L'uomo del confine

I remember when I was in grade 8, people where starting to buy VCRs, and owning one was a big deal. Dad rented one, and we picked out movies. Borderline was one of them, I thought it was pretty cool. Watching this film 19 years later I found it predicable, and a little lame. No way his truck could keep up with a Trans Am on the highway, why did the guy, with the T A, go off road where the truck has the edge. My friend Gord mentioned this, and I thought yeah. Anyways, no surprises here, but watchable. 6/10

A 1980 Charles Bronson vehicle. Bronson is a border guard in charge of one sector. He complains that traffic is up & his crew is at their breaking point even though a new recruit, played by the late, great Bruno Kirby has joined the ranks. One night a truck full of 'wets' is pulled over w/one of the coyotes, played by Ed Harris in his debut role, sits in the back of the truck armed, ready for the worst. The deputy, played by the late, great Wilford Brimley, gets the driver's papers but as is his way, he needs to see what he's hauling which ends up w/him being shotgunned to death by Harris who also kills a young migrant pulled from the cab along w/the driver. At first wanting to punt the deaths to the Feds or Narcos, Bronson is reticent to cede the case since Brimley was his friend. Bronson tracks down the boy's mother & brings her along to see if they can nab the coyote from the Mexico side (the original driver has since been killed w/drugs planted in his truck amplifying the drug angle) but after this gambit doesn't payoff, Bronson turns his attention to the head importer of labor in the area, played by Bert Remsen (who in turn works w/a white collar type played by Michael Lerner) who denies any wrongdoing but Bronson finds a boot print (the same print found at the murder site) so Bronson knows he's got his man so all he needs to do is to get all his ducks in a row (on Christmas day no less where the smugglers are being ambitious hoping to bring at least 2000 people across) coordinating his staff as they pick off all the returning trucks back to base w/Harris' capture a surety. Atypically methodical & slow moving for a Bronson vehicle on the cusp of the decade which would catapult him into action star infamy, the film's pace affords low dividends but dividends none the less. If you're in for a cool slow burn which doesn't resort to action movie tropes & at times quite thoughtful about the immigration issue, this film may tick off some boxes. Also starring John Ashton (from Beverly Hills Cop & its sequel) as one of Bronson's men, Kenneth McMillan (from the original Dune) as Bronson's boss & genre vet Charles Cyphers (from the original Halloween) as another of Bronson's men.

...is unfortunately not quite exceeded

Not the worst Bronson film. Although one hopes that Charly would occasionally turn up the heat a bit more, the film focuses more on story and suspense, which is not bad. All in all, it's meant to be a socially critical trill, not so much an action thriller. But the cliché probably demands it, one thirsts for a little more reactionary ruckus.

In other roles in the flick, which is well cast right down to the supporting roles, are Hollywood veterans Bruno Kirby, Kenneth McMillan, Wilford Brimley and Ed Harris, among others, all familiar faces from numerous classics. 6,5 / 10.

Charles Bronson is the officer in charge of a border patrol station in charge of a stretch of territory East of San Diego. He explains to new officer Bruno Kirby that they're catching a hundred people a day and estimate twice as many get through. He asked for a couple of dozen new hands and got Kirby.

Those who expect a Bronson movie to be a bloodbath will be surprised at the calmer, more procedural tone of this movie. Bronson doesn't seem to care about how many people come into the US; he's just there to enforce the laws. Smuggling in people is a big, well organized business, with the men in charge getting the profits off an estimated 3,000,000 illegal immigrants a year at $300 a head. Ed Harris, in his first credited film role, is the head of the local operations. Can Bronson, who seems to have no life outside his job, bring them to book?

Borderline (1980)

*** (out of 4)

Jeb Maynard (Charles Bronson) works the U.S.-Mexico border and is dealing with a large number of illegal immigrants sneaking into the country. One day his partner is brutally murdered in the line of duty so Jeb sets out to find who's behind it. The Federal boys thinks it's related to drugs but Jef feels there's another motive.

BORDERLINE is a film that never gets discussed. You could gather up a thousand Bronson fans and question them on any movie in his long career and I'd say very few would have even seen this one. It's really too bad because while the movie isn't a complete success it's at least entertaining enough that fans of the actor should give it a chance and especially since it offers him up a different type of role.

I'm going to guess this film isn't all that popular because there's really not much of a violent streak to it. There's one brutal murder shown but it's not overly graphic since it's basically just a shotgun blast. I think the 'revenge' aspect people love with Bronson means they want to see him go out and blow away people and that doesn't happen here. Instead what we're treated to is a low-key movie about a simple man trying to solve a murder. There aren't any shoot outs or a high body count.

I think the film moves a bit too slow for its own good and there's no question that a higher speed would have helped things. Outside of that I think the film is mostly a success. Bronson turns in yet another quiet but good performance and you can't help but think he liked being able to play a more serious part here. The supporting cast includes a nice turn by Bruno Kirby as well as Wilford Brimley in a small bit. Ed Harris really stands out here as the cold-blooded killer. He doesn't say much but you can feel the coldness of his character just by looking at Harris' eyes.

It's doubtful this film will ever have a great number of fans and that's understandable but at the same time more Bronson fans should give it a shot.