Get The Gringo

I've heard Get The Gringo described as the unofficial sequel to Payback. That's about right.

As you may recall, Payback is the story of a bad man who is doublecrossed by other bad men and seeks revenge. Its advertising slogan, as I recall, was "Get ready to root for the bad guy." Its unique charm lies in the fact that its protagonist really is a bad guy, but we let that go because he's played by Mel Gibson (Also, apparently, a bad guy. But an incredibly magnetic screen presence.).

Get The Gringo begins with Gibson making a run for the border with three duffel bags full of cash, a clown costume, and an associate who's bleeding out all over his money. Gibson is very concerned. About the money.

And that's about all you need to know about this picture.

Now, I liked Payback, and the comparison was enough to get me to queue up Get The Gringo.  I'm happy to report that this newer film hits just the right tone of relentlessly amoral, yet curiously fun, scumbaggery. Gibson steals and kills and generally behaves badly, yet he does exhibit a moral core, even if it is tainted by self-centeredness: there's just enough of a flicker of a soul in there to allow us to root for him.

And the film itself, well, it's direct-to-video yet it looks like a full-budget, big screen production. The Mexican prison where Gibson finds himself has an understandable geography, recognizable citizens, and lived-in feel that makes it seem organic, and not just a studio lot. The music accentuates the action without overwhelming it. The cast, featuring a number of well-known supporting actors in crucial roles, hits its marks and sells the material. And the action set-pieces, well, let's just say some stuff blows up real good.

So it comes down to this: if you liked Payback and you can still stand to look at Mel Gibson, I think you'll find that Get The Gringo comes through. It stays true to its premise, it's utterly professional, and it delivers a scuzzily entertaining hour and a half at the movies. It worked for me.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

I pity the cold and withered heart that doesn't quicken at the very notion of a film entitled Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I can't imagine the psyche that doesn't thrill to the idea of a Timur Bekmanbetov (of Night Watch) vampire movie that combines the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, Harriett Tubman and the Underground Railroad, and the Battle of Gettysburg into a thrilling, funny, and action-packed hour and forty-five minutes of Historic Undead Battlin' Action. Why, of course Jefferson Davis was in cahoots with the Vampire Nation all along. Of course Mary Todd Lincoln used a Springfield Rifle to put silver bullets through undead foreheads. Of course Abraham Lincoln, rail-splitter in his youth, could handle a silver axe like Bruce Lee of the Frontier.

And of course Rufus Sewell, who was a marvelous villain in The Illusionist, is a 5000 year old Alpha Vampire who just wants freedom for his people. I mean, whom would you cast?

Oh, how I loved this movie. Benjamin Walker is the Young Mister Lincoln Henry Fonda only wished he could have been. Alan Tudyk, who hit a home run with Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, is the perfect is-he-or-isn't-he Stephen A. Douglas. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is, well, {sigh}.

But y'know what? A clever idea and a terrific cast only get you so far. It's all in the execution, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter succeeds beyond all expectations. This isn't a one-joke exercise in meta-irony. Rather, Bekmanbetov plays the material completely straight, creating a full-throated horror-themed action-adventure and a tribute to the ideals of the actual President who saved the Union. Somehow, this complements his film's inherent ridiculousness. As the viewer, we don't think, "Ah, how amusing. There's Lincoln working on the Gettysburg Address while fighting the undead." Rather, we think, "Wow! Look at that stuntwork! I never thought you could do that with an axe, but I do now! Lincoln is awesome!" Then he delivers the Gettysburg Address and we cry because, doggone it, it's the Gettysburg Address and we believe in it. And still, we grin because, c'mon, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

There are films out there so delightful, so unexpectedly good, that they make us want to grab our friends by the lapels and shake them until they agree to rent them. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is one of those films. See it and rejoice.