Although much is made of this being a complete restoration, it is not, and can not, be completely faithful to Welles' memo, because they could not shoot any new footage (it being 40 years since the film was made), and the out-take footage had been destroyed. But they did their best, and the results are really quite interesting.

    I do wish this disc included both the released film and the restored version — it would be valuable to be able to compare them. The other significant extra they could have included (and it is included on the Region 1 disc) is a copy of Orson Welles' memo. Having the memo and both versions would have been really cool. Unfortunately we'll have to wait for a possible re-release for that: this disc only offers us the restored version.

    The story is not a simple one. It is set on the border between the USA and Mexico — there's a town on each side. We open seeing a bomb being put into the trunk (that's Amurrican for "boot") of a large convertible. A man and woman get into the car and drive off. Another man and woman are strolling in the evening air. They pass the car, which has been stopped by traffic. Then the car catches up to them at the border, where they have been stopped by the border personnel. We learn that the strolling couple are newly-weds; she is an American, Susie (Janet Leigh), while he is Mexican, Miguel 'Mike' Vargas (Charlton Heston, looking distinctly un-Mexican The Ten Commandments NRA ) — we also learn that he is connected with the arrest and prosecution of a member of the Grandi family on narcotics charges. The car passes through the checkpoint, goes a little further and explodes on the American side.

    The investigation into the murder is led by police Captain Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles), a cop with a large reputation (and a waistline to match). He and Vargas don't get along from their very first meeting. This could have a lot to do with the fact that Quinlan comes across as a racist, or perhaps it's just that he seems to be guarding his turf. He's a bit of a thug, and shows a rather brutal way with a Mexican suspect. Meanwhile, Susie has been lured away from her hotel by a youth, and meets a man who introduces himself as Joe Grandi (Akim Tamiroff — actually Russian, but better at appearing Mexican than Charlton Heston). She acquits herself well in the ensuing confrontation, but we learn afterwards that he has a much deeper plan, and all he wanted to do was unsettle her.

    The story is more than a little confusing at times, but it involves a number of conflicts, with Vargas vs Quinlan and Vargas vs Grandi being the primary ones. Grandi's plot is a rather nasty one, revolving around ruining Vargas' reputation. Vargas comes across as a bit hot-headed (at least where his wife is concerned), and rather idealistic, so his reputation (and that of his wife) is important to him. The conflict between Vargas and his wife does not play well — it's easy to understand Welles' concern about this aspect of the film.