There's not a lot to say about Get the Gringo, Payback's bloated, more violent, less stylish cousin. Gibson's unnamed career criminal, an off-brand and charmless Porter clone, crashes through the U.S.-Mexico border carrying a couple of million dollars, gets arrested by corrupt Mexican cops who pocket the cash, then ends up in the hole in prison under quickly cooked up charges.

Cue shenanigans while he hustles in the walled micro-economy that is El Pueblito, befriends a kid, and tries to avoid getting killed by a multitude of factions – including the mobster he initially stole money from.

That's it. You can probably plot it almost beat by beat from there yourself.

It's entertaining enough, and not a bad way to spend a couple of hours if you don't mind seeing people blown up, but most of what recommends it is what it doesn't do. For instance, the way the pseudo-love-interest is not a teen Latin supermodel. Or that they don't particularly try to make the Gringo likable – while he has softened up by the end of the movie, it's apparent he's an untrustworthy asshole, and the kid and his mom got lucky they ended up on his right side.

Maybe it isn't that they don't try but that they are not good at it. None of those involved have Brian Helgeland's flair for dialogue, even though they do sneak in a few good lines in there. There's nothing to define the Gringo other than his being supernaturally efficient at being a criminal: he lacks Porter's gab, his flair, his amusing sense of ethics. Without some memorable quality, the character has no character of his own. And without some character, the Gringo can't grow past being a vehicle for Gibson trying to recapture his better days – back when he didn't have to write himself a part and could count on more talented people doing it for him.

Originally published in my old blog.

#getthegringo #melgibson #peterstormare #bobgunton