On B List of Movie Reviews

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The Border (1982)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 6/16

Border
6/16: Here's a worthy film in Jack Nicholson's résumé: The Border.

A highly similar film to Anthony Mann's Border Incident, it's a surprisingly good neo-noir thriller by Tony Richardson, a director whom I don't think much of. Although there's a feel of a Peckinpah rip-off, the noirish atmosphere of El Paso is perfectly set up, and the characters are well-developed.

It's sort of Kafka-esque. Mexicans are all over the place, running back and forth across the border. The patrols round them up and ship them back to Mexico only to see them again the next day, hence the repeated scenes.

Jack Nicholson is excellent and has long considered his work the best of his storied career. There's a good reason why his character just wants to feed ducks. Valerie Perrine, playing the wife who must keep up with the Joneses which further complicates her husband's life, turns in the performance of her career. Shannon Wilcox cranks it up with her uninhibitedness. Harvey Keitel is Harvey Keitel.

All in all, The Border is a gem.