Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

I Witness is a crime drama/thriller that really works.  Despite its slow beginning, once the story got started, I was hooked. 

Three things are happening at once in Mexico:

An election is taking place, to decide if a factory should go the union route.  Two US boys are shot to death for no obvious reason.  And, a mass grave is discovered - 27 bodies of all ages.

Human rights activist Rhodes (Jeff Daniels) is in Mexico, to oversee the union election, when he gets pulled into the other events.  He receives a small amount of help from local cop Castillo (Clifton Collins, Jr.), but mostly he faces resistance and outright threats when he gets a bit too close to the hidden truth.  Because those three events are related - in a very frightening way.

The movie circles around all three events, and we slowly learn how they are connected.  We watch as the father of one of the missing boys tries, desperately, to find his son.  We learn about the factory conditions in Mexico, and come to understand why there's such resistance to the unions.  And we watch a rather flawed election process.  Most notably, we try to solve the mystery of the mass grave.  With so much about that incident being covered up, it seems an impossible task.  But Rhodes is not going to give up.  Despite the many forces trying to keep him out of the loop, he manages to follow some very small clues, and piece the puzzle together.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Rhodes has to fight against the Mexican politics.  Both the official ones, and the unofficial ones.  I have to say that this movie paints Mexico in a very bad light.  Corruption is rampant, at pretty much every level.  Even Castillo, who is trying very hard to be an honest cop, and live a good life, knows there are forces in play that he can not rally against.  It's a very bleak, sad picture, one that I hope isn't realistic.

The performances were terrific.  Jeff Daniels brought a real intensity to Rhodes and a "never quit" attitude.  Clifton Collins, Jr. did a good job as a man trying very hard to make his family proud, but fighting against forces larger than himself.  My only complaint with this role was that Collins looks way too young for the role.  I actually asked my husband why they allowed 12-year-olds to be detectives in Mexico! 

There are also supporting roles by Portia De Rossi and James Spader. 

But the real gem in this movie is the story, itself.  Once all the secrets are revealed, it's a story that touches the heart, and haunts long after the credits roll.  And finally, something happens towards the end that was a genuine surprise, not something seen in most movies.  I was impressed that they took a different path than the typical Hollywood ending.  Overall, this is a well-done movie, that I can easily recommend.  You'll have to bear with the slow start, but it's worth it.

Recommended: Yes