Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 3 (Border Incident / His Kind of Woman / Lady in the Lake / On Dangerous Ground / The Racket)

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Two peak achievements by as many top noir directors ... a customized vehicle for one of noir's premier icons ... an oddball experiment in making a truly "private eye" movie ... and a Howard Hughes remake of his earliest contribution to the gangster genre. Such are the five titles corralled for Warner Home Video's third box set of film noir classics.

For eye-popping dynamism coupled with ferocious intensity, no noir director matched Anthony Mann. Border Incident (1949) was Mann's and cinematographer John Alton's first film for MGM following a string of darkly dazzling low-budget beauties at Eagle-Lion (T-Men, Raw Deal, The Black Book, et al.). In structure it's virtually a remake of T-Men, transposed from the shadowy city where a Secret Service team battled counterfeiters, to California's Imperial Valley where the Immigration Service sets out to infiltrate a gang exploiting--and often murdering--Mexicans eager to work the farms. From the opening night scene of three laborers trying to recross the border and meeting a grisly end, the movie relentlessly imagines ways the human body can merge with the earth. Visually stunning, and replete with memorable villains (headed by Howard Da Silva, a past master at making affability lethal), this is one of Mann's strongest noirs and surely his most inventive. Its neglect can be explained only by people's assumption that nothing worthwhile could come of a movie top-billing Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy (as the government agents). Wrong, wrong, wrong.

After a scalding first reel in big-city night streets, Nicholas Ray's On Dangerous Ground (RKO, 1951) likewise forsakes familiar noir terrain for the countryside--the mountains and snowfields where city cop Robert Ryan seeks a psychotic killer. For both the actor and the director, Ryan's character is an exemplary creation: a man with personal demons whose overzealous pursuit of criminals has pushed him into sadism. His passage from urban darkness into the silent white mountain country becomes a redemptive journey, thanks largely to his interaction with a blind woman (Ida Lupino) in an isolated farmhouse whose younger brother may be the quarry he's after. Ray developed the screenplay with A.I. Bezzerides under the supervision of producer John Houseman (for whom Ray had made his feature debut, They Live By Night). The film boasts a thrilling music score by Bernard Herrmann, anticipating his great soundtrack for North by Northwest.

His Kind of Woman (also RKO, 1951) is a vehicle for both RKO's reigning bad boy, Robert Mitchum, and Howard Hughes' definitive coup of distaff engineering, Jane Russell. Their characters cross paths en route to a seaside Mexican resort, where she aims to continue her gold-digger pursuit of Hollywood ham Vincent Price, and Mitchum will figure in a plot to get deported mobster Raymond Burr back into the U.S.A. The slow-brewing romance between this dauntingly tall, broad-shouldered pair gives off little heat, but the players' good-natured, weary-pro rapport as they go through their mostly preposterous paces makes for very good fun. Still more is supplied by Price, who just about steals the movie when he gets to extend his sub-Errol Flynn screen heroism into real life--all the while supplying his own florid running commentary on the action. The urbane director John Farrow filled the movie with one delicious, what-the-hell-is-going-on-here scene after another (highlight: a bored Mitchum ironing his money), but that wasn't enough for studio boss Hughes. Richard Fleischer was brought in to stretch the climactic melodrama aboard Burr's yacht in the harbor, and the picture grew to an overblown two hours in length. Not that you're likely to regret a minute of it.

Robert Montgomery directed and played Phillip Marlowe in Lady in the Lake (MGM, 1947), Raymond Chandler's novel as adapted by Steve Fisher (I Wake Up Screaming). The gimmick is that, apart from a few scenes of private detective Marlowe chatting us up in his office, everything is viewed through his eyes, with Marlowe himself remaining unseen unless he glances in a mirror. This literal-minded conceit is more curious than compelling; the camera simply doesn't see the way the human eye does, and the artificiality constantly calls attention to itself. Montgomery, a suave actor who enjoyed playing it coarse and obnoxious on occasion, makes his screen Marlowe more smartass than any other ("dumb, brave, and cheap"). With him cracking wise off-camera, much of the movie is really carried by Audrey Totter, a swell late-'40s dame who has to stand up under more relentless scrutiny than even her shifty character deserves.

The Racket (RKO, 1951) is the second film version of a 1920s play about municipal corruption, gangsterism, and the attempt to squash an honest police precinct captain. John Cromwell had acted in the original Broadway production, which may help explain why, as director, he let so much of this movie turn back into a play. Eventually studio boss Howard Hughes, who had produced the 1928 film version (directed by Lewis Milestone), once again called in another director to do salvage work.

That was Nicholas Ray, whose scenes include police captain Robert Mitchum's pursuit of the man who has just bombed his home. Mitchum's fellow cast members include Robert Ryan as the ultra-paranoid gangster; husky-voiced noir blonde Lizabeth Scott as a nightclub thrush romanced by Ryan's brother; future Perry Mason D.A. William Talman as a dedicated street cop; and Ray Collins and William Conrad as two municipal officials negotiating a delicate dance with morality and expediency. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

Five more film noir classics lined up with genre stars such as Robert Mitchum, Robert Montgomery, Robert Ryan, and Jane Russell, are now available in Volume 3 of the Film Noir Classics Collection series. The new 6-Disc DVD set is only available as a collection and includes a bonus documentary disc on the Noir genre.

Customer Reviews:

Lesser known, but still a good set.......2007-09-03

Genre is often hard to define. Even something as simple as the Western has its difficulties. Sure, The Searchers or Once Upon a Time in the West are Westerns, but what about Brokeback Mountain, which has the right setting, or Little House on the Prairie, which has both the setting and the standard time period? If the Western is hard to really set in stone, how much harder is it to define Film Noir, which may not even be a genre but more of a style?

The Film Noir Classic Collection Volume 3 provides five more examples of how the "noir" label can be applied to a wide range of movies. The first film in the set, Lady in the Lake, is also the most off-beat. An adaptation of a Raymond Chandler novel with Philip Marlowe, this movie both stars and is directed by Robert Montgomery. What makes this movie unique is it is shot from Marlowe's perspective: only occasionally, such as when he looks in a mirror, do we get to see the character. It's a different approach, and after you get used to it, it even works.

Border Incident is the most topical of the five movies as it deals with illegal immigration, particularly from Mexico. Ricardo Montalban plays the Mexican undercover agent in a joint U.S./Mexico effort to stop a ring of crooks who smuggle in workers and then put them to work under slave-labor conditions. Those who cause trouble disappear.

The Racket is much more of a straight gangster film, with Robert Ryan as the vicious crime boss who doesn't like being part of the Syndicate (which he finds too polite in its criminality). Opposing him is Robert Mitchum as a police captain whose efforts to clean up the town have caused him career damage.

His Kind of Woman is my favorite of the five, with Mitchum as a gambler sent to Mexico as part of a scheme to get a deported gangster (played by Raymond Burr) back into the country. While waiting at a resort, Mitchum befriends the locals, including Jane Russell (who he wants to be more than friends with). What's merely a decent movie becomes highly entertaining in the second half when Vincent Price steals the show as a hammy actor who assists Mitchum with a truly Shakespearean flare.

On Dangerous Ground has Robert Ryan as a brutal, cynical cop who is forced to leave the city to help find a child killer in the snow-covered mountains. Out of his environment, he is forced to rediscover his humanity when he meets the blind Ida Lupino, who is the sister of the killer.

How much any of these movies fit into the film noir category will vary from person to person. Certainly, the strongest argument can be made for the last two movies, with their more complicated characters. To help the viewer make his own determination, this set also includes a nice documentary on film noir; this final disc also includes five of MGMs "Crime Doesn't Pay" shorts. Four of these are so-so, the preachy sort of short subjects that would often lead off a Mystery Science Theater. The best in the bunch - and also the most noirish - is The Luckiest Guy in the World, an ironic tale of a man driven to crime out of desperation.

Each film comes with some nice commentary. Overall, the films rate four stars on average, with some better, some worse (I personally rank them, best to worst, as His Kind of Woman, On Dangerous Ground, Border Incident, Lady in the Lake and The Racket). With all the bonuses, I am pushing my rating up to five stars. These are not the most well-known movies, but if you are a fan of film noir (whatever it is), this is a set worth picking up.

awesome noir.......2007-04-20

like the other 2 volumes in this series vol 3 outshines even them. found all dvd's compelling viewing,well remastered for excellent sound and picture quality. if film noir from the 40's and 50's is your penchant then look no further than these releases. i have only one question, when or where are we getting volume 4? Jim Boggan, Dublin, Ireland

A must-have .......2007-03-23

The Noir genre appears as the most original cinematographic legacy of the American cinema along the Century.

Unlike the Western whose emblematic epic feature (with their few exceptions), the Noir is supported by the unbearable lightness of the being in which twists of fate, ironic designs, existential instability, lack of center, cosmic nasty tricks hovered by an irrational universe in which nobody is like it seems.

This manifest incapacity of distinguishing what's right or what's wrong, the awful sensation of diffidence respect your beloved couple, the new friend you met last night, was systematically enhancing with new visions, fed by the plethora of European filmmakers that certainly had experienced his particular fears and anguishes with the dark shadows of a raising Nazism and the emerging void's perception that you could feel and even breath in your environment.

All this set of new factors, enriched, enhanced and expanded the vision of many layers of a society, seers, salesmen, boxers, gangsters, false policemen, doctors, sideshow performers, psychologists or depressive characters.

The WW2 in good measure, renovated the internal demons of the alcoholism, gangster's rivalries, corruption, sexual frustrations or the figure of the classic antihero of the thirties ( The petrified forest or High Sierra) frequently ex cons or orphans youngsters whose parents died in the WW1 or committed suicide during the great Depression.

Good copies of good films.......2007-01-13

An excellent product, good copies of some really good films

Film Noir Classics of the second rank, Very Good indeed.......2007-01-06

Lady in the Lake is the weakest and On Dangerous Ground/The Racket are the strongest Border Incident and His Kind of Woman quite good as well. The other two volumes are as good or better but where can you see good prints of these exciting noir movies for a great price? The only other set to recommend to those new to the genre is the Kino's noir set with star performers (and some non-star performers) with great directors. Don't miss out on these four sets, they're terrific entertainment (after a noir movie, we watch a Charley Chase, Keaton or Lloyd short). Great night at home watching these movies before our time (born 1956).

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a look at punk rock
a time capsule of los angeles - and more.
An entertaining rookie debut by Allison Anders.

Border Radio - Criterion Collection
Starring: Chris D. , Chris Shearer , Devon Anders , Craig Stark , and Chuck Shepard
Director: Kurt Voss , Dean Lent , and Allison Anders
Manufacturer: Criterion
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ASIN: B000K0YLXW
Release Date: 2007-01-16

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As with Jim Jarmusch's Stranger than Paradise, Border Radio may be a small movie, but it marked the arrival of a significant talent. (Both debuts were also shot in black and white.) Co-directed by UCLA film students Kurt Voss, Dean Lent, and Allison Anders, it's a post-punk noir with documentary interludes. Chris D. (the Flesh Eaters) is Jeff Bailey, a name swiped from Robert Mitchum's character in Out of the Past. After the LA cult rocker steals money from a man named Skelley, he sends three hip thugs to collect ("The Clash are the cornerstone of social significance in rock and roll music," one insists. "It's just like dumb heavy metal," counters the other), so Jeff hightails it for Mexico. That leaves wife Luanna (Luanna Anders, Allison's sister) in the lurch. Bandmate Dean (X's John Doe), flaky roadie Chris (Chris Shearer), and Luanna spend the rest of the film trying to track him down. As for Anders, it would take another five years before Gas Food Lodging finally made her rep. With its low budget, four-year shoot, and ramshackle acting, Border Radio may be less technically adept than Repo Man, to name another film set in a similar milieu, but shares its anarchic spirit. And Lent's sundrenched 16mm cinematography and Blaster Dave Alvin's twangy score, fortified by tracks from Los Lobos and Green on Red, make it required viewing for fans of the LA punk scene, as well as the consistently underrated Anders. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

Before carving out a niche as one of nineties' American cinema's most distinct voices, Allison Anders made her debut, alongside co-directors and fellow UCLA film-school students, Kurt Voss and Dean Lent, with 1987's Border Radio. A low-key, semi-improvised post-punk diary that took four years to complete, Border Radio features legendary rocker Chris D., of the Flesh Eaters, as a singer/songwriter who has stolen loot from a club and gone missing, leaving his wife (Luanna Anders), a no-nonsense rock journalist, to track him down with the help of his friends (John Doe of the band X; Chris Shearer).

Customer Reviews:

a look at punk rock.......2007-02-11

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Border Radio is a student film made by Allison Anders who later went on to direct episodes of "Sex and the City" and other TV shows.

The film is about a group of musicians who track down a thief hiding in Mexico. The film is not very good in my opinion and probably would only appeal to fans of punk rock.

The DVD has a lot of special features also.

There are deleted scenes, two audio commentaries: one with the directors and one with the cast. A making of documentary, a music video of the group portrayed in the film, a theatrical trailer and radio spot, and biographies of the cast and crew

a time capsule of los angeles - and more........2007-01-13

Originally scripted as a grim film noir homage, a series of financial dry spells stretched out the film's production schedule to three years, whereupon the screen story underwent as many dramatic changes as any of the hard-living bands from the music scene the film adopts as its backdrop.

Star Chris D. insists in the supplemental features that the original script's noir aspects are what attracted him to the project, but it was only once he became involved that the thing took shape as a "rock movie," with the added participation of D.'s friends (and sometime bandmates) like John Doe and Dave Alvin. Alvin went on to create an eclectic and memorable score for the film (now out of print, sadly), with players culled from friends and colleagues from X, Los Lobos, The Blasters and other local heroes.

Not every film could survive three filmmakers AND active contributions by everyone in the cast, but then it's a rare project that manages to pack this much simpatico talent onto one movie poster.

Additional DVD extras include deleted scenes, a potent "trailer" (including several moments not in the finished film) set to a driving musical score, and a pair of loose, enjoyable commentary tracks. Another welcome addition is Chris D. and The Flesh Eaters' vintage ain't-no-WAY-this-is-running-on-MTV music video for their classic "The Wedding Dice" (comically mangled by Chris Shearer in the film itself).

Had it followed its intended "straight noir" course, BORDER RADIO may well have survived as an interesting curio; but as it turned out, the film stands as a fitting elegy to an era, both in its depiction of a musical phenomenon's sunset and for its unique collaborative approach to filmmaking. That both still feel like breaths of fresh air twenty years on only stands as a testament to their legitimacy.

Like so many of the "lost" bands of the music scene it salutes with unabashed affection, BORDER RADIO is ripe for rediscovery.

An entertaining rookie debut by Allison Anders........1999-05-23

Border Radio was the first film made by the nowfamous Independent filmmaker Anders. the filmmade before her groundbreaking GAS, FOOD,AND LODGING WAS TITLED AFTER THE L.A. ROCKABILLY BLASTERS song,BORDER RADIO.The film takes placein a small Texas town,where a murder takes place.I can't say much more but if you're a Indie Filmfan you will definitely like this film. A firstfilm so you should'nt expect great anything.Butdefinitely a fun film. It was made and developedwhile Anders was still at the Sundance Institutein 1986,so you can prepare yourself for a cheaptreat,but a good one. Good soundtrack,too.Withcameos' by BLASTERS front man Dave Alvin, andX Vocals man John Doe. Give this film a try, please..... c. 1987. ALLISON ANDERS. SUNDANCE INSTITUTE.

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On the Border
Starring: Daniel Baldwin , Bryan Brown , and Casper Van Dien
Director: Bob Misiorowski
Manufacturer: Allumination
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000G5SIGW
Release Date: 2006-06-08

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Murder On The Border - Another Great Performance By Siboney Lo

Murder on the Border
Starring: Siboney Lo , Hugo Garcia , Gabriel Traversari , and Salvador Pineda
Director: Juan Frausto
Manufacturer: Maverick
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000BY9VPU
Release Date: 2006-01-03

Customer Reviews:

Murder On The Border - Another Great Performance By Siboney Lo.......2006-01-14

I just had the chance to watch "Murder On The Border". With such a great cast of actors, I really enjoyed the film. The Subject Line was also current and interesting.

Siboney Lo, in particular, stood out for me with another Great Performance. I also recommend seeing Siboney Lo in "El Leyton" if you are interested in seeing the performance which won her the Best Actress Award at the 2003 Miami International Latin Film Festival.

Big Deal On Madonna Street - 20 Years Later

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Big Deal On Madonna Street - 20 Years Later
Starring: Marcello Mastroianni , Tiberio Murgia , Clelia Rondinella , Giorgio Gobbi , and Gina Rovere
Director: Amanzio Todini
Manufacturer: Koch Lorber Films
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ASIN: B000A7BQS8
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Description

Marcello Mastroianni (La Dolce Vita) stars in the sequel to the hit comedy Big Deal on Madonna Street. Twenty years after their first "big deal" landed them in jail, the original gang is back in action. Peppe "The Panther" has a new job lined up to make them rich but his pal Tiberio (Mastroianni) is determined not have anything to do with it. In a series of bad breaks and mishaps, they get a run of luck that just about puts them in the clear to enjoy the lives they've only dreamed about.

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"I like my women quiet. Stay that way."
Sophisticated moviegoers will be furious very fast with this roadkill!
Not very fast, not very furious
Great 50's Film Noir Classic!! John Ireland Rules!!

The Fast and the Furious
Starring: Iris Adrian , Marshall Bradford , Bruce Carlisle , Roger Corman , and Jonathan Haze
Director: Edward Sampson
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Customer Reviews:

"I like my women quiet. Stay that way.".......2006-07-18

"The Fast and the Furious" is a drab little film that tries hard to project itself out of its insipid plot with little success. Connie Adair (Dorothy Malone), on her way to a race in her spiffy little Jaguar, stops at a roadside cafe for a break. Here, she brushes off the attentions of a hefty lothario, but instead falls victim to a kidnapper--escaped murderer Frank Webster (John Ireland). Webster grabs Connie and her car and decides to head to Mexico.

The film uses footage of car racing to add an element of excitement, but it still doesn't hide the lack of tension. One of the film's main problems is the relationship between Connie and Frank. She's kidnapped by a murderer, but she acts more like a P.O'd girlfriend--even flouncing around and acting peevish upon occasion. Webster is clearly out-of-his depth with this society girl, and his efforts to threaten her seem lukewarm at best. He's not much of a tough guy, and Connie might be more interesting if she was depicted as a wild party girl. In some of the scenes, Connie's body language towards Webster is blatantly enticing, but he doesn't seem to get the hint. Connie, who should be in the Guinness Book of Records for the fastest case of Stockholm syndrome, glides from annoyed passenger, to desperate do-gooder. As it is, with Webster cast as the baddie, and Connie as his unwilling passenger, it's difficult to say which one is truly trapped by circumstance.

This Alpha DVD quality is good--no problems with the picture or sound--just a disappointing little film directed by John Ireland and Edward Sampson--displacedhuman

Sophisticated moviegoers will be furious very fast with this roadkill!.......2005-10-06

This review is for the 2003 Alpha DVD

The synopsis of the film is that a truck driver played by John Ireland is arrested for vehicular homicide. Claiming to be innocent, he escapes from prison and kidnaps a beautiful woman (Dorothy Malone) and together drive towards the Mexican border in her late model Jaguar sportscar. Since the police are after this kidnapper, he realizes his best chance of escaping is by racing her car in a road rally that goes across the Mexican border.

The problems and flaws with the film seem insurmountable. The acting in the opening scene in the diner is hideous and improves only marginally as the film goes on. The cinematography is suspect at times, especially in many of the outdoor scenes where no fill lighting was used, thus creating harsh shadows on the faces of the characters. The editing was poor at times also. But the biggest problem is the plot itself. There are just too many situations that don't seem believable - mainly the ongoing hate-love-hate-love relationship with the two main characters. The most idiotic scene has to be where John Ireland locks Dorothy Malone in a small wooden shack with no windows out in the country and she decides to set the shack on fire from the inside to get herself out. Another obvious flaw is why would a beautiful and wealthy young woman settle for this poor and plain looking loser who could be a murderer? The only two things that save this film from being a complete bomb are Dorothy Malone and some marginally interesting film footage of early 1950's European sportscars racing through the mountains and rural countrysides. But inspite of the serious problems, I found these flaws morbidly laughable at times, and therefore I can at least credit this film for having some minor entertainment value.

As for the DVD, the B&W full screen picture shows lots of film damage and lacks sharpness and at times has contrast problems. There are also several breaks in the continuity of the film, probably due to poor splicing jobs. It's obvious that Alpha found one worn copy of this film and transferred it to DVD without any restoration or re-mastering. The DVD did not have any bonus material.

Movie: D

DVD Quality: D+

Not very fast, not very furious.......2005-07-31

(Note this movie shares its title with a more recent film. Apart from the name and the presence of allegedly fast cars, the two films have nothing in common.)

If you like the interaction between the two main characters, then you'll almost certainly like THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS (1954). However, if -- like me -- you find the relationship shallow and unbelievable, then the rest of the movie will probably fail to impress you too. The problem is that there isn't much else to the film outside of that relationship

The plot is overly simple. A man (John Ireland), wrongly accused of murder, is on the run from the authorities. By necessity, he kidnaps a woman (Dorothy Malone) to make use of her car. It turns out that not only is the car a souped up sports car, but the woman is a race car driver on her way to an international car race (starts in California, crosses into Mexico). Ireland's character decides this is the perfect way to escape the US police and plans to enter the race despite never having raced before.

I can certainly appreciate what the film was attempting. It's a character study. Put two dissimilar people in close quarters and see what happens. Unfortunately, while I like the theory, for me, this film lacks in execution. I just didn't think that the characters had as much substance as the movie thought they did. And the way they eventually feel about each other comes across more as contrived than natural.

I don't understand why Connie (the kidnapped woman) begins the film with absolutely no fear of the criminal. She doesn't know he's an innocent man. All she knows is that he's wanted for murder and has escaped from jail. She's seen him beat a man to unconsciousness. He has a gun and threatens to use it on her and their pursuers. I find it unfathomable that she would be so blasé about the situation. Shouldn't she act at least a little scared of this guy?

There are lots of little moments of illogic throughout this film. Why are the cops so mindbogglingly stupid? At one point a spectator comes up to the man and young woman in a Jaguar, tells them how the police are searching for a man and a young woman in a Jaguar and then obliviously heads off with a cheery farewell. Oh, and in another sequence, a rescue of a car crash victim takes place in which the rescuer actually encourages the head of the victim to flop around all over the place. Neck injuries, guys!

As this is a Roger Corman produced film (more on this later), film buffs will know to expect a very low budget. However, apart from some obvious back-screen projection filming during the driving sequences, the production doesn't really suffer from the lack of money. The problems with this movie stem from the script and not from the production values or the acting.

As an aside, along the way, the "innocent" man gets in a scuffle and assaults a rather large truck driver (by the way, I'm not sure it's exactly justifiable to commit loads of other crimes while on the run from a crime of which you're innocent). I couldn't figure out why this man was familiar to me until I consulted the Internet Movie Database. It's Bruno VeSota, who I fondly remember from the mocking that the MST3K guys gave him in THE GIANT LEECHES (another Roger Corman produced film). Small world.

I'm reviewing the Digiview Productions release of this movie, and their lack of packaging care has struck again. The text on the back of the box proudly states, "The Fast and the Furious was the second film directed by legendary director Roger Corman [...]" Leaving aside the "legendary" descriptor, there is a rather obvious blunder in the statement. Namely that Roger Corman is not the director of this film. According to the credits (and confirmed by the Internet Movie Database), the co-directors were Edward Sampson and star John Ireland. Corman produced the film, he suggested the story, but he did not direct it. Apart from that, the description is flawless.

Despite the problems with the Digiview DVD box, the movie itself is in decent condition as far as sound and picture are concerned. It's not great; there are some places where the film skips and drops out. But it's certainly watchable.

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS is a film I didn't like, though I can concede to understanding how others would. Even ignoring the central relationship, I found the movie too full of people acting stupid just because the plot requires it. You can get this movie cheap if you look in the right places, but I don't think it's particularly worth it.

Great 50's Film Noir Classic!! John Ireland Rules!!.......2005-03-17

John Ireland rules in this great 50's film noir classic about an innocent escaped convict who kidnaps a beautiful lady and her Jaguar and becomes romantically involved.It's a must see!!

ABC News Nightline War on the US Border & Sharon Legacy

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ABC News Nightline War on the US Border & Sharon Legacy

Manufacturer: ABC News
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000VHY8NW
Release Date: 2007-08-27

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Two drug cartels are fighting for control of the lucrative Interstate 35 corridor, which carries 40 percent of all Mexican exports -- and most of the illegal drug traffic moving into the United States. The cartels have so corrupted local Mexican authorities that most of Nuevo Laredo's police force was fired last year. A new police chief, who vowed to crack down, lasted seven hours on the job before he was murdered. His successor told us, not surprisingly, that he has no plans to take on the drug cartels. Other institutions, including the newspaper, have also understandably grown timid. (Two reporters were among those murdered.) What worries Flores and other U.S.officials is that the cartels are now beginning to export their violence across the border. ABC News spent several days talking to people on both sides of the Rio Grande. It's a "tale of two cities" along the most violent border region in North America.

Then: Ariel Sharon remains in grave condition in a hospital in Jerusalem. His doctors say he has stabilized, but the stroke he suffered was massive and it is unclear whether he'll survive. It's fairly clear his political career has come to an end. Israel is holding elections in a little more than two months and Ariel Sharon was almost guaranteed to become prime minister again. So a quiet, but frenzied race has started. Who will be the next Israeli leader? And what does that mean for the future of a peace process with the Palestinians?

Anchors: Chris Bury and Terry Moran

Correspondent: Dean Reynolds

Description

A bank robbery to die for. Jake Barnes is a security guard in a sleepy Texas border town bank. When his boss asks him to spy on his sexy wife, Jake begins an affair with her. When Jake meets Kristen, he gets caught up in a plot to steal millions of dollars in drug money to be laundered by his boss' bank. Caught between two women who want to become his partner in the theft, Jake is trapped between a rock and hard place. When the time comes for the robbery, a furious gun battle ensues that follows cross after double-cross, and only two people are left standing!

Customer Reviews:

On The Border...On DVD.......2003-08-02

I am a guy who bought this movie on VHS a few years ago, it later broke and I did not have it. A few months ago I replaced it with a DVD version while the picture quality is mediocre the cast shines. The two that caught my eye were CASPER VAN DIEN and CAMILLA OVERBYE ROOS. Casper is one of the hottest guys around, in some scenes you can see his a--. He has great abs, muscles, and his body is so hot, and look at his face too. He is the hottest guy ever. There are some very hot scenes in this movie and the story is good too. As for the acting, you can judge that for yourself.

Casper Van Dien never looked better!.......2001-11-30

I came across this movie one evening after I have finished studying. As I turned the TV on, an image of a beautiful man immediately caught my eyes and made me examine a little longer. It didn't take long for me to I realized it was one of my favorite actor Casper Van Dien. The camera never made him look better. His heavenly beauty captures the very essense of the story and the heart-pounding actions that keeps us off our seats throughout the movie. If you are a Casper fan, this is one not to be missed...

Commandos Elite Special Forces: Attack on Terrorism: Badges Without Borders

Average customer rating:

Commandos Elite Special Forces: Attack on Terrorism: Badges Without Borders
Starring: Commandos-Elite Special Forces
Manufacturer: Madacy Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Politics | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Relentless Pursuit: The DSS and the Manhunt for the Al-Qaeda Terrorists

ASIN: B00005RT2X
Release Date: 2001-11-06

Average customer rating:

The Fast and the Furious
Starring: Iris Adrian , Marshall Bradford , Bruce Carlisle , Jean Howell , and Dorothy Malone
Director: John Ireland , and Edward Sampson Jr.
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Adventure | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

Drama | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0006FFRA2
Release Date: 2005-01-25

DVD:

DVD

DVD