey) from her days in the police academy and teaming up with reporter Michael O'Hare (George Stults - Snowman's Pass) Abby sets about getting to the bottom of what is going on and hopefully finding her sister.

David Moscow as Deputy Tim Corbin in Borderline Murder (2011)

I'm not going to try and tell you that "Borderline Murder" is good as at best it's very ordinary even by TV movie standards but I will say I like the underlying storyline. By that I mean the whole idea of dodgy cosmetic surgery clinics operating across the border who hide their dirty operations behind glossy brochures. Oh it could certainly do with expanding upon, there is a lot of unanswered questions as to what they are actually achieving because by the sound of it most of those who have these operations borrow the money from the strip club owner who is in cahoots with the clinic owner anyway, but the basic idea has potential.

But unfortunately that potential is never developed and "Borderline Murder" is forgettably ordinary with nothing about it standing out. From the way Abby goes about investigating too the suspiciousness of various people she meets it is all very obvious and so those couple of twists when we discover who is in cahoots with the cosmetic clinic and who isn't doesn't end up much of a shock. Add to this very little action, very little believable investigating and a lot of ordinary direction and there is nothing which makes you want to watch it again, although you will probably want to make sure you hear what Abby says to her mother at the end because it is frankly unbelievable.

I suppose there is one chance that "Borderline Murder" could attract your attention and that is if you've never seen Brooke Burns before. Her looks and eyes are stunning and it is obvious director Andrew C. Erin realises this by capitalizing on them as much as possible. But get beyond Burns's looks and her character is ordinary as are all the characters from George Stults as reporter Michael O'Hare to David Moscow as Deputy Tim Corbin.

What this all boils down to is that "Borderline Murder" is at best just an ordinary made for TV thriller which is forgettable. And in a way it is a shame because the basic idea of illegal cosmetic clinics across the border has the potential to be something far more exciting rather than an ordinary, atmosphere-less TV movie.


LATEST REVIEWS