BORDER BLUES
US, 2004, 86 minutes, Colour.
Gary Busey, Eric Roberts, Yekaterina Rednikova, Rodion Nahapetov, Erik Estrada.
Directed by Rodion Nahapetov.
Border Blues is an odd film. It was written and directed by Russian director Rodion Nahabetov who takes the central role. He had directed a number of films in Russia as well as in the United States in the 1990s and in the United Kingdom. The plot is rather difficult to follow – many strands, perhaps the result of this originally being a Russian miniseries in the previous year. The film offers the bare bones of the plot.
On the one hand it involves an agent who has had two near-death experiences who has intuitions about crime, especially about letter-bombs sent by an industrialist. On the other hand the focus is on a Russian detective who migrates to the United States, is forced to work in a Russian restaurant, is asked to buy something in Tijuana and becomes involved in a third story, a focus on illegal smuggling of migrants into the United States. There are tenuous links between the three.
The Gary Busey story is on the periphery, along with a rather frantic performance by Busey. Eric Roberts is his usual self as a father whose wife has taken his daughter and who becomes involved in smuggling across the Mexican border, involved with a Russian immigrant and her daughter, the wife of a man who embezzled much money in Russia (and was pursued by the Russian detective). There are also border patrols who confront the illegal trade.
The film is of passing interest – not particularly well written or acted.
1.Interest in the story, characters, plot tangles?
2.The Russian background of the film, the writer-director, his performance, the Russian characters, characters speaking in Russian? Detectives migrating to the United States from Russia? Embezzlement cases in Russia? Immigrant wives, children? Mexico, wanting to get to the United States? Returning to Russia? The flashbacks to Russia and the case? The Russian perspectives?
3.The American perspectives, Michael March, his near-death experiences, the police chief? His visions and intuitions? The other police not being persuaded, their telling him that they relied on facts? His visions of letter-bombs exploding? Caution? His friendship with the Russian? His final vindication?
4.Larry, his story, his wife? The contact for illegal migrants? His being in Mexico? With Rita and her daughter? Her suspicions of him? The pick-up, the travel, the antagonism between the two, Rita’s concern about her daughter? Revealing her past story? At the house, feeling under threat, imprisonment? Larry and his Mexican contacts, their turning up? The confrontation with the Russian detective? The chase in the desert? The Russian and his arriving, helping Rita? The confrontation with Larry, the escape? In the desert, with Rita, her complaints? Crossing the border, her being rescued by the Russian? Her decision to go back to Russia? Larry, his story, the police knowing it, Morales and his pursuit, Larry’s being shot and his death?
5.The background of Russians in the United States, jobs, taxis, the café, going to Tijuana, the corrupt cops at the border, false leads, buying the tiles, migration?
6.The picture of the Los Angeles police, investigations, pursuits? Their friendship with the Russians? The happy ending – and the Russian getting a job?
