The Border (1982 film)

{{Infobox film

| name = The Border

| image = Border imp.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Tony Richardson

| producer = Edgar Bronfman Jr.

| writer = Deric Washburn
Walon Green
David Freeman

| starring = Jack Nicholson
Harvey Keitel
Valerie Perrine
Warren Oates
Elpidia Carrillo
Dirk Blocker

| music = Ry Cooder

| cinematography = Ric Waite

| editing = Robert K. Lambert

| studio = Efer Productions
RKO Pictures

| distributor = Universal Pictures

| released = {{Film date|1982|2|12}}

| runtime = 108 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $22 million{{cite web |title = The Border (1982) - Box office / business |url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083678/business |work = Internet Movie Database |access-date = March 19, 2011 }}

| gross = $6,118,683 (US){{cite web |title = The Border (1982) |url = https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=border.htm |work = Box Office Mojo |publisher = Internet Movie Database |access-date = March 19, 2011 }}

}}

The Border is a 1982 American neo-noirSilver, Alain; Ward, Elizabeth; eds. (1992). Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style (3rd ed.). Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press. {{ISBN|0-87951-479-5}} dramatic crime thriller film directed by Tony Richardson and starring Jack Nicholson alongside Harvey Keitel, Valerie Perrine, Elpidia Carrillo and Warren Oates.

Plot

Immigration enforcement agent Charlie Smith lives in California with his wife, Marcy, in a trailer. She persuades him to move to a duplex in El Paso, Texas shared by her friend and border agent Cat. Marcy longs for a life of luxury and sees a chance to do so with this move. She opens a charge account and starts to purchase expensive items (like a water bed) as she tries to build a dream home.

Cat gradually introduces Charlie to the human smuggling operation he runs with their supervisor Red. Though Charlie initially declines to participate, his wife's free-spending ways make him finally take part in the operation. Meanwhile, a young Mexican mother, Maria, that he has observed is detained, and while she is in their custody, one of Cat's drivers abducts her baby for an illegal adoption. Cat warns the driver not to do anything but transport people in trucks, and that if he runs drugs or babies, Cat will hurt him.

Charlie finally realizes that Cat and Red are killing drivers who make money off side ventures or anyone who gets in their way. Charlie makes it clear to Cat that he will not be a party to murder. In the film's climax, he is forced to kill Cat. He tracks down the kidnapped infant and returns it to Maria.

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Jack Nicholson as Charlie Smith
Harvey Keitel as Cat
Valerie Perrine as Marcy
Warren Oates as Red
Elpidia Carrillo as Maria
Shannon Wilcox as Savannah
Manuel Viescas as Juan
Jeff Morris as J.J.
Dirk Blocker as Beef
Mike Gomez as Manuel
Lonny Chapman as Andy

}}

Production notes

The opening earthquake scenes were filmed in Antigua, specifically in La Recoleccion ruins,{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO647SjRv9c |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/XO647SjRv9c |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=YouTube|title=The Border (introduction)|year=1982|access-date=26 October 2015}}{{cbignore}} and Guatemala City.{{Refneeded|date=November 2024}}

Reception

Vincent Canby of The New York Times said the movie "has the sort of predictable outrage and shape of a made-for-television movie. It has suspense but little excitement. Once the people and the situation have been introduced, there's not a single surprise in the film, nothing of the uncharacteristic sort that differentiates the adequate melodrama from one that is special and memorable. Like so many films prompted by real-life social problems, The Border is a movie in which the characters appear to have been created to fit the events. Missing is any sense of particularity, as well as the excitement that comes when the members of the audience are allowed to discover some sort of truth for themselves."{{Cite news |date=2023-01-31 |title=Movie Reviews |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/reviews/movies |access-date=2023-01-31 |issn=0362-4331}}

Gene Siskel, in his review for the Chicago Tribune, praised the way Nicholson served the film but criticised the ending.{{Cite web |date=1982-01-29 |title=Chicago Tribune The Border review* |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-chicago-tribune-the-bord/82922342/ |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en-US}}

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 65% from 26 reviews. The site's consensus states: "It makes frustratingly facile work of its thorny premise, but Jack Nicholson's gritty lead performance keeps The Border worth watching."{{Cite web | url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1002907-border | title=The Border | website=Rotten Tomatoes }} Among the positive reviews were Siskel & Ebert, who both gave the film a collective "Yes".{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1bRGbU08HY |title=Siskel & Ebert / The Border / 1982 |date=2023-03-02 |last=HazBeenEdits |access-date=2024-11-06 |via=YouTube}}