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Home/Borderline/Similar Movies

Borderline

Movies Like Borderline (1980)

Borderline is a 1980 action, crime, drama film from Jerrold Freedman with a MovieMagicScore of 6.0/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The War Boys and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.

Action Crime Drama

The War Boys poster

The War Boys

2009

David, George, and Greg, best friends since high school, are “The War Boys”. They used to perch on the US-Mexican border, waiting to spot illegal immigrants who were trying to run into the United States. Sometimes, without a thought for the immigrants, the boys chased them across the wasteland and back across the border – just for fun. It was just one of those games boys played to make themselves feel big. But high school’s over now. David is unexpectedly home from his freshman year of college and the War Boys have been reunited.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada poster

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

2005

When brash Texas border officer Mike Norton wrongfully kills and buries the friend and ranch hand of Pete Perkins, the latter is reminded of a promise he made to bury his friend, Melquiades Estrada, in his Mexican home town. He kidnaps Norton and exhumes Estrada's corpse, and the odd caravan sets out on horseback for Mexico.

El Norte poster

El Norte

1983

Brother and sister Enrique and Rosa flee persecution at home in Guatemala and journey north, through Mexico and on to the United States, with the dream of starting a new life.

Frozen River poster

Frozen River

2008

After her husband deserts her, working-class mother Ray Eddy is in great need of money to find a home. Lured by the possibility of easy cash, she joins Lila, a widowed Mohawk who earns a living by smuggling immigrants from Canada to the U.S. across the St. Lawrence.

The Shepherd: Border Patrol poster

The Shepherd: Border Patrol

2008

A Texas cop battles ex-navy seals who are trying to traffic drugs from Mexico into the USA.

Machete poster

Machete

2010

After being set-up and betrayed by the man who hired him to assassinate a Texas Senator, an ex-Federale launches a brutal rampage of revenge against his former boss.

Which Way Home poster

Which Way Home

2009

Follows unaccompanied child migrants, on their journey through Mexico, as they try to reach the United States.

Shaft in Africa poster

Shaft in Africa

1973

Detective John Shaft travels incognito to Ethiopia, then France, to bust a human trafficking ring.

Spanglish poster

Spanglish

2004

Mexican immigrant and single mother Flor Moreno finds housekeeping work with Deborah and John Clasky, a well-off couple with two children of their own. When Flor admits she can't handle the schedule because of her daughter, Cristina, Deborah decides they should move into the Clasky home. Cultures clash and tensions run high as Flor and the Claskys struggle to share space while raising their children on their own, and very different, terms.

Border Run poster

Border Run

2012

A female American reporter searches for her missing brother against the backdrop of violence and human smuggling across the US/Mexican border.

Trade poster

Trade

2007

A Texas cop, whose own daughter might have been forced into sexual slavery, joins forces with a Mexican youth to find the boy's sister, who was abducted and forced into prostitution. Meanwhile, a Polish woman who was promised a better life in America also becomes a victim.

Flashpoint poster

Flashpoint

1984

Two Texas border guards find a jeep buried in the desert, with a skeleton, a scoped rifle, and a box with $800,000 in cash. Before they decide whether to keep the money or report it, they privately investigate the clues and unravel a decades old mystery.

The Base poster

The Base

1999

Major Murphy, a US Army Investigator, has received a new assignment. Sgt. Gammon is suspected of dealing cocaine from his base, and Murphy must gather enough evidence to shut down Gammon and his entire operation. Along with his partner, Lt. Andrews, the Major goes undercover to infiltrate the gang and find out just how far up the chain of command these activities are going.

The Snorkel poster

The Snorkel

1958

On the Italian coast, writer Paul Decker has grown unhappy in his marriage and executes what appears to be a perfect murder of his wife. While Paul is believed to be writing a book in France, his stepdaughter, Candy, suspects him of murdering her mother, as well as her father years before. With the police unwilling to investigate any further, Candy sets out to confirm her suspicions and take Paul down herself.

Desire poster

Desire

1936

Madeleine steals a string of pearls in Paris and uses American engineer Tom, who is driving on his vacation to Spain, to get the pearls out of France. But getting the pearls back from him proves to be difficult without falling in love.

The Border poster

The Border

1982

A corrupted border agent decides to clean up his act when an impoverished woman's baby is put up for sale on the black market.

Balloon poster

Balloon

2018

Two families attempt a daredevil plan to escape the GDR with a homemade hot air balloon, but it crashes just before the border. The Stasi finds traces of this attempt to escape and immediately starts investigations, while the two families are forced to build a new escape balloon. With each passing day the Stasi is closer on their heels – a nerve-wracking race against time begins.

Distant Lights poster

Distant Lights

2003

Lichter is an episodic tale from Hans-Christian Schmid about the life on the border between Germany and Poland. The film sheds light on the everyday stories of escape and desperateness.

Marfa Girl poster

Marfa Girl

2012

A disaffected Texas teen spends his 16th birthday getting high, hanging out and having casual sex.

Green Border poster

Green Border

2023

In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so called “green border” between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU. Pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life, Jan, a young border guard, and a Syrian family intertwine.

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Borderline?

The top films similar to Borderline by MovieMagicScore are The War Boys (5.9), The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (7.0), El Norte (7.1). Each shares action/crime/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Borderline worth watching?

Borderline holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.0/10 from 48 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Borderline?

Borderline (1980) is a action, crime, drama film directed by Jerrold Freedman, starring Charles Bronson, Bruno Kirby, Bert Remsen.

Where can I find more recommendations like Borderline?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more action recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The War Boys Movies like The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada Movies like El Norte Movies like Frozen River Movies like The Shepherd: Border Patrol Movies like Machete

About movies like Borderline

This ranked list pairs Borderline (1980), a action and crime and drama film from Jerrold Freedman, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Charles Bronson take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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