Frontière dangereuse

Like other reviewers, I, too, have not seen this remarkable film in many, many years since . The fact that I still remember it demonstrates what a truly terrific film this is. How unfortunate that it seems to have been forgotten over the years. However, two days ago, on February 24, a DVD edition of the film was released in the U.S. and I'm now about to finally see this great film again after so many years. The loyalty that can develop between man and dog is surely put to the test by events that take place in this story which was originally written by Graham Greene. No one should pass up an opportunity to see this film which, unfortunately, has never been given the recognition it deserves.

Well, I haven't seen this movie since I was 7 years old but I have never forgotten it either. The first reviewer is right about this being one of those movies that seems almost forgotten... probably because the message is so downbeat... disturbing and very sad (But then somebody will remember it after 49+ years) This is one of those movies that couldn't have been done in color because it is so bleak. I am going to look for a copy of this movie and see it again before I can really review it... I thought "Old Yeller," was the world's best movie until I saw it again as an adult and it might be this way with Across the Bridge as well.

Interesting expansion of a Graham Greene short story. A millionaire embezzler tries to steal another man's identity and escape to Mexico.

Rod Steiger is terrific in the lead and boldly unafraid to be unsympathetic. There's a solid noir feeling to the story, themes and especially the cinematography. There's a good deal of tension, too.

On the other hand, the whole story depends on not just one but two whopping coincidences, along with a couple of those 'why doesn't the character just…?' moments, which hurt the overall effectiveness of the film. The score is a bit over the top too.

But, for any faults it's still a well made, thinking person's thriller, worth seeking out if you're a fan of the genre or the elements.

Bernard Lee made an acting profession playing various detectives, predominately as the first "M" in the Sean Connery era of James Bond from 1962.Before this he specialised in playing various policemen like in the subject film made in 1957.He is frustrated by the non-existent extradition treaty between Mexico, the U.S. & the U.K. in his attempts to bring to justice a latter day Robert Maxwell type crooked financier, played by Rod Steiger.A previous reviewer suspected it was filmed on location in Spain to obtain a Mexican type atmosphere and this worked well.There were a few British type actors pretending to be Mexican like Eric Pohlmann and the actor who played the chief of Mexican police whom I have seen in more typical British plots.

However the star of the film for my money was the dog actor who played "Dolores".She had a few expressive close ups with her doggy eyes which were very effective.When Rod Steiger initially rebuffed her, I was concerned that the R.S.P.C.A. would have to intervene.Nowadays when animals appear in films the producers invariably state in the credits "No animals were injured during the making of this film".The plot has already been effectively commented on by other users.Quite enjoyable I awarded it 7/10.

In this film, which my ex-English teacher lent to me to show me what kind of cinematic experiences I've been missing out on, I was so confused until the very end about which actor was Rod Steiger. After seeing Mr. Steiger in Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront, I was convinced that he was only that. But it was when the end credits came up that I was utterly taken aback and mortified by the way it said Carl Schraffner...........Rod Steiger! It was indeed the man with the funny accent and the simply blended performance that was one of my personal favorites. This is indeed a hidden cinematic masterpiece and is highly underrated, and deserves a lot more credit than it got. I can't believe this didn't even get nominated for an Oscar. I thought the overall production was fantastic, all of the actors, especially Rod Steiger, and the direction were fantastic! The writing could've been upped a notch, but otherwise, this film left me speechless and yearning for more. But one thing that I didn't like was the dissatisfaction in the end.