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Borderline (1950)

Approved | | Crime , Drama , Film-Noir | 1 March 1950 (USA)
Borderline Poster
Two undercover agents infiltrate a drug-smuggling ring in Mexico, but neither is aware of the other's identity.

Director:

William A. Seiter

Writer:

Devery Freeman (story and screenplay)

Stars:

Fred MacMurray, Claire Trevor, Raymond Burr | See full cast & crew »
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fred MacMurray ... Johnny McEvoy - aka Johnny Macklin
Claire Trevor ... Madeleine Haley
Raymond Burr ... Pete Ritchie
José Torvay ... Miguel (as Jose Torvay)
Morris Ankrum ... Bill Whittaker
Roy Roberts ... Harvey Gumbin
Don Diamond ... Deusik
Nacho Galindo ... Porfirio
Pepe Hern Pepe Hern ... Pablo
Grazia Narciso Grazia Narciso ... Porfirio's Wife
See full cast »
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Storyline

Customs agents are looking for information about Pete Ritchie, who is involved in smuggling drugs into the US. Police officer Madeleine Haley goes undercover in order to gain Ritchie's confidence, and before long she meets him through one of his associates. As she is talking with Ritchie, Johnny Macklin and one of his men burst in, and they provoke a violent confrontation. From then on, Haley is in constant danger as she attempts to figure out everything that is happening in the smuggling operation. Written by Snow Leopard

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

narcotics | drug smuggling | police interrogation | posing as husband and wife | customs officer | See All (8) »

Taglines:

Two Undercover Agents Unwittingly Stalk the Same Target.

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Release Date:

1 March 1950 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Tráfico de muerte See more »

Filming Locations:

Malibu, California, USA See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Milton H. Bren and William A. Seiter Productions,Borderline Productions See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60-minute radio adaptation of the movie on October 8, 1951 with Claire Trevor and Fred MacMurray reprising their film roles. See more »

Goofs

When Johnny and Madeleine are ditching the body in the Mexican town, the right side of the car is completely splattered with dry mud. Moments later, when they ditch the car in the ravine, it is almost totally clean. See more »

Quotes

[Johnny and Madeleine's car is pursued by Ritchie and his thugs]
Madeleine Haley, aka Gladys LaRue: Can't you go faster?
Johnny McEvoy, aka Johnny Macklin: Maybe if I got out and pushed.
See more »

Connections

Featured in The World Famous Kid Detective (2014) See more »

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User Reviews

 
It Happened One Night - down Mexico way
2 January 2005 | by alfiefamily – See all my reviews

"Borderline" tries to be a lot of things. Romantic comedy, film noir, comedy of errors, gangster film, and more. Unfortunately it does not succeed at any of these genres.

Led by Fred MacMurray and Claire Trevor, who have absolutely no chemistry together, this film suffers from an identity crisis.

Film starts out on a serious note, story about drugs being smuggled over the border. Then Claire Trevor acts as though she thinks she's in "Hellzapoppin'". Broad, over the top, and just not right for the part. From there we meet Fred MacMurray who is only slightly more interesting.

Yes, there are some humorous moments, but nowhere near enough to be able to recommend seeing this film.

5 out of 10
10 of 18 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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