Back to trending
The Border

The Border

Crime · Drama · 1982

A corrupted border agent decides to clean up his act when an impoverished woman's baby is put up for sale on the black market.

Movie details

The Border

“When Charlie Smith went down to the border, he found more than a boundary between Texas and Mexico. He found a line within himself.”

1982 Crime · Drama 1h 48m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.0 / 10

Community rating

A corrupted border agent decides to clean up his act when an impoverished woman's baby is put up for sale on the black market.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Border?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

The Place Beyond the Pines

The Place Beyond the Pines

Drama · 2013

A motorcycle stunt rider considers committing a crime in order to provide for his wife and child, an act that puts him on a collision course with a cop-turned-politician.

The Long Goodbye

The Long Goodbye

Mystery · 1973

In 1970s Hollywood, Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife.

Joe

Joe

Drama · 2014

The rough-hewn boss of a lumber crew courts trouble when he steps in to protect the youngest member of his team from an abusive father.

Touch of Evil

Touch of Evil

Crime · 1958

A border-town bombing draws Mexican investigator Miguel Vargas into a corruption-ridden police investigation led by crooked captain Hank Quinlan, setting off a deadly struggle over power, justice, and truth.

Traffic

Traffic

Thriller · 2000

An exploration of the United States of America's war on drugs from multiple perspectives. For the new head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the war becomes personal when he discovers his well-educated daughter is abusing cocaine within their comfortable suburban home. In Mexico, a flawed, but noble policeman agrees to testify against a powerful general in league with a cartel, and in San Diego, a drug kingpin's sheltered trophy wife must learn her husband's ruthless business after he is arrested, endangering her luxurious lifestyle.

The Mule

The Mule

Crime · 2018

Earl Stone, a man in his eighties, is broke, alone, and facing foreclosure of his business when he is offered a job that simply requires him to drive. Easy enough, but, unbeknownst to Earl, he's just signed on as a drug courier for a Mexican cartel. He does so well that his cargo increases exponentially, and Earl hit the radar of hard-charging DEA agent Colin Bates.

Desierto

Desierto

Thriller · 2015

A group of Mexican emigrants attempts to cross the Mexican-US border. What begins as a hopeful journey becomes a harrowing, bloody and primal fight for survival when a deranged, rifle-toting vigilante and his loyal Belgian Malinois dog chase the group of unarmed men and women through the treacherous borderland. In the harsh, unforgiving desert terrain, the odds are stacked firmly against them as they discover there’s nowhere to hide from the unrelenting, merciless killer.

Training Day

Training Day

Action · 2001

On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.

Flashpoint

Flashpoint

Crime · 1984

Two Texas border guards find a jeep buried in the desert, with a skeleton, a scoped rifle, and a box with $800,000 in cash. Before they decide whether to keep the money or report it, they privately investigate the clues and unravel a decades old mystery.

Extreme Prejudice

Extreme Prejudice

Action · 1987

Lean, mean Texas Ranger Jack Benteen locks horns with a former friend, Cash Bailey, now a ruthless drug kingpin. Though they're on opposite sides of the law, they share a love interest in the sensual Sarita. When a crew of rogue soldiers descends upon the border town for an off-the-books mission, all roads lead to a bloody, to-the-death showdown, as loyalties shift and the lines between good and evil are blurred.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Tony Richardson

Written by

Deric Washburn · Walon Green · David Freeman

Jack Nicholson

Jack Nicholson

Charlie Smith

Harvey Keitel

Harvey Keitel

Cat

Valerie Perrine

Valerie Perrine

Marcy

Warren Oates

Warren Oates

Red

Elpidia Carrillo

Elpidia Carrillo

Maria

Shannon Wilcox

Shannon Wilcox

Savannah

M

Manuel Viescas

Juan

Court is in session

Put The Border on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.