A 1980 Charles Bronson vehicle. Bronson is a border guard in charge of one sector. He complains that traffic is up & his crew is at their breaking point even though a new recruit, played by the late, great Bruno Kirby has joined the ranks. One night a truck full of 'wets' is pulled over w/one of the coyotes, played by Ed Harris in his debut role, sits in the back of the truck armed, ready for the worst. The deputy, played by the late, great Wilford Brimley, gets the driver's papers but as is his way, he needs to see what he's hauling which ends up w/him being shotgunned to death by Harris who also kills a young migrant pulled from the cab along w/the driver. At first wanting to punt the deaths to the Feds or Narcos, Bronson is reticent to cede the case since Brimley was his friend. Bronson tracks down the boy's mother & brings her along to see if they can nab the coyote from the Mexico side (the original driver has since been killed w/drugs planted in his truck amplifying the drug angle) but after this gambit doesn't payoff, Bronson turns his attention to the head importer of labor in the area, played by Bert Remsen (who in turn works w/a white collar type played by Michael Lerner) who denies any wrongdoing but Bronson finds a boot print (the same print found at the murder site) so Bronson knows he's got his man so all he needs to do is to get all his ducks in a row (on Christmas day no less where the smugglers are being ambitious hoping to bring at least 2000 people across) coordinating his staff as they pick off all the returning trucks back to base w/Harris' capture a surety. Atypically methodical & slow moving for a Bronson vehicle on the cusp of the decade which would catapult him into action star infamy, the film's pace affords low dividends but dividends none the less. If you're in for a cool slow burn which doesn't resort to action movie tropes & at times quite thoughtful about the immigration issue, this film may tick off some boxes. Also starring John Ashton (from Beverly Hills Cop & its sequel) as one of Bronson's men, Kenneth McMillan (from the original Dune) as Bronson's boss & genre vet Charles Cyphers (from the original Halloween) as another of Bronson's men.
