This crime melodrama with humorous undertones involves the investigation of dope smugglers on the Mexican border. Americans Fred MacMurray and Claire Trevor enter the scene and find themselves embroiled in the illicit activities. Both are government agents, but each one thinks the other is a crook. The real bad guy is Raymond Burr, head of the smuggling ring. At one point, MacMurray and Trevor must pretend to be husband and wife, which weakens their mutual mistrust. Eventually, MacMurray and Trevor sort out the heroes from ...
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This crime melodrama with humorous undertones involves the investigation of dope smugglers on the Mexican border. Americans Fred MacMurray and Claire Trevor enter the scene and find themselves embroiled in the illicit activities. Both are government agents, but each one thinks the other is a crook. The real bad guy is Raymond Burr, head of the smuggling ring. At one point, MacMurray and Trevor must pretend to be husband and wife, which weakens their mutual mistrust. Eventually, MacMurray and Trevor sort out the heroes from the villains, and the dope ring is scuttled...at least for the time being. Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Seller's Description:
Richard Irving, Claire Trevor, Jos Torvay, Roy Roberts, Fred MacMurray, Pepe Hern, Nacho Galindo, Donald Diamond, Raymond... Very good. 2003 Run time: 88. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Digital copy/codes may be expired or not included. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Richard Irving, Claire Trevor, Jos Torvay, Roy Roberts, Fred MacMurray, Pepe Hern, Nacho Galindo, Donald Diamond, Raymond... Very good. 2003 Run time: 88. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Digital copy/codes may be expired or not included. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Richard Irving, Claire Trevor, Jos Torvay, Roy Roberts, Fred MacMurray, Pepe Hern, Nacho Galindo, Donald Diamond, Raymond... New. Run time: 88. Buy with confidence-Satisfaction Guaranteed! Delivery Confirmation included for all orders in the US.
I took the opportunity to watch this 1950 film, "Borderline" after reading Philip Caputo's 2017 novel "Some Rise by Sin" about a Mexican drug cartel. The polarization in our country about the means of controlling the flow of drugs also made me interested in this film in order to see how the drug gangs were seen in a film from the mid-20th century. I am also a fan of film noir and try to see works in the genre to enhance my understanding.
The film has a hard, ruthless head of a large drug cartel portrayed well by a white-suited Raymond Burr (of subsequent Perry Mason fame). The film also has some good photography of roads, dance clubs, city and town streets and the like in Mexico. Overall, however, the film is a disappointment. It begins as a serious crime thriller with the State of California and Federal law enforcement working together to break up the drug ring. Clare Trevor portrays a state law enforcement agent who persuades her reluctant boss to go undercover to use her wiles and her feminine charm to break up the ring. In the process, she is kidnapped by another apparent drug kingpin, portrayed by Fred McMurry (who later became known as the bland father in the television family comedy "My Three Sons".) and the two characters are forced to pretend to be husband and wife while, in this guise, nature and chemistry proceed to make themselves known.
The film morphs from noir and crime to something more resembling a comedy as the two main characters are unaware of one another's identity and, with their distrust of one another, have to deal with strong mutual attraction.
The drug cartel is thus partially defanged and trivialized and the romantic element of the film becomes silly and predictable. The film also has stereotypical portrayals of people in Mexico who have nothing to do with the drug trade.
I found historical interest in the film in seeing how Mexican drug cartels were portrayed in the 1950s and thus taking something of a longer view of the current situation. But this film doesn't add much in that regard, and the movie is mostly dull and unconvincing.
