Directed by: Adrian Grunberg.
Written by: Mel Gibson and Adrian Grunberg and Stacy Perskie.
Starring: Mel Gibson (Driver), Peter Stormare (Frank), Dean Norris (Bill), Bob Gunton (Mr. Kaufmann), Scott Cohen (Frank's Lawyer), Kevin Hernandez (Kid), Patrick Bauchau (Surgeon), Dolores Heredia (Kid's Mom), Gerardo Taracena (Ramiro), Jesús Ochoa (Caracas), Daniel Giménez Cacho (Javi).
Mel Gibson was one of the
biggest movie stars in the world not all that long ago. But through his own
actions off screen, his career has gone into a tailspin that may just be
impossible to recover from. Yet, I don’t much care about movie stars personal
lives – no matter how screwed up they are, no matter how vile their personal
views are. I prefer to judge what I see on the screen. Gibson co-wrote and co-produced
in his new film, Get the Gringo, directed by Adrian Grunberg, making his debut
film, although he has been a protégé of Gibson’s. I have feeling he may well
have been more active in directing this movie as well – it bears a striking
resemblance, especially in its depiction of violence, as Gibson’s films behind
the camera.
Get the Gringo stars Gibson
as a nameless American, who when the movie opens is racing away from the cops
towards the Mexican border, with a few million dollars in cash, and a dying
partner in the backseat. Rather than being taken in by the Americans, he
decides to rev his car up and jump the fence into Mexico. His plan doesn’t look
like it’s going to work – the Mexican cops don’t want to deal with him, so
they’re just going to let the Americans have them – until that it, they see the
cash in the back, and decide they will take him in after all. They take his
money, and throw Gibson in prison – but this is like no other prison you’ve
ever seen before. It’s more like a slum with wall around it – you can’t get
out, but if you are arrested, you can pay to have your family live with you in
the burnt out shacks. Gibson befriends a kid (Kevin Hernandez), who is
protected by the prison’s unofficial leader – mob boss Javi (Daniel Gimenez), because
the kid has something he needs.
Get the Gringo is the type
of role that Gibson does very well. He clearly isn’t a good guy in the film –
but, except for the kid and his mom, he is more of a good guy than the rest of
the people in this movie. The cops, on both sides, are corrupt and vile. The
American consulate who visits Gibson in jail is even worse. The guy that Gibson
stole from is even worse than that. And the Mexican villains, especially Javi,
are the worst yet. In this world, a violent man like Gibson’s character is the
only person not to completely revile. In that way, it reminded me of another
recent Gibson film – the underrated Edge of Darkness. The problem here is that
Get the Gringo is as well written or directed as Edge of Darkness. It desperately
wants to be a modern day Sam Peckinpah film – a violent, morally complex cross
border thriller that uses strong, graphic violence to make a point. The problem
is I don’t think Get the Gringo really has a point. It really has nothing on
its mind other than all that violence.
I did like the way Get the
Gringo begins – the opening scene is exciting, and sets up the rest of the
movie perfectly. And as Gibson figures out how the prison works, the film is
entertaining, and seems to be building to something bigger than what ultimately
delivers. After an effective setup however, Get the Gringo devolves into nothing
but violence and predictable plot twists. When the movie ended I was left with
an overwhelming sense of disappointment. Was this really all this movie, with
such a fascinating setup, wanted to accomplish?
Get the Gringo isn’t a
horrible movie – even when it devolves into violence, it well staged and
entertaining – even if it does utilize slow motion too much. But the Gibson’s
performance, which is quite good, deserves better than the screenplay he helped
write. There is a reason why this film ended up going direct to video in North
America – and it’s not all because Gibson’s star is tarnished beyond repair.
Part of it is also because Get the Gringo just isn’t a very satisfying movie.
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