Desierto

Desierto is a movie that tries to tackle a very serious topic with a handful of caricatures and two very good actors which are lazily directed.

From a purely technical stance it tries to offer up some captivating shots during its first couple of minutes but it becomes quite clear as the movie progresses that Quaron does not know how to shoot a chase sequence, which this movie basically is. It's one big horror movie chase sequence that leaves a lot to desire in terms of dialog and pacing.

The most concerning thing is that one leaves the movie without knowing what the directors intentions were. Was it to shine a light on the topic? to make a polarizing movie? to get some sort of radical reaction from the viewer? to serve as a cautionary tale?

In any case, it ends up being a pretty tasteless and irresponsible treatment of a serious topic and it doesn't offer up anything else as a possible saving grace.

There isn't much of a story to this one, a man pursues a group of illegal migrants with the intention of killing all of them. There are some errors: for example, some of the migrants are wearing winter coats, despite it being said to be 120 F. Also an inconsistency: the hunter shows incredible marksmanship in the early part of the movie, yet misses closer, easier targets in the second half.

However, on the positive side, the dog is amazingly well-trained and quite entertaining in some of his actions, such as jumping into the truck through the window. And the cinematography is outstanding, some of the desert backgrounds are very well-chosen and beautiful to behold.

Terrific experience here this movie which is a sort of mix-up between Don Medford's HUNTING PARTY and BEYOND THE REACH, released last year and starring Michael Douglas. But beware, BEYOND THE REACH is far far far lesser than this pure jewel from Mexico. Do not even dare to compare the two features, except for the basic script line, that's all. A brutal, powerful piece of work, folks. But I admit that I would have preferred a different ending, such as the one you had in HUNTING PARTY, back in 1970. THIS WAS AN ENDING.

But nevertheless, this movie is awesome. In the last fifteen minutes, I felt my heartbeat as a war drum.

Serious.

Go for it...

"Desierto" boasts actors that clearly have talent, the actual production of the film is decent as is the cinematography of the beautifully brutal desert. However, this film is poorly directed, predictable and shallow, and the premise is laughable--An American picks off illegal immigrants crossing off the boarder.

This film beats the audience over the head with its narrative, it tries to ignore the actual legality of illegally crossing the boarder by making the viewer feel "bad" for those doing so. Furthermore, the villain is like a caricature. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character is a stereotype. Repugnant as it is, the white man is a racist villain merely because who else would be? What is even worse, is that besides being blatant in its political motives it ambiguously paints the portrait that anyone who is opposed to illegal aliens entering an autonomous nation is akin to the racist murderer that is not even that scary but is intimidating because he is the only fool with a firearm.

In short, this movie is the most horrific film in its presentation or direction, but it is profoundly shallow while also being a film that tries to preach without preaching. Nothing is more pretentious. It is not thought provoking or provocative. A balanced film, say depicting the trials of immigrants, the oppression and violence of cartels partnered with the struggles of boarder patrol agents and the American citizens at risk along the border could have been a strong, well-rounded film that heralds the human spirit and justice over lawlessness. However, this film does not do that. It is shoddy in script, narrative, and message.

Chase movies can be a hit or miss genre - this one has exciting hit possibilities but misses on just about all the points it should score on. We know basically nothing about any of the characters - what drives them, where they are from, or quite why they do the things they do. The hapless runners are all Mexicans fleeing poverty - on their way to the USA via the 'back door' of the badlands (Donald's wall would actually have helped them!) and the Hunter...well, he's somehow just driving around the desert looking for people to murder. With him, he has his trusty dog - trained to hunt down and kill whatever his master sends him after - human or otherwise. Once the murderous chase is on you know exactly what's about to happen every bloodied step of the way.

No subtleties here, just people led to the slaughter - and so it goes, repetitively and soullessly on and on. Some nice visuals, a promising opening and a curious music score can't add any more to the threadbare script. Only a famous movie-making father (Alfonso Cuaron) could fund this, his son Jonas Cuaron's minor attempt at fame - surprisingly, this was Mexico's entry as 'best' foreign language film at 89th Acadamy Awards (must have been a very light year indeed!) Lovers of mindless excitement won't be too disappointed - thinkers can expect to be.