600 Millas

I saw this film at the Minneapolis St. Paul international film festival and I have to say even though it was tense, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is a though-provoking film that makes you take a deeper look at gun control and tensions between the US and Mexico.

I love Tim Roth, and think he does an excellent job in this slower paced drama. This is definitely not an action packed film, and the dramatic tension is led up to over the course of the film. Tim Roth's character does an excellent job bringing an understated but poignant performance.

While I don't agree with some parts of the film, I found that it laid out the complexities of this issue in a very human way. This film is definitely packed with tension and emotion as we are taken through not just a journey of guns and drug cartels but of human character.

It is quite understandable to see ratings for this movie score from top to bottom. Yes, it is slow and there are scenes where frankly nothing happens (only in the viewer's cerebral reckoning). The use of Spanish/English dialogue is not too much of a success. Hand-held camera photography and some grainy texture to this remind one more of a documentary than conventional film. And the point of the mirror scene with its homosexual connotations is not all that obvious especially when it is not tied to any ensuing character or plot development.

And of course the ending, which has been revealed on reviews elsewhere,is completely unacceptable to viewers. And the continued dialogue as the end credits roll is anathema to many. So yes, the disparaging reviews and low ratings come as no surprise.

There are saving graces however. The performances, not just of the principals, are very good. Tim Roth is excellent as one might expect. And most interesting was the portrayal of Arnulfo and Carson who really came across as barely kids out of their teens, their boyishness amply displayed by the horseplay in which they engaged. Arnulfo's attempts at playing tough from the outset are in stark contrast to his whimpering, sobbing behaviour towards the film's end.

A further plus to be garnered from this movie is the way in which the 'baddies' are portrayed. Those involved in gun-running are no stereotypes villains in the Hollywood sense, but nonetheless capable of sudden violence. The scene in Arnulfo's uncle's kitchen is a highlight of the film as events move from the mundane (washing up and clearing the table) to murderous violence.

Overall, I would still recommend this movie despite its shortcomings. Potentially this could have appealed to a wider audience and quite possibly have deserved to be Mexico's official entrant to the Oscar's best Foreign Film category.

I really hope this film gets a theatrical US release, at least in some limited theaters. I think it's a pretty effective character piece, even if much of it is driven by its plot and circumstances. It succeeds in its ability to make us empathize with its characters and humanize them even when not forgiving their flaws. There are many films of this type, but this is just another one that cleverly walks a fine line between being a crime tragedy and also exposing the horrors that come with people involved n this kind of business. It's effective, and definitely recommended in terms of what cinema fans may want to see. Definitely seek this one out, do yourself a favor.

Laid back approach to exciting drama that gets where it's going to very slowly and quietly. For the most part though the director keeps us distant from the characters and the action. Unfortunately this limits our involvement.

600 miles at 85 minutes is a relatively short feature, but in terms of screenplay and storyline, it actually seems padded out at that length. Truth to tell, though long on distance according to the title, the movie is brief on story. There's plenty of footage of people travelling in darkly lit vehicles, not saying a lot or saying nothing at all. Consider Tim Roth's Hank Harris ATF officer is really only in about the last hour of the film (at most). It takes close to 30 minutes to set things up, before he arrives on the scene and even then, there hasn't been a lot happening. I'm still not sure what the film is trying to say. That gun-running for cartels is dangerous and sucks in too many young Mexicans seeking the fast road out of poverty. Well, we probably already knew that.

The first act involved Arnulfo's American associate walking in and out of several gun shops, whilst looking at guns and talking to staff. Director Gabriel Ripstein doesn't mind repeating himself, but I'm still a little vague at what he was messaging. Suffice to say we get to the denouement relatively quickly, but that all ends up being somewhat ill-defined too. Kind of inevitable I'd suggest, for what really is a pretty half-baked production that somehow managed to get Tim Roth involved. Give me its bigger-budgeted cousin any day of the week.