Get the Gringo (2012)

I feel like I have to qualify every review I make of a Mel Gibson film, so yes, he is an awful, crazy person, but oh man was this an great movie! Mel is a nameless getaway driver on the run with two million in cash, who is arrested by Mexican police within the first two minutes of the film and thrown into jail where he schemes to escape and recover his money. The story and main character have a hard-boiled, lean efficiency that's enthralling, and both also have a nasty violent edge that may not be to the tastes of all viewers (blood and guts Mel co-wrote and produced the film), but much of this is played for for comedy. I really don't want to ruin any of the story beyond the set-up, but Mel uses his wits, charms, guns, and fists to survive a prison like you've never seen. "Edge of Darkness" was somewhat of a return to action for Mel, but this film is undeniably a return to the giddy violent action of "Lethal Weapon" or "Payback", which this film could easily have been a sequel (Mel's character at one point references a partner double crossing him with his wife). Strangely, Mel chose not to release the film theatrically in the US and decided to show it Video-On-Demand instead, but I can kind of see his reasoning, as there are some pretty rough non-Hollywood elements in the film that you would certainly never see in most mainstream action films. Overall, if you're in the mood for "Payback" by way of "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia", then this is the film for you!

Get The Gringo or How I Spent My Summer Vacation as it says on my DVD (2012)Plot In A Paragraph: A career criminal (Gibson) nabbed by Mexican authorities is placed in a tough prison where he learns to survive with the help of a young boy.I enjoyed a lot of this movie.especially Mel's Clint Eastwood impression. After grieving parent in Edge Of Darkness and slightly mad in The Beaver, sGibson brings all the things he does best charm, wit, humour and a dangerous edge to his character. I also seen a lot of similarities between his character in this and Porter in Payback (also the last time he did a voice over) although I never bought his relationship with the kids mother. He had a closer bond with the kid. This was my first time watching this and I was reminded a lot of Prison Break season 3 watching this. I enjoyed it.I never realised Gibson wrote and produced this movie. It was released (for reasons unknown) VOD at the last minute in the US.

The movie sure presents unique new things to learn especially about the supposedly corrupt Mexican prison and law enforcement system and also the street smarts someone's got to have if he/she wishes to survive in it. I really like how the production design helped so much in presenting the world needed to depict this story. It gets the world presented to be both colorful and very nastily dirty at the same time. The story got some curious thing sat first that could really incite interest. But as it develops, it surely seen that it only focuses on the driver character and the kid, without even explain enough on the characters like Frank and even Kaufman. This made this lot of the last one-third of this movie feel unconnected to the rest of the story built thus far. The acting overall is a so-so for me. Mel Gibson didn't hit it quite right to his character, which was portrayed on the border of being either a sanguine or a calm and calculated person. For me it's a long way from what I've seen from him in his more serious action roles like in The Patriot or even Braveheart. Kevin Hernandez and Dolores Heredia did enough to keep their characters afloat for the story.

All the reviews I read about this movie were amazing. People rant and rave about it, but I don't get it. The storyline is nothing new it was just the typical bland action film to me. The premise where an American gets thrown into a foreign jail has been done before, and done better. Maybe I'm missing the point... Was it supposed to be a comedy? I was bored honestly...I thought Mel Gibson's character was cheesy and the fight scene where he was throwing bombs made me laugh. It was totally predictable and unrealistic.. Usually I come on here and trust the reviews but I have to say I totally disagree on this one, I turned it off half way through.