On the Line is a 1984 drama film directed by José Luis Borau and starring David Carradine and Scott Wilson. The movie is set in the Arizona desert in the mid-1970s, and the main plot revolves around the conflict between two groups of construction workers who are working on laying a highway through the desert. The film follows the story of two working-class men, Wilfredo and Curt, who work on the construction of the highway. Wilfredo is a Mexican-American and Curt is a white American, and they both work for a company that is contracted to build the road. They become friends after they meet on the job and share their experiences with each other. However, their friendship is tested when they discover that their respective groups of workers are at odds with each other.
The conflict arises when the Mexican-American workers start demanding equal pay and better conditions. The white American workers, who believe that they are entitled to better wages and better conditions because of their race, refuse to acknowledge their demands. The two groups of workers become increasingly hostile towards each other, and the situation becomes more and more volatile.
As Wilfredo and Curt try to navigate their friendship amidst the mounting tensions, they also struggle with their own sense of identity and belonging. Wilfredo, who is torn between his Mexican and American identities, struggles to reconcile his loyalty to his culture with his desire for a better life in the United States. Curt, on the other hand, is struggling with the burden of his privilege and the responsibility that comes with it.
The film also features another plotline involving a group of immigrants who are being smuggled across the border into the United States. The immigrants are crammed into a truck and transported across the desert by a coyote, who is paid to bring them to the other side. Their journey is fraught with danger and uncertainty, and they face numerous obstacles along the way.
The film is shot in a style that emphasizes the harsh terrain and extreme weather conditions of the desert. The cinematography captures the immensity and isolation of the landscape, and the color palette is dominated by earthy tones and muted hues.
On the Line is a powerful and poignant exploration of race, class, immigration, and identity. The film asks important questions about what it means to be American and how we define ourselves and others in a society that is often divided by lines of identity and difference. David Carradine and Scott Wilson give powerful performances, bringing depth and complexity to their characters and anchoring the film in a sense of realism and authenticity. Overall, On the Line is a must-see film that speaks to the timeless struggles and triumphs of the human experience.
On the Line is a 1987 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 30 minutes.
