Mercury Plains (2016)

Mitch Davis (Scott Eastwood) has nothing going for him in Wilson Co., Texas. He borrows his step-father's black SUV and heads across the border with a friend only to find himself in trouble. He gets recruited by "The Captain" (Nick Chinlund) to be part of private law enforcement group which we quickly figure out is something akin from a Dicken's novel as Fagin, er uh The Captain teaches them their trade.Scott Eastwood doesn't have a lot of lines which was good because he didn't do that well on the ones he had. The action was slow to build and then quickly over. I would expect this film to be discounted quickly or on a multi-pack within a year. Far more drama than action.Guide: F-bomb, sex. No nudity.

I thought this could be an interesting enjoyable exciting movie. But it was a disappointment. Especially the end of the film was unnecessary protracted. You have to watch so much minutes without action.I had a notion that the action parts of the movie were very dilettante. A group of children without any plan and skills did some dangerous things. Normally they would have no chance against anybody with this kind of behavior.The guy Mitch had often such a meaningless facial expression. I don't know what I should feel about this sparing of words guy.All in all it was a boring movie without good action parts and I think the story could be told in much less time. The story could be told in circa 70 minutes.

"Mercury Plains" is one of those films that in order to succeed just needed fifteen rewrites of the script, at least, to become something truly good or more than just watchable. But nope. This is just like the junk food industry: fast, simple, cheap, somewhat digestible, never healthy or sustainable but it works to some, though the real thing never convinces. With a more experienced writer this is the kind of plot that could work easily but here someone is making us force to use our suspension of disbelief to the max, and that's just wrong. Scott Eastwood plays a troubled guy with no prospects in life who runs away to Mexico along with a friend to get some cheap fun and thrills. Somehow, he gets recruited by a man called "The Captain" (played by Nick Chinlund, quite okay) who runs a paramilitary group who fights drug cartels. The group is formed by teens, kids and weird types who barely know to use a gun, but they're the ones taking over the place of the real cops and making things right. And as usual things go south, things are not what they appear and Scott is gonna be the real hero of the situation.Effortless in action, mildly interesting scenes (the final conflict was good but the result from it was a real mess. Epic plot hole). If the idea of the movie is to serve as a pamphlet to paramilitary groups to deal with the drug problem in Mexico, then we're in big trouble, boy. Just goes to show that amateurish folks acting as if being real law enforcements, fighting against real dangers, cannot succeed in any way (unless those groups opposing their own governments in Latin American nations during many military coups between the 1960's and the 1980's. They had some powerful effects against organized movements).A passable movie due to Chinlund's usual and nice effort as a villain; and Eastwood providing a suitable heroic look even though he's taking too much out of his daddy (silence and expression) and not doing anything creative. There's still time for him to become a real good actor. Except for the fore-mentioned reasons, some scenes here and there, "Mercury Plains" is just for desperate curious minds but you can go without it. 5/10

MERCURY PLAINS is the tale of Mitch (Scott Eastwood), a young man without a cause, stuck in a dead end town off in nowhere, Texas. When a friend suggests they take an impromptu trip to Mexico to shake things up, Mitch shrugs and rolls along. But after his friend bails on him, Mitch finds himself in league with a mysterious man known as "The Captain," the leader of a paramilitary group of children and teens. The Captain offers the chance for purpose and fortune, an offer that a lost Mitch can't find reason to refuse.THE SETTING: The desolate Mexican desert is shot beautifully. It provides the perfect backdrop for Mitch's journey for self -- it often feels like the desert goes on and on without clear landmarks to orient yourself, which for Mitch, is a lot what his life looks like at this point in time.THE CAPTAIN: Without spoiling too much, just know that this character is a fascinating one. Though he'd have Mitch believe they're very much alike, he's more accurately a foil: The Captain is one to wax poetic, while Mitch would rather stand back, observe, and listen. Mitch displays an inner noble need to help people, even if he doesn't always know how to express it, whereas The Captain says he has the boys' best interest at heart, but...well, you'll just have to watch and see.GENRE: It's not an out-and-out actioner, it's not TAKEN, and it's not your typical shoot 'em up western pic either -- it's not trying to be any of those. The Eastwood name and the modern western setting may lead to you to believe it's going to be a certain kind of film, but if you allow yourself to experience it at its own pace, what you'll find is the story of a lost boy -- a young man wandering the desert, adrift in life -- who's handed a gun and given a mission, which forces him to reassess his own values and what's important to him. IN SUMMARY: The movie's methodical pace is a reflection of Mitch's own approach to life, an approach that by the end is jarred loose and shaken to its core -- the best action sequences of the film build and explode as we near the finish line. His journey raises questions of ambition and power, of self-identity, of mob mentality -- all of which he has to face down and wrestle with himself.MERCURY PLAINS takes its time, embraces the slow burn, and bucks the trends of its genre. So if you like your western action flicks with a little more meat on the bones, you should give this one a shot.