Directed by Richard Linklater. Written by Richard Linklater and Eric Schlosser. Starring Greg Kinnear, Wilmer Valderrama, Catalina Moreno, Ana Talancon, Jan Serran, Armando Hernandez, Bruce Willis, Kris Kristofferson. This is a well directed and acted movie about the meat packing industry and its relations with employees, suppliers and customers. Don Anderson (Greg Kinnear), an American fast food executive for the fictitious "Mickeys" restaurants receives a report of high fecal coliform counts in meat purchased from Western Meat Packers which has a plant in (fictitious) Cody, Colorado. He investigates and is stonewalled and threatened with supply cutoff by a WMP executive, Harry Ridell (Bruce Willis). Ridell tells Anderson to just cook the meat well and there will be no problem. Anderson also contacts Rudy Martin (Kris Kristofferson), a rancher who has been a long time supplier to WMP. Martin provides some character sketches and further information leads which will help with Anderson's investigation. Martin characterizes the meat packing executives as hard capitalists willing to jeopardize public safety and employee safety to make a buck. A subplot shows illegal Mexican migrants crossing the border and accepting work at WMP as undocumented employees, receiving cash daily and not requiring bank accounts or fixed addresses. In exchange for the relatively high wages, the migrants have to work at a fast-moving production line which compromises product sanitation and employee safety in order to churn out product as fast as possible. Female employees are also sexually harassed. Another subplot shows students at a nearby university becoming alarmed about the issues, but not knowing just what to do. Apparently the packing executives are related by marriage to the state food inspection board, and are very influential politically. That is, the industry is literally in bed with the regulator. Some of the more radical students try to protest by tearing up a feedlot fence, but they are basically without a sound objective or plan. That's about as far as the film takes us. None of the issues get resolved. At the end of the film, the meat is still contaminated, the meat packing executives are still raking in the big profits, and the migrant labor is still showing up and helping the big wheels of meat packing roll on. It's a well done film, but it would be more effective if the writers and director could see a plot through to resolving some of the issues presented. Recommended.
