Anthony Mann's "Border Incident" Blu-ray - Ricardo Montalban (Patreon)

BONUS CAPTURES:

Anthony Mann's "Border Incident" Blu-ray - Ricardo Montalban

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OUR REVIEW:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film11/blu-ray_review_174/border_incident_blu-ray.htm

U.S. Agent Jack Bearnes lies in an open field, shot and beaten. A giant, harrowing machine suddenly roars to life, its blades biting into the earth. Terrified, Bearnes tries to crawl away. But the machine crawls faster. As searing as a shot of tequila down a dust-parched throat, this steely thriller stars Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy as agents from each side of the Mexico-California border. Their job: Catch the thieves, murderers and moneymen who prey on illegal aliens desperate to make a few Americano dollars sweating as farm laborers. Anthony Mann (Winchester ’73, The Naked Spur) directs, turning his lens to the beauty and the terror of stark desert wastelands. Blending classic film noir with a surprisingly contemporary plot, Border Incident is a relentless, cutting-edge gem of the genre.

***

Anthony Mann's Border Incident was a less typical Western, centering on the smuggling of Mexican migrant workers across the border to California, but having the charismatic shadowy noir cinematographer by Hungarian-German born, master, John Alton. He's notable for so many from the cycle including, The Big Combo (1955,) The Amazing Mr. X (1948) and Mann's He Walked by Night (1948) and Raw Deal (1948) among many others. His work helps define the film and genre. Anthony Mann 'cut his teeth' on many low budget film noirs with short shooting schedules (ex. 1947's Railroaded! was shot in ten days) eventually collaborating on eight iconic westerns with Jimmy Stewart including Winchester '73 (1950), The Naked Spur (1953), and The Man from Laramie (1955.) Ricardo Montalbán is very good here although oft remembered for the TV shows Fantasy Island, as Mr. Roarke, and Star Trek's dastardly villain, Khan Noonien Singh - a role he would recreate in the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. His career spanned seven decades. Border Incident is an essential Noir, with 'procedural' cycle leanings, and has vast, desolate, landscapes embracing a rugged, less-forgiving, western genre effort. This bleakness advances the 'dark cinema' inclusion with desperation often at the crux of the character's anxieties. The Warner Archive Blu-ray has a very appreciative a/v bump and the older, but highly worthy, Polan commentary. It's a film that is still worthy of multiple spins. Absolutely recommended to digital librarians everywhere.