Border Incident

1949 • NR • Series • Catalog pick

U.S. Agent Jack Bearnes lies in an open field, shot and beaten. A giant, harrowing machine suddenly roars to life, it's 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.