What do you do for an hour and 50 minutes when a film gives you absolutely no one to root for? That is the question you will be asking yourself about the release of the latest Amazon film, Gringo. Gringo is a story about Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) who works for Cannabax Technologies. Harold is possibly the most pathetic person in the universe. His wife is cleaning him out of $20,000 that he doesn’t have while having an affair with his boss, his job doesn’t respect him, and his boss is his only friend and well…you know. So when Harold is sent to Mexico for business he realizes how bad his life is and decides to fake a ransom for millions only to find out that there is no policy for his life…oops.
The #1 problem with watching this film is that they make EVERY character in the movie so cartoonishly unlikable it gives you nobody to connect with or care for. So you spend 70% of the film trying to sympathize with a guy who is just pushover and that is the greatest disconnect with the audience. Gringo goes to show you that great actors can’t overcome bad writing. There is no reason a film with David Oyelowo, Charlize Theron, and Sharlto Copley should be this disappointing. There are also side plots in the story that are simply not needed such as the Amanda Seyfried plot of going to Mexico to smuggle a drug back to analyze it but like many others, it just doesn’t go anywhere.
This is an Amazon Studios film and what you are seeing, especially this week is there are many films out that simply aren’t worth major releases. Gringo is simply a film better suited for Amazon Prime, but even then you probably won’t enjoy it much.
1/5
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