When I first got the press release about a world-premiere screening of a new Mel Gibson movie called Get the Gringo, I wondered for a second if this was going to be about Eric Volz (the son of former 77s drummer, Jan Volz). His book is called Gringo Nightmare. I’ve blogged about his plight in prison South of the US border.
By reading the plot synopsis, I quickly learned that this was not that story. This one was originally titled How I Spent My Summer Vacation, which is as funny as the final title. This was an event sponsored by Ain’t It Cool’s Harry Knowles, who did a marvelous job as emcee as it were and Q&A moderator. I like what he said about the film before it started. He mentioned how much he loved the film and how excited he was about hosting this premiere. “There are seven places in the film that I’m dying to the see crowd reaction to,” he explained.
When I was watching the movie, I would hold up a finger to my wife sitting next to me to keep a count of the scenes I guessed were on Harry’s list of seven. I think I held up my first finger after the prison shoot-out or the fingers being cut off scene. I can’t remember. The seven piled up and were pretty obvious, I think. The footage was graphic and comedic.
Overall, it was a loveable movie that shows Mel as a career criminal caught in Mexico after a bank robbery. He’s being chased in a car he’s driving with a clown mask on. He sees a dirt hill by the wall that would serve as a good launching ramp and he does a high-speed turn-around so as to approach it. This opening sequence is pretty exciting, as they’re pushing 100+ mph on a dirt surface. His car takes the jump and flies through the wall, but it’s a gnarly crash and he is captured and taken to a crazy, fascinating and other-wordly Mexican prison.
There were/are prisons like this, where the criminals would set up little cities, with family members living in apartments with them. The crazy, corrupt system has its own government and you see Mel bond with a young kid that’s being held close for a future organ transplant/forced donor situation with the local leader of the prison gang. The guy’s a great, evil villain that’s easy to hate.
Mel’s confidence and slight-of-hand expertise is fun to watch. As with most of his films, Gibson’s character is a flawed hero.
It’s got a lot of action and a dramatic tale that’s fun to watch unravel. It’s interesting that this film is going straight to … DirecTV. Very interesting. Hopefully, it’ll get watched by millions and be considered a success. I liked it. Mel’s best? Not really, but certainly not one that requires a leap of affection or so bizarre that it fades into the chronicles of “best movie” lists, like Apocalypto. (I don’t know…does anyone think that was a great film? I liked that one, but I file it under weird.) I think Get the Gringo, with its Tarantino-esque style, brutal comedy and Mel’s vengeance killing make this one I wouldn’t mind seeing a few more times.
The Q&A was funny and informative, where they talked about “maggot bags” and “nerf guts” being used to simulate brains being blown apart by bullets, explosions, etc. Mel also talked a bit about the movie he just finished a third re-write on the screenplay for a new movie about vikings. That should be awesome.
Comments