The plot is a tightly wound mystery that gradually reveals itself, saving most of its surprises for third-act revelations.

It's a cliche-addled, nonsensical bit of piffle that would rightfully have vanished into the deepest recesses of the used-DVD dollar bin if not for the fortunate casting of television's Mentalist, Simon Baker.

**_Dealing with a death-worshipping, revenge-seeking Mexican cult_** After his 11 years-old daughter (Chloë Grace Moretz) goes missing near the Texas border, an American man (Simon Baker) ventures deep into the sleazy side of Mexico to find her, with many secrets revealed in the process. Paz Vega is on hand as his wife. “Not Forgotten” (2009) is basically a mixture of “The Flock” and “Borderland,” both worthwhile films from two years earlier. While it starts well enough, the second half unfortunately bogs down into a tedious, repellent, ludicrous mess. Did I mention ludicrous? The revelations are laughable. I’m not a big fan of Martin Sheen’s “Believers,” but it’s a masterpiece compared to this. I suppose it’s better than the shockingly bad “The Serpent and the Rainbow,” but that’s not saying much. At least there’s a certain artistry to the off-putting proceedings. It runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot in two regions: In the USA, it was filmed in Santa Fe & Las Vegas in the heart of New Mexico; in Mexico, it was shot in Mexico City and Pachuca, the latter being a 1.5 hour drive northeast of the big city. GRADE: D+

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