Greetings again from the darkness. "It's us or them." That's a line spoken by one of the ICE officers after a particularly physical and dangerous altercation with an illegal immigrant. In this particular instance, the words ring true. However, writer-director Marco Perego and co-writer Rick Rapoza show both sides of this coin that has generated so much passionate debate among politicians and the citizenry. The film strives to show the humanity of all involved, and how a lack of humanity can cause more problems than it solves.

Garrett Hedlund (MUDBOUND, 20 17) stars as Shipp, a new ICE recruit. We see him volunteer to be first in the "Taser Training" so that he knows what the recipient experiences. He's a man of few words, though he seems smitten with his girlfriend Yadira (Adria Arjona, MORBIUS, 2022), a single mom who may or may not be withholding pertinent information. Shipp's more experienced ICE partner, Dobbins (Chris Coy, THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS), is the one who speaks the line of dialogue quoted above. Dobbins has a singular view of his job and of those crossing the border illegally, while Shipp is a bit more confused on how best to handle things.

The other key story here revolves around Esmee (Zoe Saldana, Gamora in the Marvel Universe). She's an exotic dancer in Mexico until her self-defense against one customer goes sideways and she's forced to flee. Her trek to the border finds her protecting a young girl, and then getting dragged into the underworld. There is a scene with a drug dealer that features one of my cinematic pet peeves. Why is it when a drug dealer gives a phone to someone and tells them to keep it on at all times, they never furnish a charger? I can understand a lack of respect, but that phone isn't going to last long without a charger. Just a minor rant that I often need to release after a movie.

Director Perego is a renowned conceptual artist and he's married to Zoe Saldana. Together they depict the realities at the U. S. southern border. ICE is working to follow guidelines, while immigrants are in search of a better life. Things sometimes don't work out well for either. We see the ICE raids and we see the daily struggles of immigrants. Despite this, there seems to be no solution in sight, so the conflicts carry on day after day.

Opens in theaters on April 12, 2024.