Who knew David Oyelowo had jokes. Known for his dramatic roles, he’s given a rare opportunity to show-off his comedy chops in Gringo. Director Nash Edgerton (The Square) lets Oyelowo lead a crazy, cynical cast of characters down in to Mexico where we’re going to find out what he’s made of. Unsteady and unsurprising, Gringo is still a fun crime lark that’s spiteful while laughing at itself. I’d imagine most of it can be attributed to top-tier talents not giving a fuck and letting loose.
Harold (Oyelowo) is a nice, compassionate guy who follows the rules, never causing any trouble for anyone. But, within this poisonous plot, being a good guy ain’t a good look. He’s middle management at a pharmaceutical company and his boss/friend, Peter (Joel Edgerton being a huge dickhead and loving every moment), has a ton of secrets. Only his partner and sleeping buddy Elaine (Charlize Theron as a blue-ribbon bitch) knows what’s going on. Well, more than most.
Harold’s employer’s future is a marijuana pill, which is why he makes trips across the southern border to begin with. What Harold doesn’t know is Peter and Elaine have a deal with Villegas (Carlos Corona), a Beatles loving crime-boss of a Mexican drug cartel. And, he unfortunately has found out he’s no longer a part of that deal. So, Peter and Elaine’s problem becomes one more for Harold, and he already has a stockpile of those.
Besides ending up getting kidnapped, his wife (Thandie Newton) is cheating on him, he’s about to lose his job, and his buddy Peter is willing to let him die in Mexico. A very good indicator for that last one would be when Peter calls his brother Mitch (the constant offbeat Sharlto Copley) who knows a thing or two about getting rid of someone. Oh, and Harold can’t stop running in to a lousy rocker wannabe (Harry Treadaway) who is seduced by Michael Jackson’s daughter in to taking a trip down to Mexico to grab some contraband. And, lucky for his girlfriend (Amanda Seyfried), she gets to go with him thinking it’ll be a romantic getaway. Ha!
Granted, it sounds like a cluster of chaos and it is. Edgerton doesn’t quite have his grip tight enough on it all and Gringo gets a little sloppy as a result. He really tries to wrap it all up nicely by the end, but the flaws aren’t forgotten. Anyhow, he keeps things moving, garnering your attention elsewhere and it’s quite necessary.
Where you get your money’s worth is with Oyelowo’s delightful drollery as a guy way in over his head. We always hear about good guys finishing last, and that’s squarely what Gringo is built on. Harold is absolutely in last place, but underestimating him would be a dumb move. Plus, we always have time to watch a few assholes get what they deserve.
“Nature Boy” Brandon Vick is the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter@SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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