Borderline is a reasonably serious and sincere Charles Bronson movie, made at a time when the stone-faced actor was most commonly found in sleazy and violent potboilers (e.g Death Wish II, Ten To Midnight, The Evil That Men Do, etc.) There is little about Borderline that is violent or sleazy; in fact, it is probably the tamest film he made at that period of his career. It takes its basis from the very real problem of illegal Mexican immigrants crossing the American border in search of a better life. When the film was made, the number of aliens crossing into the US without authority was incredibly high and was a real issue of concern for the Border Patrol officers, so in some ways this is quite a topical movie. However, it is made in a basic, workmanlike fashion by director Jerrold Freedman, and has neither the explosive action to satisfy the gung-ho crowd, nor the thematic weight and power to satisfy those looking for something more morally complex.
Jeb Maynard (Charles Bronson) is the chief at a Border Patrol station some 20 miles east of San Diego. Every day (and night) his small, overworked staff patrol an area of thousands of square miles looking for Mexican nationals who have illegally crossed the border in their sector. One of Jeb's closest buddies is Scoot (A. Wilford Brimley), an old, long-serving Border Patrolman. On a dark evening, Scoot is unfortunate enough to pull over a truck full of illegal aliens being smuggled into the US by ex-Vietnam vet Hotchkiss (Ed Harris). Hotchkiss works as part of a major smuggling operation which is making millions of dollars a year by helping paying immigrants across the border. Scoot is shot dead by Hotchkiss, who also fatally wounds one of his aliens - a young boy - at the same time. The FBI believe that Scoot and the kid were killed by drug smugglers, but Jeb is less convinced. Aided by Elena, the dead boy's mother (Karmin Murcelo), he attempts to get to the bottom of his best friend's brutal murder.
It's quite interesting to see Harris in his movie debut playing second fiddle to Bronson. Harris went on to become a greatly-respected star, and even here in this simple and under-written role you can see his charisma trying to break through.... which contrasts markedly with Bronson's inexpressive, silent-man-of-action approach. The story has the potential to be very powerful, but most opportunities are missed and the film plays out in a very ordinary and unremarkable manner. Everything comes across as earnest and simplistic, and this approach seems rather too pat for a movie with such a topical theme. Borderline is nothing special, but neither is it particularly terrible. There are a thousand better and a thousand worse movies out there.
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