Gringo (2018)

Review

110min

Genre:       Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller

Director:    Nash Edgerton

Cast:         David Oyelowo, Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton…and more

Writers:     Anthony Tambakis and Matthew Stone

-Synopsis-

When an honest and unsuspecting struggling businessman is sent to Mexico by his corrupt bosses to close a deal that will revolutionise the pharmaceutical industry, he gets caught up in a war between big business and the local drug lords when his own best-laid plans take a turn—in this outrageous crime-comedy and second feature film from stuntman-turned-director Nash Edgerton.

Having forged a career as a cinematic jack-of-all-trades both in front of and behind the camera—including an extensive stunt career often doubling for his movie star sibling—director and Aussie cinema stalwart Nash Edgerton reunites with his younger brother Joel Edgerton, while teaming up with screenwriters Anthony Tambakis (Warrior, Jane Got a Gun) and Matthew Stone (Life, Intolerable Cruelty) and joining forces with Amazon studios, for this Aussie-American produced black comedy take on the classic American tale of crime and corruption . . . and the dark side of the American dream.

David Oyelowo stars as Nigerian-American everyman ‘Harold Soyinka’, a middle-manager at a shifty pharmaceutical company looking to corner the market with their patented Marihuana pill, run by the arrogant and manipulative ‘Richard Rusk’ (Joel Edgerton) and the brash and politically incorrect ‘Elaine Markinson’ (Charlize Theron). With his marriage to ‘Bonnie’ (Thandie Newton) on the rocks and his bosses conducting dodgy business south of the border, Harold soon finds himself the target of Mexican drug cartels and other shady characters—but this honest John has ideas of his own . . . which may get him into more trouble than he bargained for.

For all the madness and comical carnage, ‘Gringo’ is at heart a classic underdog story, set in our very real modern world where nice guys finish last and cheaters often prosper, and where white collar crime and gangsterism often meet. In the middle of which our overly trusting and hapless but well-meaning and good-hearted hero is dumped—where he is rudely awakened from an immigrant’s ‘American dream’ by the harsh realities of ruthless corporate America, and the even darker world of the Mexican drug cartels.

‘Gringo’ is no doubt an edgy and somewhat gritty madcap comedy of errors, with bad people scrambling for position in escalating situations, and a couple of good ones caught in the middle. The action isn’t particularly elaborate or non-stop, but it does pick up in the third act and serves the narrative appropriately, and features a fair bit of bloody graphic violence too. But it’s always balanced out by the comedy, which is occasionally physical and outrageous, and through Theron’s character often deliberately inappropriate and politically incorrect—yet it seems to be too aware of the current social climate and never truly commits to its intent, thereby falling flat much of the time.

The plot and the pace of the film however are another story. All over the place, meandering unnecessarily while offering little payback for the detours and often killing the story’s momentum and having to start again—on the way to a solid third act and a satisfying and righteous albeit predictable conclusion, with more than a few echoes of 1994’s ‘The Shawshank Redemption’.

The accomplished cast is generally underused and given underdeveloped middling characters to work with, neither terrible or outrageous enough to really hate, nor complex enough to sympathise with, leaving the audience not really caring about their fate and only moderately enjoying their contribution. Only Oyelowo makes a real impact while carrying the film with a performance that’s full of heart, but is at its best when the British star hilariously plays up to his Nigerian heritage, in classic fish-out-of-water style.

It’s not that ‘Gringo’ is a complete failure as madcap crime-comedy—it’s not. The disappointment lies in the fact that it promises much more but then relegates an interesting premise and unique narrative elements to just background for a film which is not fully committed to either. Painting a conveniently unflattering one-dimensional picture of Mexico and its people, while delivering a mediocre action/comedy which would have worked better if it embraced its ridiculous nature—rather than pushing a half-hearted attempt at character depth and a moral message . . . often at the expense of story and spectacle.

The Bottom Line…

Neither consistently funny enough to make for a memorable madcap comedy nor substantial enough to be anything more, ‘Gringo’ struggles to corral a messy plot, overt moral messaging and a genre-straddling narrative and produce something slick and impressive, but just about holds up thanks to some genuinely hilarious moments of madness and a sterling performance from its star.

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