US Border Patrol has always been strict with regulations. Ellis Island is living testimony of that. I do not believe that in 1980 you could pass a border patrol without pants on, no documentation, and a bandage covering your bullet wounds.
Walk out of the US with $2 million in cash? US Customs likes to check baggage, looking for drugs and illegal plants/unprocessed food/contraband. Especially from and to Mexico. Even in 1980, border protection officials kind of looked in the bags.
Thinking about it, I was actually kind of intrigued by the movie up to that point, but the scene just ruined it for me. I like to pay attention to details like that. Perhaps it's just a personal thing though, as I have entered the US many times and always had some sort of problem.
I think also that the plot does not move along fast enough.
In my opinion, the coin thing does not contribute much to the understanding of Anton. Anton is a sociopath hired to recover the money. His actions, demeanor, facial expression, look, walk, the way he sits in the car all express more about him than the long-drawn coin scene. I was basically waiting for the plot to continue at that point, feeling it was unnecessary time invested into something quite clear.
The shoot-out at the hotel was also one of those points that stained the movie for me. Creating a large ruckus in town would certainly, in my opinion, attract attention from a third party. Also I would have been interested to know how Anton would have acted in the presence of a third party, since practically all of his encounters with the protagonist are one-on-one, except at the motel where he murders the occupants of the wrong room.
All in all, I find the plot rather on the thin side, however I must say that the acting is superb.
