Border Incident

source: Border Incident

source: Border Incident

"Border Incident" is another film that benefits from the direction of Anthony Mann. From 1949, it's an atmospheric noir, probably a B movie, about the immigration department sending two people in undercover (Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy) to expose an illegal immigration operation. The ranchers bring them in, and after the season, they're left to their own devices. En route home, they are often robbed and/or killed and left in the Death Cave, which has quicksand. Very gruesome. Montalban plays Pablo Rodriguez, who poses as a brazero (farm worker) who pays 70 pesos to cross the border illegally. He befriends Juan Garcia (James Mitchell), a real brazero he meets while waiting for his named to be called for a work permit. Discouraged, Garcia decides to go illegally as well, despite having a wife and children and knowing the dangers. Murphy goes undercover as an ex-con who has work permits to sell. Pablo and Juan end up on the Parkson ranch. Parkson (Howard da Silva) is a ruthless man, and he couldn't care less about the immigrants. This is a violent film that demonstrates the exploitation of Mexicans and illustrates the problems that still exist today. All of the performances are very good - soap opera audiences may not recognize dancer/actor James Mitchell, who played Palmer Courtlandt on "All My Children" for years and died not long ago. Young and very handsome, Ricardo Montalban makes a convincing Pablo, a brave and determined man. Murphy stretches his song and dance man range as Jack. Excellent film.

What a dark movie! Everything seems to happen at night. Ricardo Montalban is a member of "the Mexican FBI" and George Murphy his counterpart at the INS. They form a partnership to investigate the illegal smuggling of braceros (Mexicans with temporary worker programs) across the border where they are exploited by unscrupulous American interests, then robbed by bandits when they return to Mexico. Talk about your contemporary problems! It's a decent mystery. The acting is up to snuff. The direction and the photography are professionally competent. And that's about it. Ricardo Montalban gives a good performance and the rest are middling. I prefer Sig Rumann in comic roles, maybe alongside the Marx Brothers, whereas he's a serious heavy in this one. There is always Alfonso Bedoya, along with one of his henchmen from "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," but he doesn't have much to do except mangle the English language and his character provides no deliberate relief from the intensity of the story. There's something -- unconvincing? Is that the word? Not a moment goes by when you forget you're watching a movie. No matter how hard I tried I was unable to suspend my disbelief. Ricardo Montalban may be too handsome to be a bracero. His haircut is not that of a poor laborer but a Hollywood star. In fact all of the braceros seem too well groomed. Their clothes don't seem lived in, although they are all provided with bundles wrapped in serapes, and they all wear straw sombreros. They're burdened with lines like, "Tell me, my husband, is it dangerous?" And it's impossible to sense any feelings of social responsibility behind or in front of the camera. Watch "Viva Zapata" with its screenplay by John Steinbeck for an illustration of what's lacking here. And watch "Traffic" for a treatment of the systemic problem that does not devolve into a Manichaean struggle of the good guys versus the bad guys. There are ethical problems on both sides of the border, although the ones on the Mexican side seem to dwarf those on the other, as that perceptive reviewer Howdymax has observed. Also -- what is the Imperial Valley except a flat desert irrigated by water absconded from the Colorado River? I mean, there are groves of date palms in Indio. But there is no sense of the desert in this movie. Most seems to have been shot in the studio or on the back lot. The "place" is missing. There is one unforgettable scene though, in which George Murphy is sliced and diced by an agonizingly slow-moving diesel-pulled harrow. (I think that's what it is. There wasn't much farm machinery in Newark.) Murphy, by a curious coincidence, was elected to the Senate from California back in the 60s. There was a small furor at the time over the ethics of the bracero program. They were getting pretty shabby treatment and some wanted to end the program. Murphy's position on the issue was firm. He approved thoroughly of the bracero program. Braceros, he argued, were better at picking lettuce and carrots and melons because "they were built closer to the ground." I swear I'm not making that up. Well, the movie may be obsolete but the questions aren't. It makes for interesting viewing.

Yet this doesn't. And many consider it film noir. This is purely my own opinion but some sort of romantic frisson is needed for a good movie. "Border Incident" was timely when it was made and still is but I wasn't terribly caught up by it. There is a woman: the uncredited Lynn Whitney. She is a great noir female, too: The wife of bad guy Charles McGraw, she is a blowzy tough mama who tries to foil the heroes. The only major movie with an all-male cast I can think of that I love is "Stalag 17." No women might work in a movie with a gay theme. And indeed, a case could be made for a little spark between Ricardo Montalban and the impossibly handsome James Mitchell. (Mitchell is surprisingly believable as a Mexican.) The supporting cast is good. Howard Da Silva is especially fine. He ought to have won an Academy Award. I respect this movie but for me, two viewings will has been enough.

Border Incident is directed by Anthony Mann and adapted to screenplay by John C. Higgins from the George Zuckerman story. It stars Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy, Howard Da Silva, Charles McGraw, Arthur Hunnicutt and James Mitchell. Music is by Andre Previn and cinematography by John Alton. The great Anthony Mann creates what is the perfect crossover movie that blends film noir style with western shadings. Mann would next go on to make the well regarded psychological westerns with James Stewart, Border Incident is the tasty meat in his noir/western sandwich. In essence it's a remake of T-Men, only Mann and his team have shifted away from a hustle and bustle city setting to tell a story down on the sweaty American/Mexico border. We are probing into immigration issues, human smuggling and the abuse of such, Mann and his writers daring to portray the human suffering of farm workers from Mexico, lured in as slave labour, only to then be abused and used and much worse... Having the legendary Alton on photography duties aids the downbeat thematics considerably, whilst also deftly averting attention from what is a pretty bog standard script, the low budgets never a problem where Mann and Alton were concerned. In fact, in noirville they worked it to their advantage with some striking lighting techniques and camera movements. The pic is often vicious, sadistic even, landing violent scenes in the conscious that refuse to move until it's all over and the screen goes blank. Suspense is never far away in Border Incident, with a mostly on form cast (George Murphy is uneven as McGraw does nasty brilliantly) bringing the material to life as the dream team cloak it all in pictorial assertiveness. Not in the same league as Raw Deal, but highly recommended for reasons already stated. 8/10

At the outset here, I have to ask, Who cares if this is a film noir or not? If not, does it detract from it? If it is, does that enhance it as a work of art? Of course it doesn't, the debate is arbitrary and nonsensical. It makes no difference. Film noir was not a concept until the 1960's anyway, so the discussion is not only irrelevant, it is decidedly un-academic. First and foremost, 'Border Incident' is a miraculously involving, dynamic piece of cinema. The voice-overs in the beginning and the one at the end have dated really badly with their flag-waving patriotism and faux-documentary style, but the 75 minutes in the middle are riveting. Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy are detectives, respectively Mexican and American, with a mission to protect the Mexican braceros, farm workers, who are smuggled over the border and robbed, murdered and dropped in the quicksand, when they come back with money in their pockets. They infiltrate themselves into the the band of cutthroats to stop the trafficking. The theme is contemporary to us, to say the least. And the way the story is told is relentless, stylish and urgent. It is brilliantly shot, wonderfully lit and edited like no-one's business. And it is tough as nails, there is a gruesome scene involving some farm machinery ... I will not go into details, but you might want to put your kids to bed in time. A truly great movie, pure cinema. And call it what you want, for all I care. Noir, western-noir, whatever.

How could a film dealing with illegal Mexican immigrants being robbed and beaten over the border be dull? Well, "Border Incident" is. No wonder that song and dance man George Murphy's career ended not long after this terrible film came out. Politics was certainly a way out for this future senator who dies a horrible death in this slowly paced film. The film stereotypes the typical Mexican migrant farmer worker as dimwitted and awfully dull. The film only picks up in intensity once the identities of Murphy and Ricardo Montalban have been discovered as federal agents for the U.S. and Mexico respectively. Disappointing at best, we see similar problems in our very own society today.

This depiction of illegal border activity really illustrates the difference between what we thought was a serious problem in 1949 and what we know now is a much more serious problem. There is no mention of drugs or terrorism. The focus of this movie is the illegal practice of bringing in undocumented peasants from Mexico to work the farms and ranches of the Southwest. It tries very hard to show the brutality, greed, and complete absence of any human compassion on the part of the bad guys,seen in perspective today, it seems almost benign. We know now the bottomless depths these vermin will sink to in order to make a buck. We know that life today is worth less than it was then. Still, I think this is a worthwhile picture. While watching this movie I was reminded again what a likable character George Murphy was. He plays the INS agent investigating this smuggling ring along with his Mexican counterpart played by Ricardo Montalban. They work well together - both in character and personally. They are surrounded by a despicable group of psychos that include Charles McGraw, Howard Da Silva, Arthur Hunnicut, and Alfonso Bedoya (Gold Hat from "Treasure of the Sierra Madre"). A good cast and a tense, suspense filled plot make this an enjoyable experience. My one major criticism is this mutual ass kissing we see between the "efficient" US and "incorruptable" Mexican federal cops. I may be wrong but I can't believe we ever have, or ever will enjoy that kind of cooperation.

source: Border Incident