Desierto

This was a surprisingly good movie! Unlike other reviewers, I did not see the "politics" in the movie at all. The fact that the gunman was killing illegals was just part of the story line. The same guy could have been killing sorority girls and not Hispanics, and the plot would have been: serial killer attacks sorority girls. It is basically the same plot and story line of any "slasher movie"--only in this one, JDM uses .300 WinMag and not a butcher knife.

I thought the movie was well acted by Jeffery Dean Morgan and Gael Garcia as the protagonists. The dialogue was insipid at times, but the overall tension created by Morgan's character and more so, by Tracker, his dog, was excellent.

If you want to get ready for Negan in The Walking Dead (also played by Jeffery Dean) then I recommend you watch Desirio as a warm-up.

"Desierto" boasts actors that clearly have talent, the actual production of the film is decent as is the cinematography of the beautifully brutal desert. However, this film is poorly directed, predictable and shallow, and the premise is laughable--An American picks off illegal immigrants crossing off the boarder.

This film beats the audience over the head with its narrative, it tries to ignore the actual legality of illegally crossing the boarder by making the viewer feel "bad" for those doing so. Furthermore, the villain is like a caricature. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character is a stereotype. Repugnant as it is, the white man is a racist villain merely because who else would be? What is even worse, is that besides being blatant in its political motives it ambiguously paints the portrait that anyone who is opposed to illegal aliens entering an autonomous nation is akin to the racist murderer that is not even that scary but is intimidating because he is the only fool with a firearm.

In short, this movie is the most horrific film in its presentation or direction, but it is profoundly shallow while also being a film that tries to preach without preaching. Nothing is more pretentious. It is not thought provoking or provocative. A balanced film, say depicting the trials of immigrants, the oppression and violence of cartels partnered with the struggles of boarder patrol agents and the American citizens at risk along the border could have been a strong, well-rounded film that heralds the human spirit and justice over lawlessness. However, this film does not do that. It is shoddy in script, narrative, and message.

Chase movies can be a hit or miss genre - this one has exciting hit possibilities but misses on just about all the points it should score on. We know basically nothing about any of the characters - what drives them, where they are from, or quite why they do the things they do. The hapless runners are all Mexicans fleeing poverty - on their way to the USA via the 'back door' of the badlands (Donald's wall would actually have helped them!) and the Hunter...well, he's somehow just driving around the desert looking for people to murder. With him, he has his trusty dog - trained to hunt down and kill whatever his master sends him after - human or otherwise. Once the murderous chase is on you know exactly what's about to happen every bloodied step of the way.

No subtleties here, just people led to the slaughter - and so it goes, repetitively and soullessly on and on. Some nice visuals, a promising opening and a curious music score can't add any more to the threadbare script. Only a famous movie-making father (Alfonso Cuaron) could fund this, his son Jonas Cuaron's minor attempt at fame - surprisingly, this was Mexico's entry as 'best' foreign language film at 89th Acadamy Awards (must have been a very light year indeed!) Lovers of mindless excitement won't be too disappointed - thinkers can expect to be.

There isn't much of a story to this one, a man pursues a group of illegal migrants with the intention of killing all of them. There are some errors: for example, some of the migrants are wearing winter coats, despite it being said to be 120 F. Also an inconsistency: the hunter shows incredible marksmanship in the early part of the movie, yet misses closer, easier targets in the second half.

However, on the positive side, the dog is amazingly well-trained and quite entertaining in some of his actions, such as jumping into the truck through the window. And the cinematography is outstanding, some of the desert backgrounds are very well-chosen and beautiful to behold.

Moises (Gael García Bernal) is crossing the American-Mexican border with a group of other illegals. Their truck breaks down and they're walking across the desert. Moises helps those who have fallen behind. The leading group is massacred by lone gunman Sam (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Moises and the remaining survivors are pursued by Sam and his dog.

It's a simple man hunting man movie. It's basic B-movie. The premise gets on the political radar and both sides find fault in this. One should ignore trying to make a policy statement from a pulpy B-movie. That's all this is and it can't support more than that. More than anything, I would change some of the events. Moises seems to be the helpful type at first. When the dog first attacked, he should go back to help. Somebody should pick up a rock at least. He seems to be smart and calm. He should be able understand that with a dog, the gunman will track them down one by one without a doubt. Later, there is a moment when Moises abandons Adela. It may be logical but it's ill-fitting emotionally. Those are the only two scenes with which I have a problem. Otherwise, this is simple B-movie and Gael is a great actor.