Ranchero (I) (2008) User Reviews

NEVER GET SO FAR AWAY YOU CAN'T FIND YOUR WAY BACK

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 7 August 2018]

Jesse Torrez (Roger Gutierrez) is a ranchero, son of a ranchero. He has saved up enough money to go to the big city to live. There is meets up with Tommy (Brian Eric Johnson) who has become too involved in the local scene to find his way back home. Jesse tries to help Tommy who appears nonredeemable. Jesse doesn't try to save the world, just his "Lil' Bit" (Christina Woods) of it, a young girl with secrets. Danny Trejo makes an appearance at the end of the feature. Oh, Jesse also likes to take black and white realistic somewhat gritty photos.

The film is an indie drama with a faux gritty background. It is a boring look at character and relationships. The theme of the film is that real men work long tiresome jobs and don't become bad guys.

Parental Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity. Sex talk.

Worth the Praise.

[SteveInNoHowood · 8/10 · 15 September 2008]

The first thing that really struck me as I watched this movie was how well placed the music was. I remember watching the opening scenes and every time a piece of music would start, all I could think was "That is PERFECT!"

As the movie progresses, you can tell that a lot of care and patience was put into this. The director did a great job of establishing scenes and telling the story by simply lingering on certain shots just long enough. There was no heavy-handedness here. Whatever wasn't said in the dialogue, was clearly stated by what was being seen.

I heard this film won the highest honor at Indie Fest in Anaheim, CA. After watching it, I can see why. It's been a while since I've seen an independent movie made this well, that wasn't churned out by a big studio's "independent" branch, with a big star attached. These guys know what they're doing and they've set the bar pretty high for their next film.

Completely disappointed

[psychojam · 11 March 2012]

I disagree w. the previous reviewer. As a Chicano, I really wanted to like this movie. However, there was little about this movie that I enjoy, maybe the music but this is not enough to warrant seeing this film. First off, the actor playing the lead was miscast, he was way too old to play this role. The acting was poor especially by Jesse's childhood friend. I don't think I've ever seen Danny Trejo in a worse movie. The only positive aspect of the movie was Lil Bit's character, at least she was believable. I saw this movie at the Laemmele in Encino, Ca. I was the only one in the theater! It played there 1-2 weeks and is no longer showing there. I really wish I could recommend this movie but I just can't. If you want to see an excellent independent movie, see "Miss Bala" before it disappears from the theaters.