User Reviews

Borderline is a reasonably serious and sincere Charles Bronson movie, made at a time when the stone-faced actor was most commonly found in sleazy and violent potboilers (e.g Death Wish II, Ten To Midnight, The Evil That Men Do, etc.) There is little about Borderline that is violent or sleazy; in fact, it is probably the tamest film he made at that period of his career. It takes its basis from the very real problem of illegal Mexican immigrants crossing the American border in search of a better life. When the film was made, the number of aliens crossing into the US without authority was incredibly high and was a real issue of concern for the Border Patrol officers, so in some ways this is quite a topical movie. However, it is made in a basic, workmanlike fashion by director Jerrold Freedman, and has neither the explosive action to satisfy the gung-ho crowd, nor the thematic weight and power to satisfy those looking for something more morally complex.

Jeb Maynard (Charles Bronson) is the chief at a Border Patrol station some 20 miles east of San Diego. Every day (and night) his small, overworked staff patrol an area of thousands of square miles looking for Mexican nationals who have illegally crossed the border in their sector. One of Jeb's closest buddies is Scoot (A. Wilford Brimley), an old, long-serving Border Patrolman. On a dark evening, Scoot is unfortunate enough to pull over a truck full of illegal aliens being smuggled into the US by ex-Vietnam vet Hotchkiss (Ed Harris). Hotchkiss works as part of a major smuggling operation which is making millions of dollars a year by helping paying immigrants across the border. Scoot is shot dead by Hotchkiss, who also fatally wounds one of his aliens - a young boy - at the same time. The FBI believe that Scoot and the kid were killed by drug smugglers, but Jeb is less convinced. Aided by Elena, the dead boy's mother (Karmin Murcelo), he attempts to get to the bottom of his best friend's brutal murder.

It's quite interesting to see Harris in his movie debut playing second fiddle to Bronson. Harris went on to become a greatly-respected star, and even here in this simple and under-written role you can see his charisma trying to break through.... which contrasts markedly with Bronson's inexpressive, silent-man-of-action approach. The story has the potential to be very powerful, but most opportunities are missed and the film plays out in a very ordinary and unremarkable manner. Everything comes across as earnest and simplistic, and this approach seems rather too pat for a movie with such a topical theme. Borderline is nothing special, but neither is it particularly terrible. There are a thousand better and a thousand worse movies out there.

Weary, but tough and dedicated border patrolman Jeb Maynard (a fine and credible performance by Charles Bronson) investigates the murder of his crusty partner Scooter Jackson (a pleasingly grumpy cameo by Wilford Brimley) at the hands of the ruthless Hotchkiss (Ed Harris, who's chilling and excellent in his first substantial film role), who makes his living smuggling illegal Mexican immigrants into America.

Director Jerrold Freedman, who also co-wrote the taut and involving script with Steve Kline, grounds the topical premise in a plausible workaday reality, keeps the absorbing story moving along at a steady pace, makes nice use of dusty'n'desolate rural locations, maintains a gritty serious tone throughout, and handles the central issue of illegal immigration with taste and sensitivity (those exacting a typically trashy 80's Bronson schlockfest will be greatly disappointed, as this is probably one of Charlie's more earnest and less sensational pictures made in the 1980's). Karmin Murcelo contributes a touching turn as helpful and distraught illegal Elena Morales while Bruno Kirby makes a likable impression as Jeb's eager new rookie partner Jimmy Fante. Moreover, the sterling cast of reliable character actors gives this picture an extra lift: Bert Remsen as crooked rancher Carl J. Richards, Michael Lerner as corrupt businessman Henry Lydell, Kenneth McMillan as sympathetic fed Malcolm Wallace, Norman Alden as the jolly Willie Lambert, Charles Cyphers and John Ashton as fellow border cops, and Luis Contreras as an odious bandit. Tak Fujimoto's sharp cinematography provides an impressive polished look. Gill Melle's bluesy score does the moody trick. Recommended viewing.

This is definitely categorized as a crime drama, not a lot of action yet quite a bit of intrigue in spite of some slow spots. He's a border patrol official upset by the murder of his friend Wilford Brimley and a Mexican teen (Panchito Gómez) who was trying to join his mother (Karmin Murcelo) in La Jolla, not a drug runner as suspected. Bronson must break the sad news to Murcelo, and with her help, goes out of his way to bust the dangerous ring (led by a young Ed Harris and Bert Remsen) who exploit innocent Hispanics desperate for a new life.

Surprisingly sympathetic to the plight of illegal immigration, this utilizes the accidental murder of Gómez (former child star of "Sesame Street") and the deliberate murder of Brimley to motivate the heroic Bronson to end this cruel exploitation and trafficking. It's not doing anything to advise how to cross the border legally, just dealing with the particular brand of evil Harris is responsible for.

There's lots of time spent with Bronson and his newly arrived associate (Bruno Kirby) going around and talking to illegals in camps to get information, with Bronson declaring over and over that he's going to get whoever was responsible for these deaths. You don't feel like you're being preached to, but you also don't feel that there's any real solution here either. A nice try, just not fully successful.

OK now what the hell is wrong with this great film, I've seen hell of a lot worse nowadays that make money too. This has a concept that is out there so i'm proud of everyone involved for bringing it to the screen. Bronson shines again with what he has to work off, i never really under-stud people slagging him off, rubbish actor.... No way, Charlie always proved he could act and he did action movies for big money, so why not, stick to what works. We all remember Charlie and miss him now we have actors that ain't worth watching. Its a little movie that deserves a nice DVD release, so why no one bother, cause they'd prefer to release rubbish instead.

BRONSON 10/10

I love Charles Bronson, and I really wanted to love "Borderline," but it's about as exciting as a trip to the grocery store.

It's the story of a criminal syndicate that smuggles Mexicans into the US like they were cattle, abusing and under-paying them as illegal laborers. It seems that some shady companies will pay big bucks for employees they can treat like slaves, and as a Border Patrol Officer it's Bronson's job to stop the flow of immigrants at the source.

Except no one seems to care. None of the characters have any personality, there are no surprises and not really any action, either. The actors move from scene to scene because the script tells them to... no one has any passion or clear motivation. The movie is filmed without any sense of the fantastic... the Director seems to believe that it's all really happening, but the problem is he doesn't find any of it exciting in the least.

Charles Bronson is almost invisible as the lead... he's looks like he could barely keep from falling asleep. Wilford Brimley, Bruno Kirby, and Ed Harris show up in supporting roles, but they too are in mellow comas, low-energy and reciting their lines quietly... The cinematography is awful, and call me old-fashioned by I much prefer a beautiful girl to look at in a film than dozens and dozens of mustachioed Mexicans. There are no women in the film.

It's a good thing I wrote this review immediately after seeing the movie, because I can already feel it slipping from my memory like a daydream on a summer afternoon. There's nothing to see here, even for Bronson die-hards. This isn't a movie... it's just some stuff that happened.

GRADE: C-