Gringo

Synopsis:  Chicago pharmaceutical company management employee. Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo), gets wind that he may be about to be shafted by his boss and supposed best friend, Richard (Edgerton) with the encouragement of the company’s co-president Elaine (Charlize Theron). On a business trip to Mexico he decides to get his revenge by faking his kidnapping but then he’s really kidnapped. And kidnapped again. And again.

Australian brothers Nash and Joel Edgerton last collaborated, as director and co-writers respectively, on The Square (2008) a Coen-esque crime movie with a nifty Antipodean flavour. It was Nash’s debut and remains his only feature film (he’s directed some Bob Dylan videos amongst other things since). This time with Joel as one of the main players they go much more mainstream Hollywood in this reasonably diverting action comedy

The main driver of the film is its convoluted plot that involves multiple kidnappings, Mexican drug cartels, corporate mergers and a diverse roster of shady characters whose paths keep crossing.  Just following the plot is about all you can do in this revolving door situation as Harold becomes the hostage of now one set of kidnappers now another, things go from bad to worse and the bodies stack up.

The cast, which in addition to those already mentioned include Amanda Seyfried, Thandie Newton and Sharlto Copley is top drawer but for the genre the action is relatively underwhelming and the comedy is not sharp enough. A running joke about the Beatles, for instance, is too hip for its own good. The always compelling Theron, at the opposite end of the scale to her post-partum frump in the currently screening Tully, supplies some spice as as a man-eating corporate bitch even if Elaine is a completely implausible character. Copely is also entertaining as Richard’s brother, Mitch, a reformed mercenary who is sent by Richard to extract Harold. On the other hand a sub-plot involving Harry Treadaway as a drug mule with girlfriend Sunny (Seyfried) in tow is no more than glancingly touched on.

The script written by Anthony Tambakis and Matthew Stone from a story by Stone is very much in the screen-writing 101 style and it is no surprise to learn that Tambakis is a former Professor of Creative Writing.  It’s a clever melding of familiar elements (although I could not make sense of the final Tarantino-esque shoot-out which involves Harold, Mitch and third shooter, played by Yul Vazquez), delivered with professionalism by Edgerton and featuring all-round solid performances. That’s certainly entertaining material enough even if it's no more than that.

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