It’s Texas in 1848, and the U.S. has gained control of a territory where Mexican families suddenly find themselves much less welcome than before.
That’s especially true when it comes to the efforts of the MacKenzie clan, who have businesses in the East and have their eyes on the land for building railroads and drilling for oil.
MacKenzie (John Howard) has a man named Hurraldes killed because he didn’t want to sell his land. Now he’s trying to coerce the man’s widow, Marta, into doing so.
That also puts him at odds with neighboring rancher Don Joaquin Villareals (Jorge Alonso Quinonez), a good friend of Hurraldes, and a man who also likely has oil on his property.
The animosity between the families is complicated by the fact that young Juanito Villareals (Fernando Madrid) has fallen for MacKenzie’s young daughter Ellie (Cristina Zarate) and vice versa.
And if Charles can be intimidating in his business practices, his sons Billy and Jimmy are downright ruthless.
Cherikowa (Roque Chaves), Villareals’ top man, sees through their devious ways.
Roque Chaves as Cherikowa in Frontier (2019)
Jorge Alonso Quinonez as Don Joaquin Villareals in Frontier (2019)
Review:
We have one character wearing tinted glasses, a cameraman who thinks titling a camera a bit amounts to high art and a camera lens with sunspots (or dirt) all over it.
Add villains who don’t come across as very villainous, laughable special effects and English dubbing that will prompt some chuckles, and this simply isn’t worth your time or your money.
The film can’t even get history right. The MacKenzie clan covets the oil on the Mexicans’ property. The combustion engine, which The Professor sites as the reason, didn’t become viable until a decade after the setting of this film.
Oh, and the acting isn’t very good either.
John Howard as Charles MacKenzie in Frontier (2019)
Alonso Lopez as Jimmy MacKenzie and Ricardo Cardenez as Billy MacKenzie in Frontier (2019)
Directed by:
Marcos Almada
Cast:
Jorge Alonso Quinonez … Don Joaquin Villareals
Roque Chaves … Cherikowa
Fernando Madrid … Juanito Villareals
Cristina Zarate … Ellie MacKenzie
John Howard … Charles MacKenzie
Ricardo Cardenas … Billy MacKenzie
Alonso Lopez … Jimmy MacKenzie
Erika Ramirez … Marta Hurraldes
Alma Beatriz Santillan … Hurraldes daughter
Alma Christina Aranda … Hurraldes daughter
Julieta Hernandez … Mrs. Villareals
Sandra Guzman … Jacinto Villareals
Mario Flores … Sheriff Ramon
Daniel Mendez … Deputy
Carlos Rivera … Professor
Runtime: 95 min.
Fernando Madrid as Juanito Villareals in Frontier (2019)
Cristina Zarate as Ellie MacKenzie in Frontier (2019)
Memorable lines:
Cherikowa: “The Comanches to the north are very cruel. They even hate their mothers.”
Ellie to Juanito: “You, despite being Mexican, seem very civilized.”
Indian, after a lynching is foiled: “Thank you, half-blood, you saved our lives.”
Cherikowa: “Don’t come back here right now. Things are getting very ugly around here.”
Billy McKenzie, storming into Ellie’s bedroom after hearing noises: “Ellie, are you okay? I thought I heard something. Like a bang.”
Ellie: “Maybe I hit myself. With a stool.”
Mrs. Uraldi: “Mr. McKenzie, I’m willing to sell everything (including her land) to you. The only thing we want is for you to leave this town!”
Ellie McKenzie, after searching for and finding scratches on her brothers’ bodies: “You’re all insane! You’re all killers!”
Mario Flores as Sheriff Ramon in Frontier (2019)
Julieta Hernandez as Mrs. Villareals and Erika Ramirez as Marta Hurraldes in Frontier (2019)
Sandra Guzman as Jacinto Villareals in Frontier (2019)
Roque Chaves as Cherikowa in Frontier (2019)
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