I Witness

I Witness is a human rights themed thriller with action elements starring Jeff Daniels, James Spader, Portia de Rossi, Clifton Collins, Jr. and Wade Williams. Released in the United States on February 1, 2003 and re-released by Universal in 2007.^[1]

Plot

On his last assignment prior to resigning, burned out human rights activist James Rhodes (Daniels) arrives in Tijuana to help oversee local union elections. While there, he becomes embroiled in the investigation of a mass murder in what appears to be a drug runners' tunnel on the Tijuana/San Diego border. He teams up with a local street cop (Collins) and a US official (de Rossi) all under the watchful eye of State Department attache Spader, eager to pin the killings on a drug cartel. But when Rhodes (Daniels) links the human rights atrocity to the murder of two American teenage dirt bikers, he uncovers a web of corruption between a US corporation and the local police, only to realize that he himself has become a dangerous liability to those who pull the puppet strings on one of the world's most dangerous borders.

History

Originally entitled "God's Witness," the script by Colin Greene and rock star Robert Ozn found its way on to many Hollywood executives' "best un-produced screenplays" lists. While it was set up multiple times with a variety of film stars, directors and producers, the film fell apart repeatedly over a period of eight years. Finally, executive producer Paul de Souza was able to get the screenplay in front of David Bixler, then Senior VP of Promark Films. Bixler and Promark's founder, Jonathan Kramer, procured tax credit financing in Puerto Rico and brought producer/casting director Julia Verdin on board along with director Rowdy Herrington. The project got its green light when both Jeff Daniels and James Spader read the material and signed on.

Greene and Ozn won the 2003 Method Fest Best Screenplay Award.

References