A Night in Old Mexico

Let me start off by saying I love Robert Duvall, but this is not one of his better efforts (no fault of his, lousy writing and lousy co-stars). It's his typical "tough old guy" routine on steroids.

The movie starts slow and gets slower. From there it becomes boring and increasingly predictable.

I found myself fast forwarding to get to a point where there was something going on.....and then suddenly I was at the end, thank God.

Skip this one, and keep your love and appreciation of Mr Duvall intact!

A Night in Old Mexico was well-received in its North American Premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. Some of our great actors age poorly and take easy money making roles (such as Robert DeNiro in Last Vegas and the Meet the Parents series), but Robert Duvall is still doing some serious acting. In A Night in Old Mexico, he plays a character that is likely not that different from himself. He plays a crazy old Texan united with his wayward grandson and looking to have a last thrill ride in south of the border. In some ways, the role is reminiscent of Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman. The thrill ride takes a few unbelievable twists and turns, but it is still enjoyable to see how much spunk the old fellow still has. I'm not sure this will get much of a wide release, but if you have a chance check it out. Duvall remains a worthwhile entertaining old curmudgeon in old Mexico.

"I have never in my whole life seen someone like you." Red Bovie (Duvall) is a proud rancher who has just lost his farm, land, house and everything he owns. He has also just met Gally (Irvine) who claims to be his grandson. After being shown the trailer which will be his new home Red drives off with Gally and they head for Mexico. Along the way they pick up two hitchhikers which change the course of not only the night but their lives. The first thing I have to say about this movie is that Robert Duvall was the perfect choice. This is his Gran Torino in the way that this seemed like a movie where they turned on a camera and just filmed him being himself for a few days. He is the only real name in this but that does not diminish the movie at all. It started off a little slow but by the end I ended up liking it and was glad I stuck it out. There is drama, action and some comedy in this but the real reason to watch is Duvall. You really can't take your eyes off of him and his casting alone makes the movie better. Overall, a good movie that I did like but Robert Duvall is the reason to watch. I give this a B.

I doubt I've ever seen a Robert Duvall movie that was not worth watching and the same can be said of this one. Duvall plays a cranky old coot not ready to take up the rocking chair and I hope he isn't ready for a long time. A decent premise to the movie and several places that make you smile. If you like crotchety hard-headed old folks this is the movie for you. While in all respects a slow movie I didn't regret a minute. I wish IMDb didn't require ten lines for a review because I doubt I've had ten lines to say about any movie.But it's nice to be able to give one a good review, one that isn't cr*p found footage and one where the acting enabled the suspension of disbelief for a couple hours.

In true Hollywood form, viewers are supposed to not know that Joshua trees and mountains do not exist in south Texas but that those driving scenes were shot in the high desert of California. The film jumped from Texas to California and back in the same scene.

When Duvall tries to shoot himself the hammer is seen on half-cock where the cylinder can be spun (he actually spins it but does not full-cock it) but not shot from. But a split-second later he sends a bullet through the barn door.

The Mexico signs upon entering Mexico are hilarious. The first one says ESTADO DE Mexico (Mexico is in all caps on the sign too)(the state next to Mexico City) and the following one says MORELOS, which is also in central Mexico. Neither is on the border.

Lotsa laughs but gimme a break with insulting our knowledge of geography.