Gringo *** (2018, Joel Edgerton, Charlize Theron, David Oyelowo, Sharlto Copley, Thandie Newton, Melonie Diaz, Amanda Seyfried, Harry Treadaway, Theo Taplitz) – Movie Review

Director Nash Edgerton’s strong and robust dark-toned action comedy thriller has an admirable ensemble cast, but eventually focuses mainly on David Oyelowo as mild-mannered businessman Harold ‘Harry’ Soyinka, who has a life-or-death battle of survival after he crosses the line to become a wanted criminal in Mexico.

Joel Edgerton and Charlize Theron have a field day of hilarious rough acting as Richard Rusk and Elaine Markinson, his back-stabbing business colleagues back home, and Sharlto Copley joins in in the same exuberant spirit as Mitch Rusk, the morally conflicted black-ops mercenary who may or may not help Harry, well probably not, or is that maybe?

If there is rough acting, there is also rough writing (by Anthony Tambakis and Matthew Stone), and the déjà vu screenplay comes complete with run-of-the-mill clichés about dodgy criminals in Mexico and scary local drug lords. But the whole ramshackle movie somehow steers itself along it powered-up overdrive for what seems like an epic length of 110 minutes and gets back on the road every time it drives off. Somehow also, it remains fun and likeable, a shade disreputable, but fun and likeable. I have to say that some of the jokes are great and much of the action is tremendous.

Cast and directed by his brother, it is noticeable that Joel Edgerton is much more comfortable here than in Red Sparrow. Theron seems to be slumming. Admittedly she’s great, but she needs classier work as well. Thandie Newton, Melonie Diaz, Amanda Seyfried, Harry Treadaway and Theo Taplitz are all largely wasted in under-written roles. This is where one more re-write would have profited enormously. The current script has problems handling so many main characters. It is a regular problem in ensemble movies.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Movie Review

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