This film really surprised me, because I usually hate these found footage films. Aside from the nausea, caused by the constant movement of the camera, I find that these films not only lack a budget, but also a decent story and cast. Undocumented was different though, as it was a novel idea with some fairly stable camera work. The story focuses on a group of college kids, making a documentary about illegal aliens, and how they cross into the United States. The group join a coyote for a run across the boarder when they are unexpectedly capture. Unfortunately for them, their captors aren't the police, but rather a group of self-proclaimed patriots, who abuse the illegal immigrants for their sick pleasure. We see a lot of films about how and why people cross the boarder and even a lot about what the police and government are doing about it, but I can't ever remember seeing a film about these vigilante groups, that do exist, and pray on illegals. Prison Break's Pete Stormare stars as Z, the leader of the rebel group and he basically makes the movie. This guy usually plays a gangster or inmate in the background of some random film or TV show, but he's never really the star, and it's a shame because he makes this movie. Z is such a deep character, who is brilliant yet deranged at the same time, a man who is as compassionate as he is brutal, it was really something to see. He's paired with a young cast of teen actors, who have been around for years, and who do a terrific job in support of his performance. This film isn't listed as a horror film, but it is pretty brutal and bloody, meaning you shouldn't watch it if you have a weak stomach. For me, it was an interesting take on an aspect of immigration that is rarely seen or talked about. The performances were impressive, the characters were deep, and the film never stops moving. I enjoyed the fact that this unique film really didn't have any big named stars in it and even though it had a shoe-string budget, the producers really made it work.

As much as there is to criticize about "Undocumented," I have to admit it does a very audacious thing, at least for a horror picture made on the caliber and budget of cheapsploitation classics like "Baker County" and "I Spit on Your Grave": it forces you to actually turn the camera eye on yourself and your beliefs on illegal immigration, whatever they may be, and then confront the very real, but often unseen, after shocks of those beliefs.Pretty boy and girl Scott Mechlowicz and Alona Tol head up a group of five scarily naive grad students who are doing their thesis on the plight of illegals and their often fatal journeys across the border by...get this: actually aiding them in their trek. If you can get past this admittedly foolhardy and absurd premise, the rest of the film is actually *easier* to swallow, and that's what makes it so much harder to watch and, by turns, to look away from.On arriving on New Mexico soil, they are immediately ambushed by a gang of paramilitary "patriots" led by "Z" (an insanely chilling Peter Stormare who remains masked for virtually the entire film). What follows is nothing we haven't seen before in the "Hostel" films: ritual humiliation, torture, and full-on carnage, but...this time it's not for the lark of a few rich and twisted businessmen to get their rocks off. No, these sadists actually have a point to make and, for me at least, this really catapulted this snuff box of a movie into a very discomfiting and visceral space in my brain."Undocumented" isn't the first horror film to shove hatred into our line of sight and then force us to ingest it, but it does it in such a convincing stylized nightmare way to make it difficult to shake off. More than a few people I've talked to have had a rough time forgetting this film purely because much of Stormare's didactic prattling has inadvertently (or not) come from their own mouths at one time or another. It's disquieting in a way few horror films manage to achieve because, unlike high-handed circle jerks such as "Funny Games," you can see where the villain's bile originates.In addition to Stormare's tour-de-sicko turn, Mechlowicz continues his run of quietly breakout performances: from "Mean Creek" to "Gone" to this film, he seems bent on forcing you to look past his air-brushed looks by turning in very convincing portraits of deeply-troubled, morally conflicted heroes and villains. The fact that he effectively 180's you from believing his character a pompous a-hole to someone you feel genuine pity for is pretty amazing in itself.Look, this isn't Citizen Kane. It's not even Citizen Ruth...newcomer Chris Peckover doesn't have the chops of Alexander Payne or Orson Welles. Not yet, anyway. Still this isn't your big brother's crappy little torture flick from the turn of the millennium. No, this one is a bit too true to life for something you'll forget that easily. Even if you wish you could.

There are a few movies I've seen where at the end I feel totally drained. I'm an extreme horror fan, and this film took me for a ride I hesitate to take again. This film falls in line with my favorite types of horror movies, the ones where the real monster is mankind, but this film took me to a place that was almost too dark.The film, if you've heard anything of the plot, revolves around a young film crew that is shooting a documentary on the plight of illegal Mexican immigrants and decide to take it one step further by actually joining a group of immigrants as they cross the American/Mexican border. This highly illegal activity puts the entire operation in danger, but the immigrants are reassured since they have Americans in their midst. One young family in particular is featured as they express high hopes for a future free of the economic hardship they have back in Mexico. If anyone had any inkling about the direction their journey would take once on American soil, none of them would ever have taken it.Enter the film's antagonists: so-called "Patriots". A group of paramilitary survivalist types who are nothing more than domestic-bred terrorists, who have taken it upon themselves to repel illegal Mexican immigration in their own special way. They are able rather easily to capture the group (including the film crew). They say they're willing to let the film crew go if they agree to shoot something of a "recruiting video" for their organization, which involves the most heinous tortures I can imagine (especially for the father of the young family I previously mentioned.) The director does an excellent job of placing us in the shoes of the naive film crew, as they are forced to document the crimes against humanity dealt out by the "Patriots". With their lives also threatened the crew sees little else they can do but stand by as the illegals are treated worse than animals. I personally felt the agony of the crew as you can see in their faces they are dying to do something to help the Mexicans. In many scenes, the actors apart of the film crew (Scott Mechlowicz, who I've been a fan of since "Mean Creek", in particular shows off his acting skills) have visible rage building up inside them. Several manage to try and help the victims, while others still try to escape and bring back help, only to be recaptured over and over again and degraded even further. Once they realize that their captors will probably kill them too, they know they must muster all their strength to try and somehow stop the madness going on around them before it's too late.That's the gist of the movie, and while some may classify most of this movie as "torture-porn" I disagree. There certainly is torture involved, but anybody who might get off on this stuff is probably not right in the head. No, this film is different. This is a full-on assault of your senses and sensibilities.Besides Mechlowicz, another stand-out in the cast is the great Peter Stormare (the lead nihilist in "The Big Lebowski"). He plays his role "Z", the leader of the "Patriots", convincingly and with considerable menace, and even with a certain amount of charm. To his credit, he does all of this without really showing his entire face throughout most of the movie. Alona Tal, the female lead, also plays her role well as one of the bravest members of the film crew, several times standing up against "Z" and his demented patriotism.I wouldn't call this a political movie, but I do think it says something about people who think they have some sort of right that makes them better than others. Keep in mind this film repulsed me while at the same time showing me it was a very well-made little film. If you are willing to watch a challenging piece of quality cinema, with no fluff and lots of in-your-face cruelty, I suggest "Undocumented" is a great film to start with.

I noted that this movie got a 7.1 and thought it sounded interesting. However after about 40 minutes or so I began to have my suspicions. In reality after watching it I now know that I was duped. The other reviewer who guessed the movie's production crew must have been the ones who voted is on the right path. At best this movie is a 'nothing else on not even a re-run of a movie I only kinda want to watch". It's not terrible but it's 100% predictable. There are no brain cells required to watch it. In fact my sore head hurts more now than it has suffered this movie. The characters are completely transparent, as are any twists (oh wait there aren't any at all) and the plot is rather obvious. The violence is needless and without any menace so doesn't serve the plot at all. I guess the central message gets through. If you want to fuel your hatred of rednecks then this movie is for you.