Gringo (2018)

GRINGO, a dark comedy mixed with white-knuckle action and dramatic intrigue, explores the battle of survival for businessman Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) when he finds himself crossing the line from law-abiding citizen to wanted criminal.

Director:

Nash Edgerton

Writers:

Anthony Tambakis (screenplay by), Matthew Stone (screenplay by)

Stars:

Joel Edgerton, Charlize Theron, David Oyelowo

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joel Edgerton	...	Richard Rusk
Charlize Theron	...	Elaine Markinson
David Oyelowo	...	Harold Soyinka
Thandie Newton	...	Bonnie Soyinka
Bashir Salahuddin	...	Stu
Glenn Kubota	...	Shigetoshi Yasumura
Melonie Diaz	...	Mia
Amanda Seyfried	...	Sunny
Harry Treadaway	...	Miles
Theo Taplitz	...	Justin
Paris Jackson	...	Nelly
Yul Vazquez	...	Angel Valverde
Hernán Mendoza	...	Celerino Sanchez
Hector Kotsifakis	...	Roberto Vega
Ricardo Esquerra	...	Sanchez's Brother in Law

Storyline

An exhilarating mix of dark comedy, white-knuckle action and dramatic intrigue, Gringo joyrides into Mexico, where mild-mannered businessman Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) finds himself at the mercy of his back-stabbing business colleagues back home, local drug lords and a morally conflicted black-ops mercenary. Crossing the line from law-abiding citizen to wanted criminal, Harold battles to survive his increasingly dangerous situation in ways that raise the question: Is he out of his depth - or two steps ahead?

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Plot Keywords:

american abroad | american in mexico | drug kingpin | drug cartel | drug mule | 

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Taglines:

When you're in bed with the cartel, everyone gets screwed.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

rated R for language throughout, violence and sexual content

Details

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English Spanish French

Release Date:

9 March 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gringo

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,722,420, 11 March 2018, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$4,969,853

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,001,627, 22 June 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amazon Studios,Blue-Tongue Films,Denver and Delilah Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Harold was rewritten to have a Nigerian background after David Oyelowo was cast. Oyelowo pitched director Nash Edgerton on the earnest naivety that such a character could bring.

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Goofs

When the bartender calls Black Panther to come after Harold, his phone's screen stays on, showing the actual time, instead of going blank.

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Quotes

Harold Soyinka: [Referring to Peter and Judas from the Bible] One was a man who had a crisis of faith and the other was a man who sold his soul for personal gain. So, you have to decide which one you want to be.

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Connections

Featured in Conan: Kevin Hart/Nash Edgerton (2018)

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Soundtracks

Gettin' Jiggy wit It
Written by Nile Rodgers, Samuel Barnes, James Alexander, Ben Cauley, Bernard Edwards, David Porter, Harvey Joe Henderson (as Harvey Henderson), Joey Robinson (as Joseph Robinson), Larry Charles Dodson (as Larry Dodson), Will Smith (as Willard Smith), Willie Hall, Winston Allen Stewart (as Winston Stewart)
Performed by Will Smith
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
Contains samples from "He's the Greatest Dancer"
Performed by Sister Sledge
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing
Contains Samples from "Sang and Dance"
Performed by The Bar-Kays (as Bar-Kays)
Courtesy of Concord Music Group, Inc.

User Reviews

Hilarious black comedy

Gringo (2018) is a black comedy with half a dozen tightly intertwined subplots, in which nearly everybody is out to deceive, betray, and/or cheat everybody else. The two innocents in this coterie of scoundrels are Harold (David Oyelowo, O.B.E.) and Sunny (Amanda Seyfried). Harold might more aptly be yclept Matt, as he allows everybody walk all over him, secure in the conviction that good will prevail and the just will be rewarded - although these convictions will be severely tested. All of the plots revolve about Richard (Joel Edgerton), a self-centered narcissist with a seriously defective moral compass, and his designs to cheat everybody, or their designs to reciprocate.

None of the characters is particularly likeable, although many are the type of intriguing villains one loves to hate. Unfortunately, this also applies to Harold and Sunny. While we sympathize with Harold, we never really like him or even root for his success. This isn't the fault of Oyelowo, who plays the character with conviction. But Harold is a total doofus, while the other characters are so much more interesting to watch.

Production values are more than adequate, with a refreshing lack of distracting jiggly-cam shots. Performances by Sharlto Copley, Charlize Theron and Thandie Newton also deserve praise. Excellent script by Anthony Tambakis and Matthew Stone.