by Raven Kross:
For the first forty minutes or so, I was wondering why the heck this movie was in the horror section. It starts out with two brothers, Seth and Richard, notorious criminals who are trying to get into Mexico. Seth is played by George Clooney and is the more level headed one, the responsible thinker. Quentin Tarantino co-wrote the film and also plays Richard, the impulsive, somewhat disturbed younger brother. Together they kidnap a former priest and his two children, who are on a road trip, and force them to bring them over the border. It’s a pretty typical criminal movie–up until the fugitives arrive at a Mexican bar and discover a terrible secret. I won’t spoil the surprise, but trust me, you will not see it coming.
Though I’m not very familiar with Tarantino’s work, the movie has an almost addictive quirkiness to it that seems a trademark of his. The characters are so unusual that one might think at a glance that they are something of a parody–the strong, dedicated widower father, the devout Christian daughter, and the well-meaning but impressionable teenage son. By the end of the movie, however, each of them has undergone such great character development that they are barely recognizable, which I believe is the mark of an excellent production.
The movie was made in 1996, so of course the quality and effects were hardly what they might be today, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Every decade has its hallmark film style, and those of the nineties have this look about them, something that can’t quite be described, that can’t really be imitated by any filmmaker today. You know what I’m talking about–though the film quality is not as great and the effects are mediocre at best, there’s something about the movies that somehow makes all those other things seem excusable.
The effects in this film, however, are passable, even by today’s standards. There are lots of guns involved, and later on, a lot of gore, but they pull it off fairly well. I was impressed with the obvious amount of work that went into many aspects of it, particularly the casting. The actors didn’t employ that overdramatic, unrealistic style that was so characteristic of film stars in the twentieth century. The only one who came close to it was the teenage daughter, but I believe that was a choice on the actor’s part, as she had dropped any manner of fawning or weeping by the end of the movie. It was actually quite impressive to see how every actor portrayed the changes in their characters’ dispositions.
There are very few negative things that I could think about this movie. It wasn’t perfect by a long shot, but I can think of no genuine criticisms about it. The characters all had wonderful depth, even the tough-skinned villain. The soundtrack was nearly impeccable, smoothly aiding the sudden plot twist in the middle. The dialogue contained no overdone clichés or awful one-liners, and there was obviously a lot of thought put into things we wouldn’t notice unless we were looking, such as parts of the scenery or props. Overall, it’s an excellent film with a supremely original plot, and it is definitely worth a watch.
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