a_chinn I remember being fascinated by the is film when I saw it as a kid, telling a story set along the US/Mexico border and revealing to me a human drama I was previously unfamiliar with. Watching the film again, it still holds up as a strong piece of filmmaking, but I saw it in a new light, as a revisionist western that should have been directed by Sam Peckinpah (not to mention seeing the film's relevance to our current political climate around immigration). Jack Nicholson plays a disillusioned border agent surrounded by other corrupt agents, particularly his best buddy, fellow agent Harvey Keitel. Jack is pressured to join in on the dirty dealings by Keitel and indirectly by his vapid, spendthrift wife, Valerie Perrine, who wants to build Jack their dream home, to which Jack replies, "I can't afford a f------- dream house!" and "No more, Marcy. No more's no more. No more does not mean more, and more, and more! No more means no more!" In general, Jack is pretty disgusted with the world around him and the American/capitalist way of life, but sees a chance to do some good by helping a young woman and her child he meets crossing the border. "The Border" was written by Walon Green, who co-wrote Peckinpah's classic western "The Wild Bunch," and both films share many of the same themes; disillusionment, betrayal, and the desire to live a simpler life by what others would consider an anachronistic code of honor. Directed by British filmmaker Tony Richardson, he gives the actors room to move through this dusty sweaty story, but he lacks the visual style and the harder edge that Peckinpah would have brought to the picture. Had this film been directed by Peckinpah, "The Border" might have been his best film, although his alcoholism and volatile personality during this period may have prevented that. The mediocre "Convoy" and "The Osterman Weekend" were his only two films around this period and he died shortly thereafter, but Peckinpah directing "The Border" is an interesting what-if to consider. Also worth mentioning is a fine score by Ry Cooder and excellent dusty dry photography by Ric Waite. Overall, despite a great script and a stellar cast (which included Peckinpah stock company actor Warren Oates) "The Borer" misses the mark at greatness. However, it's still a smart, engaging, and thought provoking film. Nicholson once said that of all the pictures he had been in, this was the best film he had ever made. I'm not sure I'd agree with that, but with a stronger director he may have been correct.

Qui Queg the movie starts with the scene of a cathedral being hit by an earthquake, and that's the first time you will see the young mom with her kid which is going to play an important role in this movie. there are more than one phrase i remember, like "some people are too stupid to let a gravel roll down a mountain" (translated from the German audio track), thus said the officer being played by keitel, meaning not to mess with unimportant people, and "uniform means, all do look alike". Then one day the young mom and the officer meet each other, but she does not trust him, but Cat says, she is flirting with you. What i liked about it was the true language that seems to be taken right off the mouth of existing people, and if you watch this movie, you may think, this is a story written by life itself.- there are at least three more scenes worth mentioning- one guy whom they promised to put at large was found dead on the Mexican side of the border, the scene when smith is being beaten up in a bodega in Mexico, which could have changed his mind not to ask too many questions, the argument with his wife about spending too much money, and finally, bringing the baby to its mom. in this argument with his wife he says "when they start substracting the interest rates from my income you won't be able to buy even a women's hygiene article", so he gives the audience a realistic estimation of what he expects from life. finally smith thinks about Cat who just want to make profit by his position no matter how poor the people are who want to immigrate into the us, and the thought of the young mom who is separated from her baby is pursuing him so much, he decides to "do at least once something good" in his life. so, i let the characters speak for themselves to give you an impression, even it's been quite a while since i was watching this movie for the last time. the only question is why i gave only 8 and not ten out of ten? it's because i don't know if it was based on a true story or just a result of well-knitted plot.

callanvass (Credit IMDb) U.S. Border Patrol agent Charlie Smith just wants to do a good job and provide for his wife. But between her demands for a more affluent lifestyle and the importuning of Charlie's partner Cat to take part in illegal activities in exchange for bribes, Charlie gets caught up in helping smuggle illegal immigrants across the Texas border. When one of them, a young Mexican girl named Maria, loses her baby to abductors who plan to sell the child, Charlie decides to take a stand for her and against the corruption he's fallen into.The Border is a movie that is very tough to endure, and a chore to finish. I love movies with this subject, and I love Jack Nicholson and Harvey Keitel as actors even more, but this movie has nothing of note to really say that is good. The performances are decent, but the plot is awfully tough to take, while nothing really ever happens. We are treated to continuously boring dialog, Nicholson bickering with his wife over pools, money, Etc. When I read the storyline for this, I really thought it would be much better then it was. I didn't care for the characters themselves, and I was heavily disappointed when all was said and done.Performances. Jack Nicholson is solid, but underwhelming, considering his talents. He is unlikable, and I didn't get the jolt I expected with someone of his character. He is supposed to go from corruption to our hero, yet I didn't feel that boost when it happened. Harvey Keitel is OK, but he really only plays side-kick to Nicholson. Bottom line. It's dull, uninteresting, and under-performed. Considering my interest in Border Patrolling, this is a big disappointment, considering the talent involved. Not much too really recommend here. It's faded into 80's obscurity here, and it's one of the less talked about Nicholson films on his resume, for good reason too.4/10

psychorobotape this film is superb on many levels. while jack nicholson and harvey keitel both have an impressively long list of masterly performances, I believe this film ranks near the tops of their oeuvres with a handful of their other performances in films like "the shining" and "the passenger" for nicholson or "the duellists" and "bad timing" for keitel. all of the supporting cast members deliver excellent performances as well. the scenery is beautiful and is shot well. both the story and the dialogue are superlative. The plot progresses dramatically yet plausibly, at no point is the viewer obliged to suspend her disbelief as nicholson's character is backed into a corner by the circumstances developing around him. The action sequences are both dramatic and believable. go watch this film.