Gringo

Gringo

Starring David Oyelowo, Joel Edgerton, Charlize Theron, Sharlto Copley

Directed by Nash Edgerton

The Story:
Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) is a mild-mannered middle management worker who works for his supposed friend Richard Rusk (Joel Edgerton) in the medical marijuana business.  He's a man who's lived by the rules his whole life, never making waves, and is therefore treated as a doormat from basically everyone he's ever met, including Richard and even his own wife Bonnie (Thandie Newton).

Harold travels to Mexico along with Richard and Richard's cold-hearted partner Elaine (Charlize Theron) to handle the manufacturing of the new product, and also ending a lucrative relationship with a local drug cartel.  After they head back to the states, Harold remains behind and is hunted down by the cartel, who think he's the boss of the company.  Richard then enlists his brother Mitch (Sharlto Copley) - a former mercenary - to rescue Harold and, more importantly, the secrets he knows.

The Synopsis:
Sometimes a film can become too ambitious for its own good.  It's better for a movie to be one thing and do it well than spread itself so thin with its different themes that none of the results are fully realized, and the film runs way too long.  Such is the issue with "Gringo," directed by Nash Edgerton (brother of star Joel Edgerton) - a film that tries to be a dark comedy, action thriller, kidnapping caper and dramatic art-house piece that also tries to deliver a message of morality in a way that's been done many times before.  While some moments hit big, it doesn't make up for the overly long, overly padded, overly lengthy premise that should've been cut by at least half an hour.

The film is benefited by an outstanding cast, including David Oyelowo (far removed from his role as Martin Luther King Jr. in "Selma") as Harold, the Joe-everyman who is trying to do right by his wife, who naively believes his boss is his friend, and basically serves as the film's punching bag.  He's maintained a low profile all through his life, never making waves, and believing that good will always prevail over evil.  To that end, Oyelowo gives a great performance, but even his character becomes annoying and you just wish he would shut up.

Joel Edgerton plays Richard, the stock-character style boss who values money and wealth above everything else, especially supposed friendships.  You can almost see money symbols in his eyes throughout the entire film, and he's easily the least developed character out of everyone.

Charlize Theron has this magical ability to play all kinds of roles, and becomes someone who isn't type-cast.  She can headline epic action films ("Mad Max: Fury Road"), Oscar-winning dramatic pieces ("Monster"), and here she unleashes her dark comedic acting chops in a role that steals the show, playing a no-nonsense, no-holds-barred boss who uses her sexuality to achieve her goals, and who wins at any cost.  Out of everyone, her performance is the best and one I actually wouldn't mind seeing get her own spin-off film.

Sharlto Copley - best known for his role in the amazing "District 9" - plays Mitch Rusk, Richard's brother who was a mercenary but now does humanitarian work, who is hired by Richard to bring Harold home.  He doesn't get as much screen time as he deserves, but he also gives a great performance.

Then there's the throw-away characters, the roles that could've been cut entirely and not have the film be affected.  Thandie Newton plays Harold's wife, who holds her own secrets (basically, you could tell what kind of secrets she's keeping from the first moment you see her).  Amanda Seyfried and Harry Treadaway star as young lovers who also go to Mexico to get the drugs that Richard's company is producing(Tradaway's character is anyway, Seyfriend is just along for the ride and is totally oblivious to her boyfriend's desires).  Seyfried's character - who of course is named Sunny - is Harold's only friend, the only character in the film who treats him as a human being, but ultimately her role is totally unnecessary.  Then there's a special cameo by Paris Jackson - Michael Jackson's daughter - who seemingly just appears in the film to say "I'm Paris Jackson and I can star in a movie!"  If all these roles were cut or diminished, the film could've been more tight and therefore had more purpose, but with all their stories thrown into the mix, it only adds to the confusion.

As I said before, "Gringo" tries to be too many things.   It tries to be a dark comedy as we see Harold and Mitch's misadventures in Mexico, along with Elaine's stone-cold deadpan humor, as she gives filter-free commentary on things she sees (she asks a Mexican man if he's ever heard of condoms when she sees pictures of his multiple children).  It tries to be an action thriller as Harold must evade the cartel and also hidden threats from within.  It tries to be a kidnapping caper as Harold is taken, and a dramatic art-house piece in dealing with Harold's inner demons.  Finally, it tries to deliver a morality message about the importance of staying true to yourself and that the good guys will always win and the bad guys will always loose, but in the end the only thing we loose is almost two hours in a film that could've been ninety minutes and been better for it.

The Summary:
Even though the film boasts a strong cast, "Gringo" is weighed down by having it want to be too many things, making it too long with too many interconnecting stories that don't go anywhere.

The Score: C