Customer Reviews

Linewatch

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I wish I had watched the extras before viewing the movie. You get a real sense of what the message is and get an 'Aha' moment after viewing it. Linewatch is a very well done, very good cinematograpy, excellent feel.

Yes, a bit slow, I think the portrayal is one of what life is like for the Border Patrol. You have your moments where you have activity, but there are times where you are out in the wilderness and time just drags on. There are a few comments about family life, 'wish we could move,' and the like. You do get a sense of beauty, seeing the variety of landscape that is the American desert. Filmed in New Mexico, you get that endless feeling, that the desert just never ends.

The movie takes off when our main character runs into his former gangsta connections. He and his family are taken 'for a ride' as you sense the two sides, Gooding vs. the Ganstas, are vying for power. As the extra mentions, he is a man seeking redemption. You have a lot of young actors, very new in their careers, who play very believable parts.

The most interesting scene is where the drugs are finally delivered (this is what the gangsters are looking for) very close to the border.

What I like is that the producer is attempting to weave a couple of stories and messages into one with a plot to boot. We have the border and all the troubles of illegal crossings, the drug war and the Border Patrol, really on the front line of both. We get an introduction to some 'Patriots' who are violent as well. Not sure if that is more of figment of imagination or not, because we hear about the patriots on the border, but not as extreme as these guys are.

The slowness is for a purpose, sit back and relax and wait to be pleasantly surprised by an overall great movie.

In Texas as far from the LA crips and bloods as he could get 'mad dog'
has a lonely job and a nice family. Chasing a coyote brings up ancient history come to haunt him. He has enough trouble with white vigilantes.
He runs into his homies as they are trying to get a shipment of drugs up from Mexico. These are murderers and drug pushers from the big city
in his dry washes and desert territory. The trouble isn't going to leave him or his family alone... Good tension and acting here.

Cuba Gooding Jr, a Border Patrol Guard, is blackmailed by gangsters from his past who threaten his family if he doesn't help them smuggle drugs into the country.

Not much dialog. Plenty of musical scores that sound alike. Lots of guns, shooting and blood, with the hero hunting down the gangsters at the end. Typical storyline. Predictable ending. Cuba Gooding is not seen at his best. Were it not for him this movie would receive no stars.

One wonders when Cuba Gooding, Jr is going to find roles that are equal to his talent. LINEWATCH is a sleepwalk/phone-in role written for him by David W. Waterfield and directed by Kevin Bray in a story that attempts to take on a few too many problem situations in one session - illegal immigration, the human manipulation and abuse by the Coyotes and those involved in the crime industry of illegal transportation, Los Angeles ghetto crime life, across the border drug trafficking, family values in gangsters who turn to an honest life, etc. Not that these problems don't deserve our being reminded of serious situations constantly present, but the story has been told many times in better ways.

Michael Dixon (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is an ex-gang member living close to the Mexican border with his beautiful wife Angela (Sharon Leal) and daughter as he serves as a US Border Patrol Agent. His heart is in the right place and when he discovers a van full of expired immigrants the pain of his job surfaces. Simultaneously he discovers a band of drug smugglers who work to find a way to transport drugs across the border in to the US - a gang comprised of Michael's old gang. His 'friend', near psychotic Drake (Omari Hardwick - very impressive in this role), makes threats to Michael cajoling him into working with Mike's ex-gang to route the drug smuggling trucks across the border using Mike's affiliation with the US Border Patrol information. The stress that Michael feels under the threat of the gang's violence to his family leads him to act in a manner that brings the story to an end.

Gooding remains a fine screen presence: had he been given a better script and story it would be a pleasure to see him again. The supporting cast is fine, the cinematography by Paul M. Sommers is dirty and gritty as it should be and the musical score by Jeff McIlwain all but smothers the dialogue. The reason this film didn't make it in theaters is very obvious. Grady Harp, November 10

The best summation I could think of for this Cuba film was to imagine the Chief from Men of Honor being a Border Patrol Agent (honest, hard working family man, maybe some history) - then half way through the film becoming the crooked cop from Dirty, but instantly. So much so that it takes the film down a road (literally) of not caring about him.

The quality of film stock is outstanding, the sets and outdoor locations were utilized very well, which adds a good A-List feel to the film. But the supporting cast tries to hard to add gangsta-comedy relief to a an already unbelievable story line. Dean Norris (who I remember all the way back to Starship Troopers) has a nice screen presence, but every few minutes something else would happen that takes you out of the story. A murdering gangster becomes a Federal Agent? Maybe... The agents do not wear any body armor on going into homes? Probably not... The agent gets located by his old crew and they threaten his family and he is ok with it? No... Our main character decides to facilitate an epic drug deal across the border and not utilize the 50 agents in his office to save him and his family? Whatever...

The ending is even more unbelievable, but by that time you have invested the effort so you see it through because it looks good. Don't bother asking why some things keep happening the way they do because most of them will not get answered. The DVD cover art is off again; That vehicle is never in the movie, the stances of the gangsters in his glasses and to the side of the vehicle are lame (and never in the film), etc.

Maybe a rental, or not.

I loved the move because it was so full of suspence and drama. I loved the way Cuba was trying to protect his wife and little girl. His past came back to haunt him and he had to deal with it. Be sure that I will watch this over and over and over again. Loved it!

Cuba Gooding's character in LINEWATCH is as powerful as his character in TUSKEEGEE AIRMAN. Both movies are important additions to video libraries of any student or professor of American history. Like to think his line, 'I am his family' will sound the death-nell in real-life for hip-hop monkeyshines, gang-bangers and their associates who are worse than the klan itself.

I just saw this movie. I actually had to rewind this movie a couple times because I found myself falling asleep! This movie can get extremely boring. It is about cuba gooding who is a border patrolman. He runs into old gang members from los angeles, who force him to help them smuggle drugs. Cuba is probably the only thing actually pretty good in the movie. The dialogue really is bad and there are too many scenes where there is a bunch of music and no one talks??? I did like the scenes of the desert though. I bought this movie really cheap, but I recommend renting it, because I don't think I would ever watch it again.

I was very surprised at how much I liked this movie. Great camera work, great outdoor scenes, made me homesick. Cuba Gooding Jr. is great. Original storyline. Great suspense and ending.

You won't have the chance to see his talent in this movie,
really boring movie. I can't believe someone would buy this DVD, a real waste of time and money.