Where to watch Borderline
2 1/2 Stars
Borderline contains another monolithic performance from the workhorse that is Charles Bronson. By the dawn of the 1980s, Bronson’s star had begun to fade, and he starts a decent into making exploitation pictures and sequels while under contract to producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus. Borderline is one of the few pictures that wasn’t released through the notorious Cannon Film’s studio. This accounts for a less cartoonish but still routine action-thriller that promises more than it ultimately delivers in terms of entertainment value.
Jeb Maynard (Bronson) is a border patrol cop hunting for the killer of his friend (Wilford Brimley). Hotchkiss (Ed Harris), a Caucasian man with a background in military operations, runs a smuggling ring for transporting illegal immigrants across the US border. Now, Maynard and Hotchkiss are on a direct collision course for a high-stakes showdown that will directly affect the lives of hundreds of people.
There is a worthwhile underlying message contained within the film’s story. Yet the filmmakers have instead turned this into a standard revenge picture in which Bronson bullies and dominates everyone around him. Ed Harris makes a great villain and he holds our attention to the screen in his only scene with Charlie.
Director: Jerrold Freedman
Stars: Charles Bronson, Bruno Kirby, Ed Harris, Bert Remsen, Michael Lerner, Wilford Brimley,