Review of Border Incident (1949) by Eric R — 06 May 2010

Very much follows in the footsteps of T-Men. Again a police procedural/government agency flick about two agents infiltrating an underground operation... in this case, illegal immigration instead of counterfeiting.

A lot of the beats are the same, but they diverge plenty enough so it doesn't feel like a complete rehash. Again, Anthony Mann works with John Alton to bring some excellent imagery to the screen, and the film serves as a transition into Mann's Western period, capturing the sparse and wild countryside of the southwest.

Performances are a step up from the earlier film, with Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy both likeable (if not terribly complex), supported a handful of interesting secondary roles. In sharp contrast to some of today's bone-headed attitudes, the film admirably never once makes the workers out to be the villains, instead taking aim at those who exploit them on both sides of the border.

It also treats Mexican in a surprisingly dignified and unstereotypical manner, with a couple of expections. The ending is too pat (problem SOLVED!) but one grows to expect that kind of thing. Maybe a trifle slow at times, but when the tension ratchets up, the action scenes really deliver.