Clive Owen may have not been the best King Arthur ever filmed, but he is phenomenal when paired with Angelina Jolie in Beyond Borders.

This movie chronicles the strange yet passionate love between Nick (Owen) and Sarah (Jolie). He is a doctor in refugee camps spanning from Ethiopia to Chechnia, fighting all odds to help those who cannot help themselves. She begins as the wife of a spoiled rich idiot and comes into her own after visiting one of these places and watching the horror... and falling for the dashing Nick.

On one level, this is all about in-your-face reality. It shows us up close and personal what these places are like and the odds that are being fought by those few brave folks who are risking their lives to help. It made me want to get on the next plane and help out myself. It made me want to empty the bank account and send supplies. It made me think.

If I could live this life again, I would never leave you for a second.

On another level is the remarkable love between Sarah and Nick. Real life has a way of keeping folks apart, but here are two people who belong to each other heart and soul and even when they're apart, they feel close to each other. They risk everything for each other. It's a powerful movie.

Never forget what took me a lifetime to learn; you have only one heart, be true to it.

The chemistry between Owen and Jolie (Girl, Interrupted) is palpable. I could feel the passion and the anguish and the longing... I wanted to make everything right for them. I cared about both characters deeply and felt helpless watching it all unfold. That's some good acting right there, folks.

New Zealand director Martin Campbell (The Mask of Zorro, Vertical Limit) put this one together if I had to find one flaw then perhaps it was just a tad of preachiness, but then this subject matter needs to be shoved down people's throats if you ask me. Great cast, great story. Nuff said.

The scenes, shot everywhere from Quebec to Kenya to Thailand, are gripping in their reality factor. I have a habit of getting really immersed in good films and there were no detectable misteps to pull me out of the mood or the story here. It felt true to me as the guns were blazing or the kids were dying of starvation (unlike those damn late night commercials to feed the children.)

This one runs 127 minutes and is Rated R for language and war-related violence. Lots of both, make no mistake. Both elements are, however, integral to the plot. I'm thinking about 13 and up, any younger kids wouldn't really be interested in it anyway.

I'm going with a high 4 stars for Beyond Borders and recommending strongly. Be sure to have some Kleenex handy.


Recommended:
Yes