Film review: Gringo (2018)

We saw the trailer for this and took it to be a balls to the wall comedy about kidnapping and money. Mind you, we saw it before watching Game Night, so we were a little excited at the prospect of comedy. Was it what we thought? Was it good entertainment? Let’s find out as we play review the movie:

This feels like a little film with big help - Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, Cameron Fry - sorry, Michael Ruck, Sharlto Copley. But the focus of the story is hapless Harold, played brilliantly by David Oyelowo (you may know him from such films as Selma (and of course Kallus in Star Wars Rebels). His day starts out shit and gets so much worse, and you have to feel for the guy who is painted as the most innocent and naiive boy on the planet - until much later in the movie when you find out why he’s trying to be such a good boy. In turns funny, relatable and possessing much more personal integrity that me, Harold brings some much-needed pathos to what may otherwise have been a bit of an almost-funny comedy.

There are many themes at work, and not all of them are huge Hollywood Oscar bait for a change. In a dramedy this small, it works. We have loyalty - who can you trust? Who is really on your side, and who is just thinking of themselves? We have survival - for some that’s money, power, position. For others that’s literally trying to stay alive. Then we have Harold. He seems to stand for something, and his speech later on about how he could have more moral flexibility but refuses to turn out like a family member is an eye-opener. Funny it may be, but it’s also a statement of the world today. Sunny, the unassuming extra in all this, has faith that the world may be fucked but there are nice people in it, and this is a nice sentiment in the middle of a murder attempt / kidnapping in Mexico.

The story is a twisty one that you need to keep up with - alliances will shift, people will turn on others, and the fluidity of what’s going on keeps you watching. Although it felt like a bit long at times, the ending was certainly a good payoff for so many reasons, and the famous faces dotted about are refreshing.

There were a few great moments in it that were definitely more for black comedy than for shock value; sudden actions, some surprise fates, and more than a few brilliant moments of irony or dialogue really made us giggle or gasp in wonder. Although some parts may have been a little predictable, the whole package was overall fun and also wickedly funny in places.

Verdict: 7/10; a good laugh at times while also showing some wonderful moments of pathos by David Oyelowo, this sometimes felt a little long. However, still definitely worth watching if you like underdogs.

And that’s a wrap - until the next time.

Soopytwist.