El Norte

The production of El Norte (1983) encountered major problems with Mexican police while shooting on location in Tijuana. According to director Gregory Nava: "One day, men with machine guns took over the set. I had guns pointed at my head. We were forced to shut down production, bribe our way out of the country, fight to get our costumes back, and start shooting again in California." Nava also recalled that Mexican police kidnapped the film's accountant and held him for ransom, and that his own parents had to pose as tourists to smuggle rolls of exposed film across the U.S. border. Back in California, Nava and his crew had to re-create a movie set of the Mexican shanty town where Rosa and Enrique stay before crossing the border.

In the final scenes with Enrique on the construction site, the foreman is seen watching Enrique. In a medium shot, he is carrying a rule or spirit level in his left hand as he looks at Enrique. In the next shot, with Enrique in the foreground, the foreman is empty handed.