The Line

The Line, or La Linea as it was released under, is a downbeat little film about American assassin Mark Shields (Ray Liotta), following him as he navigates the treacherous political and criminal terrain in Mexico, right around the time of a suspected overthrow and shift in cartel power. The leader of the tijuana cartel (a listless Andy Garcia) is terminally ill, and a sadistic young upstart (Esai Morales) wants to take over the business. This creates a lot of commotion and violence, much of which is dealt out by Liotta, with the help of a great big sniper rifle. Now the plot is pretty muddled, and I saw it a lot time ago. I was never really clear who Liotta is actually working for, the Mexican faction or a couple shady agency dudes (Joe Morton and Bruce Davison). In any case, he's wounded in a gunfight and takes shelter with a Mexican woman (Valerie Cruz) and her son in a small village nearby. It's a meandering little film that doesn't quite know if it wants to be an action flick, a drug war docudrama or a noirish character study, but dabbles in all three before arriving at a conclusion that I had to rewind at least three times to understand, and then still didn't get it. Armand Assante wanders around as a mysterious preacher, Danny Trejo shows his mug as a deadly cartel assassin, as well as Gary Daniels and Kevin Gage in smaller roles. Not really a great flick, but peppered with enough familiar faces and genre tradition to garner some interest.

An assassin and his partner (Ray Liotta and Kevin Gage) are commissioned to take down the new head of a drug cartel (Esai Morales) that has taken over for the dying drug lord (Andy Garcia). Jordi Vilasuso plays a cartel rival, Armand Assante a padre, Valerie Cruz a woman that befriends the assassin and Bruce Davison a US agent.

"The Line" (2009), aka "La Linea," is a gritty crime thriller taking place in Tijuana that's more moody psychological drama than action flick. It's similar in style, locations and content to "Borderland" (2007), albeit less of a horror flick (yet still containing loads of horror). Like that movie, there are glimmerings of greatness amidst the grey mayhem in the mold of "Apocalypse Now."

Unfortunately, the story's sometimes confusing which would be helped if you use the subtitles since some of the dialogue is difficult to discern (I viewed it on DVD and didn't have that option). But there's a lot to appreciate here, including the quality cast, the style, the melancholy vibe, the music, the poignant drama, the gritty action and several beautiful Mexican women. The movie's obscure, but it shouldn't be.

The film runs 1 hour, 32 minutes, and was shot in Tijuana, the border area, and Los Angeles.

GRADE: B-

This is one of those films that has so many characters in it that it's very easy to lose track of the plot as people discuss their intricate relationships and interactions. I enjoyed the film and was engrossed in it, but frequently lost due to the many twists and turns. Of course part of the appeal is wondering just who is doing what to whom and why, so perhaps this isn't as much of a problem as I'm making it out to be.

It's a very well-made, well-acted film with a great cast and exotic, frightening location. I doubt it will do much for tourism to Tijuana, but it is a very taut, timely movie that will hold your interest. There are a few typical clichés (the hooker with the heart of gold - Mexicans who speak English to each other even when there are no native English speakers around), but these are kept to a minimum. Ray Liota is one of the producers of the film, but it's not "his" movie. In fact, Andy Garcia does a superb job of being quietly creepy and even a bit sympathetic.

If you're looking for a powerful, somewhat dark drama, The Line fits the bill excellently.

(2009) The Line CRIME DRAMA

Written and produced by R. Ellis Frazier "The Line" as the movie is called is another slang for the 'borderline' between the US and Mexico, with Afghan diplomats volunteering to bring illegal drugs across the border without questioned. Centers mostly on 2 people of hired shooter, Mark Shields (Ray Liotta also credited as executive producer) who has a substance abuse problem along as he suffers from insomnia because of a previous assignment, and a drug cartel, René Pelon (Esai Morales) appointed by a cartel relative who is said to be dying, Javier Salazar (Andy Garcia). With more twists and revelations.

Wow, it's getting to where I really can't trust IMDb ratings to decide what to watch anymore. This movie is underrated. I suspect many people who rated it low, wanted more explosions and car chases. This is not an action film. It is a subtle yet intense look at how a person can be extremely tough yet so very vulnerable at the same time. There are no feel good characters. No role model action heroes. No clear cut lines between good and bad.

Other reviewers have noted that it was confusing. Admittedly the script was confusing at first. It wasn't clear who was motivated by what, and what flashbacks meant what to whom. But about halfway through the film it starts to come together beautifully and continues to do so to the interesting and somewhat moving end. If you stop waiting for the gratuitous action scenes which never happen, and just watch the story, it works well. Yes, some plot points seem a little unrealistic, but that's why I put the story at only a 7.

While the story is good, the acting is all around superb. I have never been the biggest Liotta fan. He's good, but like a lot of tough guy character actors, sometimes his tough guy persona crosses the line into bluffery in my opinion. Not here. He was near perfect. Almost everyone was, including minor characters played by people I have never heard of. No fake looking bluffery, nothing overdone. I would give this a 7 for story and direction, but the acting puts it up to 8.

Also, the music was as wonderfully chosen as the actors. There was a point in the middle of the movie where one character began to cry. We aren't shown explicitly why, no details, but we are shown enough to understand and fill in her story for ourselves. I found that one scene, with the song from Melody Gardot, particularly beautiful.

In a nutshell, I would describe this as a smoulderingly intense drama. If you are looking for an action thriller you will be disappointed.