Border River
Reviews
John Chard
Free Zone and the Quicksand Quandaries! Border River is directed by George Sherman and written by William Sackheim and Louis Stevens. It stars Joel McCrea, Yvonne De Carlo, Pedro Armendariz, Alfonso Bedoya and Howard Petrie. Music is by Joseph Gershenson and cinematography by Irving Glassberg. During the war between Maximillian and Juarez in 1865, there was a small territory on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande River known as Zona Libre - - - "Free Zone". It was dominated by a man who called himself General Eduardo Calleja and he made it a haven for any man outside of the law. This is the story of Zona Libre. The above statement that opens the pic is actually a bit of a lie since the film is a story that operates out of Zona Libre. It essentially finds McCrea as a Confederate soldier who has hidden stolen gold bullion in the territory. He then sets about keeping it safe in readiness for the buying of Henry Repeater rifles to aid the Confederacy in keeping the Civil War on going. Naturally there are plenty of folk in Zona Libre interested in finding out where the gold is stashed... "Never saw a Southern boy yet didn't have a lily sprouting out of his liver" Utterly frustrating piece of Western genre film making. We have a top draw premise on the page - where a hot bed of a neutral area inhabited by crooks and various Civil War(s) operatives operate - is not brought about for fire cracker ignition. Screenplay is more concerned with putting McCrea's Clete Mattson through the standard formula tropes of protecting gold from others, whilst courting the attention of the local beauty. Even more galling from a wasted opportunity point of view is that this is one of those rare occasions where the film is siding with the Southern protagonist. Any genre fan will tell you that it's nice to have some Civil War balance once in a while... Annoyance is further enhanced by just how spiffing the tech credits are for this production. Irving Glassberg often came up with quality when asked to be the cinematographer of choice in various Western entries, and so is the case here where he tantalises the eyes as the Utah locales boom in Technicolour. So to with the costuming (Joan Joseff) of De Carlo, who has not only never looked so ravishing in attractiveness prior to 1954, but also with Glassberg's colour lenses her dressage becomes scintillating. Action only fluctuates, again annoying since Sherman knows how to stage a good action set piece, and when McCrea is your leading man in a Western then you should be making hay while the sun shines. Sadly, great set pieces are in short supply, though McCrea once again proves what a great punch thrower he was. Highlight has to be a sequence where McCrea and his stunt horse land in quicksand (a critical narrative device in fact), the subsequent fight from man and beast to escape is quality - as is McCrea's (a bona fide horseman in real life) response to the equine post the sequence. In the mix there is Armendariz and Bedoya seemingly in a contest to see who can outdo each other in the over acting stakes, which is actually fun and one of the plus points in the production. Which leaves us with what?. Well as a Western lover I just love many facets of the production on show, so much so I couldn't rate it below average. On the flip side, however, I couldn't remotely recommend it to genre fans in confidence, the proviso being that the writers should have been rounded up and fired upon by the Henry Repeaters in the play. 6/10
Movie Recommendation
The Heroes of Telemark1965-11-12Set in German-occupied Norway, resistance fighter Knut Straud enlists the reluctant physicist Rolf Pedersen in an effort to destroy the German heavy water production plant in rural Telemark.More...
The Virginian1946-05-05Arriving at Medicine Bow, eastern schoolteacher Molly Woods meets two cowboys, irresponsible Steve and the "Virginian," who gets off on the wrong foot with her. To add to his troubles, the Virginian finds that his old pal Steve is mixed up with black-hatted Trampas and his rustlers...then finds himself at the head of a posse after said rustlers; and Molly hates the violent side of frontier life.More...
Police Academy 6: City Under Siege1989-03-09Our favourite police men are called together to deal with a gang who rob banks and jewelers. Using their various talents as well as their extraordinary luck, the crooks stand no chance against our men and women in blue.More...
Spartacus1960-10-13The rebellious Thracian Spartacus, born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus. After weeks of being trained to kill for the arena, Spartacus turns on his owners and leads the other slaves in rebellion. As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers swell as escaped slaves join their ranks. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they make their way to southern Italy, where they will cross the sea and return to their homes.More...
Hostage2005-03-10When a mafia accountant is taken hostage on his beat, a police officer – wracked by guilt from a prior stint as a negotiator – must negotiate the standoff, even as his own family is held captive by the mob.More...
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button2008-12-25Born under unusual circumstances, Benjamin Button springs into being as an elderly man in a New Orleans nursing home and ages in reverse. Twelve years after his birth, he meets Daisy, a child who flits in and out of his life as she grows up to be a dancer. Though he has all sorts of unusual adventures over the course of his life, it is his relationship with Daisy, and the hope that they will come together at the right time, that drives Benjamin forward.More...
The Railway Man2013-12-02A victim from World War II's "Death Railway" sets out to find those responsible for his torture. A true story.More...
Blue Jasmine2013-08-01After experiencing a traumatic misfortune, Jasmine French, a wealthy woman from New York, moves to San Francisco to live with her foster sister Ginger and the firm purpose of getting a new life, but she will be haunted by anxiety and memories of the past.More...
We're the Millers2013-08-07A veteran pot dealer creates a fake family as part of his plan to move a huge shipment of weed into the U.S. from Mexico.More...
Suck Me Shakespeer 22015-09-10A rowdy teacher accompanies a class trip to Thailand to recover some diamonds accidentally sent there and restore the school's reputation.More...
The Hours2002-12-27The story of three women searching for more potent, meaningful lives. Each is alive at a different time and place, all are linked by their yearnings and their fears. Their stories intertwine, and finally come together in a surprising, transcendent moment of shared recognition.More...
The Untouchables1987-06-03Elliot Ness, an ambitious prohibition agent, is determined to take down Al Capone. In order to achieve this goal, he forms a group given the nickname “The Untouchables”.More...
Girl Asleep2015-10-20The world is closing in on Greta Driscoll. On the cusp of turning fifteen she can't bear to leave her childhood, it contains all the things that give her comfort in this incomprehensible new world. She floats in a bubble of loserdom with her only friend Elliott, until her parents throw her a surprise 15th birthday party and she's flung into a parallel place; a world that's weirdly erotic, a little bit violent and thoroughly ludicrous - only there can she find herself.More...
Transcendence2014-04-16Two leading computer scientists work toward their goal of Technological Singularity, as a radical anti-technology organization fights to prevent them from creating a world where computers can transcend the abilities of the human brain.More...
Jumanji1995-12-15When siblings Judy and Peter discover an enchanted board game that opens the door to a magical world, they unwittingly invite Alan -- an adult who's been trapped inside the game for 26 years -- into their living room. Alan's only hope for freedom is to finish the game, which proves risky as all three find themselves running from giant rhinoceroses, evil monkeys and other terrifying creatures.More...
Brooklyn2015-10-20In 1950s Ireland and New York, young Eilis Lacey has to choose between two men and two countries.More...
The Spanish Apartment2002-06-19A strait-laced French student moves into an apartment in Barcelona with a cast of six other characters from all over Europe. Together, they speak the international language of love and friendship.More...
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof1958-08-29An alcoholic ex-football player drinks his days away, having failed to come to terms with his sexuality and his real feelings for his football buddy who died after an ambiguous accident. His wife is crucified by her desperation to make him desire her: but he resists the affections of his wife. His reunion with his father—who is dying of cancer—jogs a host of memories and revelations for both father and son.More...
My Brother Is an Only Child2007-03-28Accio and Manrico are siblings from a working-class family in 1960s Italy: older Manrico is handsome, charismatic, and loved by all, while younger Accio is sulky, hot-headed, and treats life as a battleground — much to his parents' chagrin. After the former is drawn into left-wing politics, Accio joins the fascists out of spite, but his flimsy beliefs are put to test when he falls for Manrico's like-minded girlfriend.More...
The Last Samurai2003-12-05Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy the samurai's way of life in the name of modernization and open trade, Algren decides to become an ultimate warrior himself and to fight for their right to exist.More...
Similar Movies
Banda de Rebeldes
2022-02-20A group of confederate soldiers uses their unique set of skills to travel behind enemy lines to take on deadly missions which reign havoc on the Union army.Last Stand at Saber R...
1997-01-19As America recovers from the Civil War, one man tries to put the pieces of his life back together but finds himself fighting a new battle on the frontier. Cable is an embittered Confederate soldier who returns from the war to reclaim his Arizona homestead from rebel pioneers who sympathize with the Union war effort.The Shadow of Chikara...
1977-07-15Two former Confederate captains try to remove diamonds hidden in the Arkansas mountains, but a native spirit guards the sacred site against intruders.Escort West
1959-01-23Seeking a new place to call home, former Confederate soldier Ben Lassiter (Victor Mature) and his daughter meet Beth (Elaine Stewart), whose fiancé is a Union soldier. Lassiter falls for Beth, and when Indians attack, they head to a cavalry camp where Lassiter must battle the Indians as well as Beth's fiancé.Invitation to a Gunfi...
1964-10-14In New Mexico, a Confederate veteran returns home to find his fiancée married to a Union soldier, his Yankee neighbors rallied against him and his property sold by the local banker who then hires a gunman to kill him.Jesse James Unchained...
2022-11-01The story of one of the greatest outlaw legends of the old west, Jesse James. After escaping captivity, Jesse finds himself on the run with one more score on his mind before disappearing for good.Five Guns West
1955-04-15During the Civil War, five condemned Southern prisoners are plucked off Death Row and promised pardons on the condition that they undertake a mission to head west and bring back a double-crossing Confederate spy who has a stagecoach full of Confederate gold.The Proud and Damned
1972-07-01A group of five Confederate mercenaries led by Sergeant Will Hansen must choose sides carefully in a small village where they find themselves trapped in the middle of a rebellion. The group is torn as to whether they should honor the powerful military dictator who forces them to spy for him or help the local village fight for its independence. Follow Sergeant Hansen and his men as they make a decision that could cost them their lives.Yellowneck
1955-05-22A disgraced Confederate Colonel who has deserted his command flees to the Everglades where he encounters a disparate group of four other Southern deserters. Together they struggle to find their way out of the swamp and resolve their own personal demons under the eyes of hostile Seminoles as they battle to survive the elements and each other.Gods and Generals
2003-02-21The film centers mostly around the personal and professional life of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, a brilliant if eccentric Confederate general, from the outbreak of the American Civil War until its halfway point.In the Electric Mist
2009-04-15Lt. Dave Robicheaux, a detective in New Iberia, Louisiana, is trying to link the murder of a local hooker to New Orleans mobster Julie (Baby Feet) Balboni, who is co-producer of a Civil War film. At the same time, after Elrod Sykes, the star of the film, reports finding another corpse in the Atchafalaya Swamp near the movie set, Robicheaux starts another investigation, believing the corpse to be the remains of a black man who he saw being murdered 35 years before.Gettysburg
1993-10-08In the summer of 1863, General Robert E. Lee leads the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia into Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with the goal of marching through to Washington, D.C. The Union Army of the Potomac, under the command of General George G. Meade, forms a defensive position to confront the rebel forces in what will prove to be the decisive battle of the American Civil War.Glory
1989-12-15Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.Andersonville
1996-03-03This lengthy docudrama records the harrowing conditions at the Confederacy's most notorious prisoner-of-war camp. The drama unfolds through the eyes of a company of Union soldiers captured at the Battle of Cold Harbor, VA, in June 1864, and shipped to the camp in southern Georgia. A private, Josiah Day, and his sergeant try to hold their company together in the face of squalid living conditions, inhumane punishments, and a gang of predatory fellow prisoners called the Raiders.Mysterious Island
1961-12-19During the US Civil War, Union POWs escape in a balloon and end up stranded on a South Pacific island, inhabited by giant plants and animals. They must use their ingenuity to survive the dangers, and to devise a way to return home. Sequel to '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' .The Supernaturals
1986-05-09Nichelle Nichols is an army sergeant who leads her platoon into the woods of the deep south on a training exercise. Unfortunately, it is the site where a bunch of yankee soldiers murdered a town of confederates. The corpses of the dead soldiers rise up to wreak revenge.Somebody's Darling
2016-03-05A fraternity president becomes obsessed with a young coed but his hopeful courtship decays into sinister pursuit as unnatural secrets surface about his brotherhood.Scooby-Doo! Meets the...
1987-10-18After the death of Shaggy's Uncle Beaureguard, he, Scooby and Scrappy arrive at the late uncle's Southern plantation to collect the inheritance. But as soon as they arrive, they find it is haunted by the ghost of a Confederate soldier. With this spook on their tails while they solve riddles in search of the inheritance, they seek help from the Boo Brothers, a trio of ghost-exterminators to help catch this nasty ghoul.The Rebel Without Cla...
1961-07-15The Confederate Army wants to get an important message through to General Lee, but all the carrier pigeons have been shot down. Tweety steps in.River of No Return
1954-04-30An itinerant farmer and his young son help a heart-of-gold saloon singer search for her estranged husband.