Les Sicarios

MERCURY PLAINS is the tale of Mitch (Scott Eastwood), a young man without a cause, stuck in a dead end town off in nowhere, Texas. When a friend suggests they take an impromptu trip to Mexico to shake things up, Mitch shrugs and rolls along. But after his friend bails on him, Mitch finds himself in league with a mysterious man known as "The Captain," the leader of a paramilitary group of children and teens. The Captain offers the chance for purpose and fortune, an offer that a lost Mitch can't find reason to refuse.

THE SETTING: The desolate Mexican desert is shot beautifully. It provides the perfect backdrop for Mitch's journey for self -- it often feels like the desert goes on and on without clear landmarks to orient yourself, which for Mitch, is a lot what his life looks like at this point in time.

THE CAPTAIN: Without spoiling too much, just know that this character is a fascinating one. Though he'd have Mitch believe they're very much alike, he's more accurately a foil: The Captain is one to wax poetic, while Mitch would rather stand back, observe, and listen. Mitch displays an inner noble need to help people, even if he doesn't always know how to express it, whereas The Captain says he has the boys' best interest at heart, but...well, you'll just have to watch and see.

GENRE: It's not an out-and-out actioner, it's not TAKEN, and it's not your typical shoot 'em up western pic either -- it's not trying to be any of those. The Eastwood name and the modern western setting may lead to you to believe it's going to be a certain kind of film, but if you allow yourself to experience it at its own pace, what you'll find is the story of a lost boy -- a young man wandering the desert, adrift in life -- who's handed a gun and given a mission, which forces him to reassess his own values and what's important to him.

IN SUMMARY: The movie's methodical pace is a reflection of Mitch's own approach to life, an approach that by the end is jarred loose and shaken to its core -- the best action sequences of the film build and explode as we near the finish line. His journey raises questions of ambition and power, of self-identity, of mob mentality -- all of which he has to face down and wrestle with himself.

MERCURY PLAINS takes its time, embraces the slow burn, and bucks the trends of its genre. So if you like your western action flicks with a little more meat on the bones, you should give this one a shot.

Those looking for an action-packed, shoot-'em-up thriller might be disappointed, but that doesn't mean there aren't some worthy ideas and narrative threads at work here. This is a slowly paced film, at times almost meditative, but one that rewards a patient viewer. Don't watch it for shootouts and chase scenes, but rather for a thoughtful treatise on men and boys, fathers and sons, the razor thin line between love and war, and the hollow attraction of lawlessness and moral anarchy -- all shot gorgeously in the dreamlike expanses of the Mexican desert.

The plot is fairly bare bones: a young 20something down on his luck, Mitch (Scott Eastwood), crosses the border from Texas to Mexico out of nothing more than boredom, and winds up getting entangled in a group of lost boys who've been taken in by a Fagin-esque leader, "The Captain," a middle-aged vet who uses his ragtag band to carry out vigilante hits on various drug runners and cartel branches. At first, Mitch is enticed by The Captain's promise of money and claim that something special lies inside of Mitch -- something no one else can see. To the completely lost man-child without a father figure, this serves as motivation to keep Mitch serving as The Captain's "top soldier," even as the group quickly devolves into pure criminal violence and bloody greed. By the end, Mitch is forced to find his own ethical code, something to dictate his sense of self-preservation vs. self-worth.

There is a lot at play here, talk of soldiers and kings and the ownership of territory, that all resonate deeply within our current climate of urban gang warfare and political fear-mongering and appetite for vigilante justice. Eastwood doesn't yet have the gruff gravitas and charisma of his famous father, but he shoulders the movie well, displaying a screen presence that belies his inexperience. The original score is haunting and beautiful, and the cinematography captures desolate landscapes and car chases with equal elegance. If you give yourself time to breathe with this film and meander along at its contemplative tempo, I think you'll appreciate its aim to be something more than just another shoot-out in the desert.

Eastwood tries too hard. Movie is boring and dry. Giving it 2 stars for effort. Crying roles are too exaggerated and don't appear sincere. He could of taken some acting advice from his father to appear more natural. Music was good but very monotone for a movie of this caliber. Eastwood needs to find his own style and not try to be too much like his father. Even the style of movie was not unique but rather imitating the type of roles his father takes on. It's hard not to compare the two...this kid needs to find his own way , his own style, his own story if he wants to be a successful actor. Seems like he is using his own name to get famous. Why not be creative and call himself something different so he can stand on his own.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Mitch (Scott Eastwood) is a former war vet living in a small mid-western American town, whose life is heading nowhere. However, one night, after running afoul of some Mexican pimps, he finds himself approached by a man known as The Captain (Nick Chunland) who sees potential for him as a private security operative, and Mitch accepts. Assigned to take out a number of targets, he forms a bond with his fellow recruits, but they gradually come to question their operation and The Captain's true intentions.

It's been a long time since we've seen the offspring of a famous screen icon showcasing their stuff for our consideration, and so it's a novelty that Scott, son of the legendary Clint, has appeared in this miniscule effort that has creeped out onto DVD. While he's fair as an actor in his own right, he inevitably doesn't hold his own to his legendary father, not that that's the main thing on your mind. This leading role of his has a premise with potential, exploring the murky world of private security, but while the set up is intriguing, sadly the story doesn't pay off.

Director Charles Burmeister strikes the tone and balance just right, creating a blurry, murky atmosphere that suits the mood of the story, matched with some suitably edgy characters on the good and bad divide that fit it well. Somehow, though, there's just not a strong enough foundation to guide the story with, not engaging enough at times and requiring too many leaps of faith at others. It's a throwaway effort when it should be a mesmerizing one, fully emersing the audience in the bleak, uncertain world of private security operations instead of just distracting them.

Hopefully, Eastwood Jr. will find something more relieving of his talents. **

Every descendant of a famous person struggles with the same problems. They all have to prove themselves real hard, so they aren't referred to as "son of" or "daughter of". The prejudices that everything is served on a silver platter for them and thanks to their famous father and mother the path to success is without obstacles, is difficult to avoid. I guess Scott Eastwood (indeed "son of") knows what I mean. If you take a look at his his filmography, Scott has been really active. Although most films sound unfamiliar to me (except "Diablo" which, however, I gave up watching after 10 minutes due to the old-fashioned look and the fact that I'm not really a western fan), he also succeeded in getting a part in "Suicide squad". A movie I'm eagerly looking forward to. Time to see whether Scott can shake off the image of his über cool father.

"Mercury Plains" should have gotten the alternative title "Goonies meet Sicario". Because in essence this is just a film about a gang of scouts members (looks like it in a way) who are led by an (allegedly) charismatic, articulate leader to fight against drug gangs in Mexico. After witnessing some amateurish-looking skirmishes with local drug dealers and a raid by the police, the story evolves into a kind of survival trip in the desert. A bit like "Beyond the reach". It's situated at the Mexican border near notorious Mexican cities such as El Paso and Ciudad Juarez. Scott Eastwood plays the unemployed, American teenager Mitch. He's convinced by a friend to cross the border of Mexico. Thanks to his friend, Scott gets in trouble and is approached by Jesse (Justin Park) who tells him about The Captain (Nick Chinlund).

I tried to be unbiased and gave Scott a chance to prove himself. But I couldn't resist to compare him with his father. And the similarities are creepy anyway. It was as if I was looking at the young Clint again. The same facial structure and profile. The same calm and controlled expression. Also a man without many words and thoughtfully taking every possible option into consideration. Even the intonation of his voice and the controlled manner of answers are similar. Without any doubt Scott's future looks bright. As long as the future films he's going to play in, are from a higher level. Because in general you can say that this was an abominable bad movie, full of improbabilities and ridiculous situations.

Scott's acting was by far the best that you could admire in this movie. That's not so hard since the rest of the cast just made a mess out of it. Maybe the age caused it. But sadly enough Chinlund wasn't too convincing either. And Angela Sarafyan looked desirable, but her part was meaningless and pathetic. Furthermore, I was wondering the whole movie if Mitch's step father actually wasn't worrying about his missing SUV. Most laughable fragment was a confrontation with a known drug dealer. As told by The Captain he seemed to be guarded heavily. But I never saw a dangerous drug dealer being overpowered this easy. The guerrilla operations carried out by this group of young people against seasoned drug cartels, resembled those of old B-movies. The denouement in the sweltering desert looked considerably better, but by that time I already fought against the urge to stop watching. Hopefully Scott Eastwood goes his own way and will be offered a part in a decent film. Like the old Eastwood once said: "Improvise, Adapt and Overcome".

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