Smugglers land their goods. Customs inspectors spot them and take off in pursuit.
It's a lot more serious and injury-filled than the usual smugglers-and-customs movies of this period. Usually those are simple chases, or sneaking across borders, or chase involving dogs, or young women who gets into the sentry box. This one involves gunfire, wounds and possibly a death.... certainly a fall from a high cliff does no one any good.
Smuggling makes a good subjects because it's a crime, which makes it exciting, and not so clearly wrong as say, murder. Who is to make the profit on goods? Is it the government, who imposed a tariff, the domestic manufacturer whose competition is rendered more expensive, or the smuggler, who brings in superior foreign goods at lower prices?
It's a lot more serious and injury-filled than the usual smugglers-and-customs movies of this period. Usually those are simple chases, or sneaking across borders, or chase involving dogs, or young women who gets into the sentry box. This one involves gunfire, wounds and possibly a death.... certainly a fall from a high cliff does no one any good.
Smuggling makes a good subjects because it's a crime, which makes it exciting, and not so clearly wrong as say, murder. Who is to make the profit on goods? Is it the government, who imposed a tariff, the domestic manufacturer whose competition is rendered more expensive, or the smuggler, who brings in superior foreign goods at lower prices?