The Border Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Border Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 11, 2018

Tony Richardson's "The Border" (1982) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; audio commentary by critic Nick Pinkerton; recorded archival tribute event; and vintage promotional materials for the film. The release also arrives with a 32-page illustrated booklet with a new essay by author Scott Harrison, an overview of contemporary critical responses, historic articles on the film, and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Crossing the border

The truth about our southern border has always been the same. What changed over the years are the lies that corrupt politicians and amoral businessmen whose interests aligned used to hide it. It really is this simple.

At a small factory somewhere on the outskirts of L.A. immigration officer Charlie Smith (Jack Nicholson) picks up two illegal aliens. The man that runs the place chooses them for him because the ‘raid’ is part of an arrangement -- occasionally Charlie gets small perks and arrests a few wetbacks so that he looks good before his superiors and in return he stays away so that the man can continue to operate his profitable business. It is an arrangement that works for both sides. But Charlie’s demanding wife, Marcy (Valerie Perrine), convinces him that they can do a lot better if they move back to El Paso, where she was born and everything is cheaper. In the Lone Star State they will finally be able to replace their trailer with a proper home and even afford many of the luxury items that couples like them ought to have and enjoy.

After he transfer to El Paso Charlie becomes a border patrol agent and begins working with Cat (Harvey Keitel), a tough vet with all sorts of shady friends. Charlie’s happy wife rewards him in the bedroom, but the more he learns about Cat and his dealings with his friends, the more frustrated he becomes with the way the law is bent by him and the rest of the people in the area that are supposed to uphold it. Around the same time Charlie also becomes involved with a young Mexican girl (Elpidia Carrillo) who has her baby stolen from her while trying to illegally cross the border.

The ugly reality that is revealed in Tony Richardson’s film is neither new nor surprising. There are countless other films confirming that not only is the southern border wide open and essentially unprotected, but that the status quo there is actually incredibly beneficial for a wide range of criminal activities. Robert Young's Alambrista! and Cary Fukunaga's Sin Nombre for instance see illegal immigration from completely different angles, but in both films the border again emerges as something of a meaningless symbol that has been left to survive on its own.

There is a decent dose of melodrama in the film but for the most part Richardson accurately describes the nature of the system that has been crafted to protect the lawlessness. Even in a place like El Paso there is a lot of money to be made from the exploitation of desperate people that are willing to risk their lives, so one either becomes part of the criminal system or gets broken by it. Charlie, who is in outsider, makes the critical mistake of questioning the morality of a system that is completely immune to it.

On the opposite end is Cat, a cynical traitor of the kind that even today continues to damage the reputation of border authorities. There really isn’t any difference between Cat and the people that he deals with on the Mexican side of the border. He is just camouflaged differently and uttering his words with a gringo accent.

The initial cut of the film apparently had a far darker ending in which Charlie becomes totally unhinged and bombs the traitors, but Richardson changed his mind and settled on the current politically correct and safe resolution. It is very unfortunate because an uglier and edgier climax would have made this film stick out like a sore thumb and likely inspired plenty of meaningful discussions.

The Border Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tony Richardson's The Border arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from an older remaster that was provided by Universal Studios in the United States. However, this is one of the better remasters that I have seen emerge from the studio's vaults. Indeed, there are no traces of problematic digital work and as a result the entire film has a pleasing organic appearance. However, some source limitations remain -- density levels are not always consistent and in some darker segments there is light but obvious black crush that sneaks in; grain exposure can be better and on a larger screen this also becomes obvious; a few tiny white flecks and black spots also pop up here and there. Nevertheless, fluidity remains quite pleasing and the color grading also does not introduce any anomalies. Image stability is excellent. All in all, while a proper new master will surely introduce some meaningful improvements, I actually like the current presentation quite a lot. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Border Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The audio is stable and clean, which leads me to believe that some sort of remixing work was done when the remaster was prepared. Dynamic intensity is also good for film of this caliber from the early '80s. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or purely digital distortions to report in our review.

The Border Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original U.S. trailer for The Border. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Image Gallery - a large gallery with original vintage promotional materials for The Border.

• The Guardian/BFI Tribute to Tony Richardson - presented here is an archival audio recording of a panel event chaired by Sight & Sound editor Philip Dodd, featuring Lindsay Anderson, Kevin Brownlow, Jocelyn Herbert, Vanessa Redgrave, Karel Reisz, and Natasha Richardson. The event was held after a screening of Blue Sky at the National Film Theatre in London in 1982. In English, not subtitled. (58 min).

• Audio Commentary - film critic Nick Pinkerton discusses in great detail the interesting production history of The Border, the different locations where key segments from the film were shot, the film's visual design and the manner in which it becomes an essential element of the drama, the dilemmas that Jack Nicholson's character faces, etc.

• Booklet - a 32-page illustrated booklet with a new essay by author Scott Harrison, an overview of contemporary critical responses, historic articles on the film, and technical credits.

The Border Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are many, many ordinary Americans that always knew exactly what was happening at the southern border. The problem is that the chaos and lawlessness there were, and still are, great for business and the careers of all sorts of different ambitious politicians, which is why a system was created to protect them. In Tony Richardson's film Jack Nicholson plays a border patrol agent who exposes a group of traitors that are part of the system, but quickly realizes that even if they are neutralized not much will change because the system will find a way to repair itself. It is a good film that offers a mostly accurate summation of the crisis, but at the end decides to play it safe without shaming the big shadow figures and institutions that are responsible for it. Indicator/Powerhouse Films' Blu-ray release is sourced from an older but healthy remaster that makes it easy to appreciate Richardson's artistic vision. Unlike previous releases from the label's catalog The Border is Region-B "locked", so keep this in mind if you reside in a Region-A territory. RECOMMENDED.