Border Incident (1949)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
U.S. Agent Jack Bearnes lies in an open field, shot and beaten. A giant, harrowing machine suddenly roars to life, its blades biting into the earth. Terrified, Bearnes tries to crawl away. But the machine crawls faster. As searing as a shot of tequila down a dust-parched throat, this steely thriller stars Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy as agents from each side of the Mexico-California border. Their job: Catch the thieves, murderers and moneymen who prey on illegal aliens desperate to make a few Americano dollars sweating as farm laborers. Anthony Mann (Winchester 73, The Naked Spur) directs, turning his lens to the beauty and the terror of stark desert wastelands. Blending classic film noir with a surprisingly contemporary plot, 'Border Incident' is a relentless, cutting-edge gem of the genre. - Actors:
- Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy, Howard Da Silva, James Mitchell, Arnold Moss, Alfonso Bedoya, Teresa Celli, Charles McGraw, José Torvay, John Ridgely, Arthur Hunnicutt, Sig Ruman, Otto Waldis, Harry Antrim, Lita Baron, Tony Barr, Robert Cabal, Frank Conlan, Miguel Contreras, David Cota
- Directors:
- Anthony Mann
- Producers:
- Nicholas Nayfack
- Narrated By:
- Knox Manning
- Writers:
- John C. Higgins, George Zuckerman
- Aka:
- Border Patrol
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- Not released
- Run Time:
- 97 minutes
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Reviews (1) of Border Incident
Hollywood Neorealism. - Border Incident review by Steve
After a sequence of independent film noir hits in 1947-48 (including T-Men and Raw Deal), MGM signed Anthony Mann for this dark, violent exposé on the criminal smuggling of manual labour along the US-Mexican border. Though made for a studio more famous for glossy musicals, it’s still dirty, punchy and credible.
It’s a contemporary western as well as a crime picture. Most of all, this is inspired by Italian Neorealism, like many Hollywood docu-noirs at the turn of the ‘50s. There’s a strident newsreel style voiceover and an un-starry cast of men without women, as the gangs muscle in on the trafficking of workers.
Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy are Mexican/US immigration agents who go undercover. And there’s a familiar support cast of un-photogenic blokes to play the ruthless crooks led by Howard Da Silva, with Charles McGraw, Jack Lambert… The sort of western actors who would stay with Mann into the ‘50s.
Perhaps the director’s wisest decision was to retain his cinematographer, John Alton. These are mostly location exteriors, but with a dark, expressionistic look. This may be as pulpy as MGM ever got, including an astonishing murder by plough. Sometimes it loses impetus, but it’s a convincing early look at an issue which still persists.