Borderline (1980)

On the U.S.-Mexican border, border cop Jeb Maynard is hunting for a human smuggler responsible for Jeb's partner's murder.

Director:

Jerrold Freedman

Writers:

Jerrold Freedman, Steve Kline

Stars:

Charles Bronson, Bruno Kirby, Bert Remsen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Bronson	...	Jeb Maynard
Bruno Kirby	...	Jimmy Fante
Bert Remsen	...	Carl J. Richards
Michael Lerner	...	Henry Lydell
Kenneth McMillan	...	Malcolm Wallace
Ed Harris	...	Hotchkiss
Karmin Murcelo	...	Elena Morales
Enrique Castillo	...	Arturo
Wilford Brimley	...	Scooter Jackson (as A. Wilford Brimley)
Norman Alden	...	Willie Lambert
James Victor	...	Mirandez
Panchito Gómez	...	Benito Morales
John Ashton	...	Charlie Monroe
Lawrence P. Casey	...	Andy Davis (as Lawrence Casey)
Charles Cyphers	...	Ski

Storyline

Jeb Maynard is a patrolman guarding the U.S.-Mexican border, whose partner and buddy Scooter has just been murdered. Maynard knows that a smuggler of illegal aliens is responsible for Scooter's death, but the feds insist that drug dealers committed the crime. If this villainous smuggler is going to be caught, Maynard is going to have to do the dirty work himself.

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Plot Keywords:

u.s. mexico border | manhunt | wetback | immigrant | u.s. border patrol | 

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Taglines:

Somewhere along a thousand miles of barbed wire border the American dream has become a nightmare

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Co-screenwriter Steve Kline first researched the movie's subject matter as a reporter writing a series of newspaper articles on the difficulties that the U.S. Border Patrol had in managing, stopping, and controlling the numerous illegal immigrant aliens crossing the American southern border of the USA.

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Goofs

Aboard a 2-engine aircraft (outside shot) flying into the sunset the scene changes to an inside shot as Bronson climbs a stair case to an upstairs lounge -- not available on any Boeing 2-engine aircraft. The next outside shot is, indeed, of a Boeing 747, 4-engine plane with an upstairs lounge.

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Connections

Referenced in The Rock (1996)

User Reviews

Murder on the Border

Don't expect to see Chuck wipe out men by request, shoot punks or grow watermelons. This time Bronson is Jeb Maynard, a tough and experienced chief border patrol officer investigating the cold-blooded murder of one of his men who is just two weeks away from retirement. With the aid of a newly transferred young officer from New York, Maynard tracks down the ruthless killer who is seemingly as elusive as the masterminds behind the crime.

BORDERLINE, a lesser known and often forgotten Bronson's film (at least to me), plays like a pilot episode of a TV series. Not much tension is delivered and not much action either, but this crime drama keeps viewers, especially fans, interested. Unfortunately, the distinctively catchy music during the opening credits is underplayed, which renders some key scenes emotionally bland.

Compared with other Bronson's films - Cold Sweat, White Buffalo, Love and Bullets - which are rather disappointing, BORDERLINE quite delivers the goods. It's always a pleasure for Bronson's fans to see him take up a different role: here we see more of his acting and charisma while less of his machismo (Not saying that this side of Bronson's acting style is unwelcome). During his long acting career, Charles Bronson only had several memorable films which made him an iconic action star. BORDERLINE is certainly not one of them. For his fans, this minor entry is worth watching regardless.

Details

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

5 March 1981 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Borderline

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC), Marble Arch Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1