El Gringo

Even clichés can be nice to watch. So while the title is talking about a "stranger/foreigner", the plot itself is actually pretty common. You might have seen similar stories told and some even in a better fashion (hopefully). But this still is a lot of fun, if you let it. There are some nice little visual tweaks here and there and the editing style is all over the place too. It might not be your taste, but you can't fault the movie for trying.

Scott Adkins delivers again and you can see why he sort of revives the 80s action movie style almost by himself. He has that kind of charisma and I don't mean that in a degrading way. The dog sub story is good and even Christian Slater isn't a big letdown as he was in his last couple of movies ...

The most interesting thing about EL GRINGO is that it was shot in Sofia, Bulgaria which successfully stands in for Mexico. I would have thought the two countries couldn't be further apart but they do a pretty convincing job here. A shame, then, that the film itself is so pedestrian, with a lack of story really slowing things down. Some shaky, bleached-out cinematography doesn't help much either. Scott Adkins plays the usual drifter type who arrives in a corrupt town and soon finds himself battling a criminal gang. There's a fair bit of action, some of which is quite good, but it never really burns up the screen as a good action movie should. If you want to see a great Adkins movie from this era, check out UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING.

If you like action this movie will not disappoint the story is nothing that hasn't been done before but it is put together quiet well, and the acting is as good as it gets for a low budget movie... of course its not a masterpiece but i feel it deserves a chance. Reading some of the reviews i felt that they forgot to mention that this was a movie meant to entertain people and it does just that, i was very entertained by the end of it and not only was i entertained but i found myself with a silly smile on my face from laughing hard most times and then end up getting angry the next scene, this movie is like a roller coaster never a dull moment. I highly recommend it simply for its high entertainment value, don't go in expecting Quentin Tarantino.. but were you to sit down and watch a movie simply because you enjoy watching a movie than this will not disappoint i assure you.

It's hard to believe that major Hollywood producer Joel Silver got involved with this movie, since it was destined to go straight to DVD. Actually, I didn't think that this movie was terrible. Certainly, I can see why some people might not like it. The direction and the editing is often very flamboyant, when a less-is-more attitude in these departments would probably have worked better. Also, the movie is VERY bloody and violent, which will probably repulse some prudish viewers. But I have to admit that I wasn't bored while watching the movie. There are a few action sequences that really deliver the goods, for one thing. And the crazy direction and editing, though sometimes annoying and pretentious, did make me curious as to what strangeness would come next. I would say that if you have a taste for direct to DVD movies, and are in the mood for something in a much different style than usual, then you'll probably find this movie an acceptable time waster.

I won't write a long review, going into detail, because this film isnt put there to judge in that way. It's cheap, corny, greatness!! Adkins acting in this is one of his best performances and some of the action is bang on!! It isn't your usual Scott Adkins taekwondo fest but to be honest it's all the better for it. Turn on, tune in cop out.