Border Incident (1949)

Jack Bearnes: How do I know you won't double-cross me?
Owen Parkson: You don't. It's dealer's choice and I'm the dealer.

Unlike many Film Noir’s, this one is set on the US and Mexican border and is probably quite relevant today especially with the recent 2016 election in the United States.  It takes many of the elements of noir and pulls it out of the dark city streets and plonks it down in a more rural setting where there are open fields, hills, fences and of course the All-American Canal.  This is a solid noir that, due to its setting, reminds me of Orson Welles’ fantastic noir Touch of Evil as most of the movie resides on the border towns.  

Mexican labourers are smuggled into America with the dream that their hard work will bring forth great financial benefits, however as they are brought back across the Mexican border there always seems to be someone waiting to rob them of the earnings.  In an attempt to put a stop to the illegal labour smuggling, Mexican federal agent Pablo Rodriguez (Ricardo Montalban) goes undercover and poses as a labourer desperate to get to the U.S. while American counterpart Jack Bearnes (George Murphy) also does his investigation from the American side.  As they delve deeper into their investigation they cross paths with Owen Parkson (Howard Da Silva), the leader of the smuggling operation, and begin to realise that their very lives are in grave danger.  

Anthony Mann, who directed the film, is also responsible for classic noir films such as T-Men, Raw Deal and Railroaded! and he also succeeds in this brutal noir even though it was shot on a low budget for movies of that time.  As the setting is a mix of urban and rural, the usual near claustrophobic feel of noir gives way to more open spaces however a good deal of the film occours at night and there is a reasonable amount of suspense that keeps you watching up to the final bone cracking finale which is rarely seen in films of the day.  Overall it’s an enjoyable film to watch with a different slant to the usual noir.  Its intelligent, has some real suspense but it kept things real as opposed to manufacturing circumstances that induce thrills so it can be a bit more drama like as opposed to some of the other noirs.  Still, it’s a solid offering well worth watching.

The DVD reviewed is an American Region 1 release that reveals a pretty good picture even in the dark scenes though with the usual spots and marks.  The image is in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio with standard mono sound which is generally quite good for a film of this vintage.  The DVD also has the following extras:

• Commentary by Film Historian Dana Polan
• Theatrical Trailer

Overall it is a brutal film well worth watching though you can find better noir’s out there if you mainly want to concentrate on the top 50.  The bad part is that the DVD is only sold in America so online stores like Amazon or Ebay are the only ways to get a copy for us in Australia (like many noirs unfortunately).  If you’re a noir fan hungry for some rural settings, give this one a crack, you won’t be disappointed.  Recommended for Noir fans.

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