Get the Gringo (2012)

A career criminal nabbed by Mexican authorities is placed in a tough prison where he learns to survive with the help of a young boy.

Director:

Adrian Grunberg (as Adrian Grünberg)

Writers:

Mel Gibson, Stacy Perskie

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Kevin Balmore, Daniel Giménez Cacho

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mel Gibson	...	Driver
Kevin Balmore	...	Kid (as Kevin Hernandez)
Daniel Giménez Cacho	...	Javi
Jesús Ochoa	...	Caracas
Dolores Heredia	...	Kid's Mom
Peter Gerety	...	Embassy Guy
Roberto Sosa	...	Carnal (as Roberto Sosa Martinez)
Peter Stormare	...	Frank
Mario Zaragoza	...	Vasquez
Gerardo Taracena	...	Romero
Dean Norris	...	Bill
Tenoch Huerta	...	Carlos (as Tenoch Huerta Mejia)
Fernando Becerril	...	Prison Director
Scott Cohen	...	Frank's Lawyer
Bob Gunton	...	Thomas Kaufman

Storyline

Heading toward the Mexican border, a getaway driver disguised as a clown and his wounded accomplice try to escape the American Police with a loot of over $2 million hidden in the trunk of the car. In a desperate attempt to break through the thick border fence, the driver crashes the car, the accomplice dies and he inevitably gets apprehended by Mexican Police officers Romero and Vasquez who want the money just for themselves. As the only American inmate in the infamous "El Pueblito" Mexican prison, which resembles more of a small village of convicts rather than a usual prison, the driver quickly gets the nickname "The Gringo" and finds out first hand how rough it is to be a stranger in the perilous world of Javi, the ruthless crime lord who runs the prison. Sooner or later, the Gringo will form an alliance with a 10-year-old kid whose peculiar immunity in this mad place will efficiently keep him alive, only to realise that in this pit, everyone knows about the $2 million. In the end, ...

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Plot Keywords:

mexican | prison | career criminal | mexico | die hard scenario | 

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Taglines:

The odds are against him. So is everyone else.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language, some drug use and sexual material

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [UK]

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

22 June 2012 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Filming Locations:

Brownsville, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Airborne Productions, Burk A Project, Estudios Churubusco Azteca S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While filming on location in Veracruz, Mexico, Mel Gibson learned that an elderly Mexican extra was suffering from cancer. Gibson got the man a visa by writing to the American ambassador, and then personally arranged for him to be flown to an alternative cancer therapist in Arizona.

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Goofs

The spoons on the two grenades had blue coloring. Blue indicates a training/dummy grenade.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Clown: I need a doctor!
Driver: I'll get you a vet, you son of a bitch! You should'a shot him first!
Bill: [over radio] We've got two clowns heading south on Wall 51, four miles from the border.
Driver: And stop bleeding on my money!
Bill: [over radio] All units be advised, suspects are armed and dangerous.
Driver: [Clown vomiting blood] What the fuck?
Driver: [narration] Well, hello boys and girls. there's nothing worse than a sad clown. Unless it's a clown bleeding internally and coughing it all over your money.

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Connections

References Hostel (2005)

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Soundtracks

Driver Sets Fire
Written and performed by Antonio Pinto

User Reviews

The Mel Gibson vehicle we've all been waiting for!

With Mel Gibson doing himself no favors in the public media over the last six years, GET THE GRINGO is a much-needed reminder of why we loved him so much for the twenty years prior to his scandalous headlines. While it was greatly refreshing to see Gibson on screen again in EDGE OF DARKNESS and THE BEAVER after an overbearing eight year absence, GET THE GRINGO does the best of capturing everything we truly loved about Gibson's performances: charm, wit, humor, edge. The script by Gibson, director Adrian Grunberg and producer Stacey Persky is an original and tight balance of humor, edge, and danger that can very easily be considered an unofficial sequel to the theatrical cut of Gibson's cult favorite, PAYBACK. While the character of GRINGO's Driver never reveals his actual name, he possesses a lot of the same qualities as PAYBACK's Porter, including a U.S. military tattoo, a chain-smoking habit, sticky fingers, an iron jaw, and a penchant for bloodshed. Grunberg's direction is also solid with an obvious love for Sam Peckinpah paraded throughout.

For those of us who endured so many years of understandable negativity towards Gibson for his personal troubles, GET THE GRINGO is the film we've long awaited. It's truly a shame this film won't be seen wide in the U.S. It would've been a better comeback vehicle than EDGE OF DARKNESS was meant to be. GET THE GRINGO practically screams, "Remember me? I'm still here, and I still got it!"

But if one thing is certain in the age of home entertainment, it is that every good film gets discovered by an audience. Sooner or later...