The Summary for this unviewed film is based on the review in the 19 Dec 1984 DV. Production and cast credits were taken from the 19 Dec 1984 DV review and AMPAS Index to Motion Picture Credits. They may not reflect what appears onscreen.
       On The Line was the debut American film for Spanish director José Luis Borau. According to an 11 Jul 1984 Var article, Borau was working on the story idea in May 1980 while participating in a Spanish film week arranged by the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, CA. There he met writer Barbara Probst Solomon who helped him develop the story idea and also encouraged him to make the film in America. He cast Spanish actress Victoria Abril and American actors David Carradine and Dennis Hopper and was ready to start shooting in fall 1982.
       However, Borau was never able to secure American financing for the film which was budgeted at $3 million, according to a 10 Nov 1982 Var brief. So, Borau financed it with $650,000 in loans and credit card advances, arranging a deferred payment system for cast and crew. By the time principal photography started in Laredo, TX, on 4 Nov 1982, Dennis Hopper had dropped out of the production and was replaced by Scott Wilson. Heavy rains delayed filming of exterior scenes, and then a camera began malfunctioning, causing them to shut down the production in late Dec 1982, even though it was only sixty percent completed.
       Borau arranged another $400,000 in financing from Spanish investors and resumed production on 23 Sep 1983, shooting interiors in Los Angeles, CA, and exteriors in Texas. The production wrapped on 4 Nov 1983.
       While On the Line, which also had the Spanish title Rio Abajo, was distributed abroad and also played in some American film festivals, Borau could not find an American distributor for several years. Finally in 1987, Miramax Films acquired it for domestic distribution, according to the 9 Sep 1987 DV. It opened in Los Angeles on 18 Sep 1987.