Kill the Gringo

Mel Gibson's return to the big screen in front of the camera recent years seems to be getting back on track. He's taken a large knock for various well publicized and controversial allegations and abuses, but those seem to have taken a back seat like how the lacklustre Edge of Darkness has been largely forgotten for more memorable fare and smaller films like The Beaver, and Get the Gringo, also known as How I Spend My Summer Vacation here. Count yourselves lucky all you Mel Gibson fans who are still out there, we're one of the few countries getting this in the cinemas as the USA had opted for a video-on-demand release instead.

Gibson does what Gibson does best as a character here, being the strong, silent type who relies on his brains, brawn and resourcefulness to get out of sticky situations. Innate abilities and a huge dose of luck also play their part in having his nameless Driver attempting to outwit, outlast and outsmart his way past Mexican and American gangsters, crooked cops, and ambiguous agents, in order to regain his freedom after being locked up in a Mexican penitentiary that is a mini-town in its own right, complete with the folks from both sides of the law making strange bedfellows. It's a glimpse into the murky world of corruption where criminals run rampant within the walls that are supposed to restrict their freedom, but instead turning the premises into fiefs of operations.

Based on a story written by Mel Gibson, Stacy Perskie and Adrian Grunberg, with the latter making his debut directorial feature after deputizing for numerous films, it has all the ingredients necessary to stand tall amongst this season of summer blockbusters, with a tale that keeps you guessing of the Driver's backgrounds and motivations, which soon dissolve into the basic theme of friendship developed with a nine year old Kid (Kevin Hernandez) who holds a certain secret that keeps him alive within a notorious place, and who may just be Driver's ticket out if the cards get played right. Needless to say the villains here were unfortunately relegated to single function caricatures, but thankfully the plot picks up the pace when we get to witness how Driver and the Kid work their way through the system, with subplots bubbling under the surface ready to explode in frantic rush to the finale.

There are some moments that sag though, as Grunberg just cannot lift the film's early act from droning rather repetitively on how tough and gritty the entire corrupt environment is through Driver's voiceovers. We get the point, and it's time to move on, only to find more scenes seemingly adamant in wanting to showcase just how miserable life can get in a corrupt prison system. It took a while to have elements set up and put in place, although you'd get to appreciate the efforts it took to gel all character relationships together, with Grunberg adopting a style especially in the beginning with its quick edits cutting very close to how Tony Scott would have stylistically done it if the latter was at the helm.

For all the action that the trailer promises, what truly stood out was a mid section, free for all shoot-em-up complete with its graphical depiction of bullet wounds flying all around, entering and exiting various points of the body, and the requisite slow motion to keep things watchable, not forgetting having the Driver break his cover on his background having to save the Kid and his mother (Dolores Heredia) from gunfire coming at all sides. While conveniently set up, how the Driver wiped his enemies from existence thanks to a little bit of play acting and impersonation became my favourite scenes in the entire film, with Gibson at his element flexing some comedic abilities that just sat through really well and dare I say lifted this film from being just average. Recommended!

With Mel Gibson doing himself no favors in the public media over the last six years, GET THE GRINGO is a much-needed reminder of why we loved him so much for the twenty years prior to his scandalous headlines. While it was greatly refreshing to see Gibson on screen again in EDGE OF DARKNESS and THE BEAVER after an overbearing eight year absence, GET THE GRINGO does the best of capturing everything we truly loved about Gibson's performances: charm, wit, humor, edge. The script by Gibson, director Adrian Grunberg and producer Stacey Persky is an original and tight balance of humor, edge, and danger that can very easily be considered an unofficial sequel to the theatrical cut of Gibson's cult favorite, PAYBACK. While the character of GRINGO's Driver never reveals his actual name, he possesses a lot of the same qualities as PAYBACK's Porter, including a U.S. military tattoo, a chain-smoking habit, sticky fingers, an iron jaw, and a penchant for bloodshed. Grunberg's direction is also solid with an obvious love for Sam Peckinpah paraded throughout.

For those of us who endured so many years of understandable negativity towards Gibson for his personal troubles, GET THE GRINGO is the film we've long awaited. It's truly a shame this film won't be seen wide in the U.S. It would've been a better comeback vehicle than EDGE OF DARKNESS was meant to be. GET THE GRINGO practically screams, "Remember me? I'm still here, and I still got it!"

But if one thing is certain in the age of home entertainment, it is that every good film gets discovered by an audience. Sooner or later...

Tight script. Clever story. Bold and rough characters. Genuine acting. 96 minutes of total entertainment. This is the kind of movie that lifts the mood up and always keeps us guessing "what's next?".

This is the kind of movie Mel Gibson is best at and he should have always done this kind of movies. This movie will definitely gather him younger fans throughout the world. It is a new blend of action,crime and drama.

Adrian Grunberg is the kind of director who can stylize the crimes in his movies. He shows us there are more colors in crime-action movies other than red.

If you want to have a good time and have been missing crime oriented fast action movies for a while, this is the movie you are looking for. 7 out of 10.

Bottom line: Not to be missed.

It is no secret that the public has lost a lot of respect for Mel Gibson over the years. His hate-filled rants that once scattered the internet like littered candy-wrappers, identifiable aging, and modest releases over the years have proved that he may be wandering around a plain of confusion and uncertainty. It is a shame his new film, Get the Gringo, has gotten such a limited release, playing exclusively on DirecTV before eventually getting a wider VOD and DVD release later this year.

This is by no means a great film, but it holds up a lot better than recent action films boasting a huge actor has the lead (Taken is the prime example here) and packs in half the amount of incredulity as those as well. The story is concise and well-managed, centering around a nameless man (in the credits he's referred to as "Driver") played by Mel Gibson. He is a career criminal, with a vague history, an extensive amount of sarcasm, and a classic form of mystery plagues his character. After being nabbed by the Mexican authorities, he is thrown in a rotten, slimy prison, corrupt and dilapidated, as well as being run by shameless thugs and the occasional prostitute.

At first, Driver takes on the prison lifestyle with an iron fist. He becomes fearless, setting a fire in a market so he can steal a drug dealer's money, and even one of the best scenes in the film involves him knocking a man on a toilet unconscious before stealing his money and weaponry. He then learns that in order to move up on the prison ladder, he can't always be committing thievery and pursing the life of a determined rebel. That's where a nine year old watchmen comes in (Hernandez). As he assists Driver in teaching him the prison life, it isn't long before both of them become mixed up in a whirlwind of the same corruption ruining the prison today.

The cinematography and the overall environment deserves immediate commendable recognition. It makes a seamy place out to be seamy, and doesn't take the route of The Hangover Part II where it transforms a place into something so glum and ugly that it can't be enjoyed. Get the Gringo exists in a dirty, gritty world, and it wants to show it all.

Again, Gibson carries the film, much like he did in Jodie Foster's subpar The Beaver. Gibson resorts back to the sort of grittiness that he erected his odyssey of a career on; a man with no history in a dirty, filthy world where the only role you can play to have respect is "the bad cop." He is wonderful here, and manages to inspire a number of intriguing scenes that rarely become too comical or too unrealistic. There are many shoot-outs, but they are sometimes fun to watch. Even the car chase in the beginning is a riot.

It's a shame that Get the Gringo gets a sour run theatrically, debuting only one night in Austin, and a very secluded run on a Video on Demand service. This film is fun, non-challenging escapism that pleases because of its simplicity and action. After the mild success of Gibson's Edge of Darkness and the very underwhelming The Beaver, studios believe Mel Gibson is poison to the system. Perhaps, but let me remind you guys something; he made The Passion of the Christ - one of the most controversial and daring religious pictures in history. I believe the guy deserves more respect.

Starring: Mel Gibson and Kevin Hernandez. Directed by: Adrian Grunberg.

Which by the way was apparently the original title of the movie. But somehow they decided they had to change it. You decide which title suits the movie better. Gibson on the other hand can finally report good news. No mug shots or babbling, but a movie that actually is more than decent. Not perfect, but some very nice action scenes (movie starts off with one chase scene, that is "border-line" so to speak).

Mel Gibsons character also tries to continue a long tradition of men with no name. For a few pesos or dollars, though it's quite a lot and not just a handful. Movie has some nice dialog and it tries to stay as vague as possible, which is a good thing here. This can be good fun, if you don't think too much and too long about it