A Night in Old Mexico

Robert Duvall is my favorite actor of all time but not even he could save this miserable script, poor directing and amateur cinematography. Other than Duvall, the other actors are worse than you would see in any high school play. The script is probably the worst I have ever seen produced. There are at least 30 scenes that were imitations from other, real films. Of course, they were very poorly executed. There were plot holes at every turn and others that just didn't make sense. I didn't bother to research but I cannot fathom how this train wreck got produced. I felt sorry for Duvall throughout the whole film. His performance was definitely not Oscar worthy and my mind drifted off, wondering if he has financial problems that would have led him to participate in this amateur endeavor. I have honestly seen much better productions from film schools.

A Night in Old Mexico is a sweet little tale about a down-and-out and bitter old-timer who goes on a trip to Mexico and finds new purpose in life after getting his hands on a young exotic dancer and some dirty drug money. If that sounds a little naïve and trite, it's because it is. But Robert Duvall has always had a strange ability to add validity to almost anything, no matter how mediocre the circumstances, and so he does here as well. The supposed weighty material in the movie, such as the relationship between Duvall and his grandson (played by Jeremy Irvine), or such as the existential themes in the script, always stay just a little short of poignant, but at least the filmmakers want to make them felt, even if they're not quite able to convey it. And when the drama isn't quite working, there's just enough humour in here to cover it up.

In true Hollywood form, viewers are supposed to not know that Joshua trees and mountains do not exist in south Texas but that those driving scenes were shot in the high desert of California. The film jumped from Texas to California and back in the same scene.

When Duvall tries to shoot himself the hammer is seen on half-cock where the cylinder can be spun (he actually spins it but does not full-cock it) but not shot from. But a split-second later he sends a bullet through the barn door.

The Mexico signs upon entering Mexico are hilarious. The first one says ESTADO DE Mexico (Mexico is in all caps on the sign too)(the state next to Mexico City) and the following one says MORELOS, which is also in central Mexico. Neither is on the border.

Lotsa laughs but gimme a break with insulting our knowledge of geography.

The story begins with an old Texan having to leave the ranch he has lived in his whole life, at the same moment he is suddenly introduced to a grandson he has never met before. They go off on a jaunt to Mexico where they end up hooking up with another lost soul, a singing stripper. Complicating matters considerably is the fact that they have inadvertently come into possession of a bag containing $150,000 - some violent criminals pursue them for this.

The chief draw of A Night in Old Mexico is the presence of veteran actor Robert Duvall. He certainly shows here that he still remains a very capable actor. It's a pity then that this film doesn't have a stronger storyline for Duvall to work off. It's effectively an odd couple movie, with a crime strand underpinning it. The first part works to a certain extent – Duvall's acting is good and the dialogue is often well written – but the dynamics between the three characters often seem a little forced, in particular it's quite hard really believing in the motivations of the Latina stripper character. The crime story, while fairly generic, does offer some potential excitement but it doesn't necessarily play out in such a way as to actually provide too much. Perhaps this is a good thing in some respects as it means that the film is maybe taking a different course to what you might typically expect. Whatever the case, the criminals operate in the background of the story and bump one and other off and they never really seem to pose that much of a threat to our heroes, which does dissipate the potential tension this could have created.

The location used by the story was pretty interesting though. The story takes place during the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday celebration. The purpose of which is to gather people together to pray for and remember friends and family who have died. This of course parallels the storyline of the film itself really well. Not only this but the strange skull-like masks worn by the townspeople as part of this celebration make for a somewhat memorable backdrop to proceedings, giving the film a nice distinctive feeling in this area. It's the specifically Mexican flavours that for the most part offer the best things about this flick.

A Night in Old Mexico was well-received in its North American Premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. Some of our great actors age poorly and take easy money making roles (such as Robert DeNiro in Last Vegas and the Meet the Parents series), but Robert Duvall is still doing some serious acting. In A Night in Old Mexico, he plays a character that is likely not that different from himself. He plays a crazy old Texan united with his wayward grandson and looking to have a last thrill ride in south of the border. In some ways, the role is reminiscent of Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman. The thrill ride takes a few unbelievable twists and turns, but it is still enjoyable to see how much spunk the old fellow still has. I'm not sure this will get much of a wide release, but if you have a chance check it out. Duvall remains a worthwhile entertaining old curmudgeon in old Mexico.