El Gringo
| El Gringo | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Eduardo Rodríguez |
| Written by | Jonathan Stokes |
| Produced by | |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Yaron Levy |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Luis Ascanio |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | After Dark Films G2 Pictures Tanweer Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English Spanish |
| Budget | $7 million[1] |
El Gringo (Bad Yankee) is a 2012 American action film directed by Eduardo Rodríguez, produced by After Dark Films, written by Jonathan Stokes, and starring Scott Adkins, Christian Slater and Yvette Yates.
Plot[edit]
Following an ambush in which he is wounded, and his undercover DEA partners are killed, The Man escapes into Mexico with a case holding two million dollars, and arrives in the dusty town of El Fronteras. He faces danger from the local sheriff and his thugs, a local drug cartel, his checkered past and his former DEA boss.
Partial cast[edit]
- Scott Adkins as The Man
- Christian Slater as Lieutenant West
- Peter Bachvarov as "Tortuga"
- Zahari Baharov as Officer Bell
- Minoza Bazova as Female Bus Station Attendant
- Michail Elenov as Pablo
- Yvette Yates as Anna
- Israel Islas as "Culebra"
- Erando González as Chief Espinoza
- Sofía Sisniega as "Flaca"
- Valentin Ganev as Deputy Chief Logan
- Krasimir Rankov as Restaurante Owner
- Velislav Pavlov as Officer Dunn
- Bashar Rahal as Officer Sullivan
- Edward Joe Scargill as Officer Conner
- Atanas Srebrev as Rick
- Marii Rosen as "Naco"
- George Karkulovski as "El Jefe"
- Vlado Mihailov as "Chilango"
- Yoanna Temelkova as Shop Keeper
Production[edit]
The screenplay by Jonathan Stokes was purchased by After Dark Films in 2011 for Joel Silver to executive produce.[2][3]
The film was shot in Bulgaria and Louisiana at an estimated cost of US$7 million.[1]
Release[edit]
The film was released in the United States to theatres on May 11, 2012, with an MPAA "R" rating.[1] As part of the "After Dark Action" bundle, the film showed for one week in ten cities,[4] and was simultaneously released for video on demand.[5][6][7]
Reception[edit]
The film received mildly warm reviews. Variety described it as "an undeniable exercise in third-hand coolness, with nods to spaghetti Westerns and '70s drive-in actioners, El Gringo is diverting enough", continuing, "willfully over-the-top action and character types are fun if never quite as giddily distinctive as hoped for."[1] The Los Angeles Times summarized, "not bad exactly, but it's not especially notable either."[8] IndieWire noted that the film's "colorful character[s] [...] don't really get much to do to emphasize their identities amidst the action", adding, "El Gringo gets bogged down in overly-plotty nonsense, but the fight choreography and shootouts are fast-paced and inventive, allowing the film to come alive in spite of its time-wasting peripherals", giving the film a "B−".[9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Harvey, Dennis (May 10, 2012). "El Gringo". Variety.
- ^ McNary, Dave (July 12, 2011). "Indie banner buys 'El Gringo' Joel Silver to exec produce in the fall". Variety. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
- ^ "After Dark buys El Gringo for Joel Silver". Deadline Hollywood. July 12, 2011.
- ^ "Theatres". afterdarkaction.com. After Dark Films. Archived from the original on 2012-06-27.
- ^ "After Dark Action releases trailer, poster and stills for El Gringo". afterdarkaction.com. After Dark Films. April 27, 2012. Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
- ^ "FAQ". afterdarkaction.com. After Dark Films. April 27, 2012. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
- ^ "iTunes – Movies – El Gringo". Apple. Archived from the original on 2013-12-17.
- ^ Olsen, Mark (May 11, 2012). "Review: 'After Dark Action' has uneven quality, steady violence". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Toro, Gabe (June 9, 2012). "Review: After Dark Action Pics 'El Gringo,' 'The Philly Kid,' 'Stash House' & 'Transit' An Unven Offering Of Genre Fare". IndieWire.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- El Gringo at IMDb
- Interview with Eduardo Rodriguez Archived 2012-06-20 at the Wayback Machine at TheActionElite.com
- El Gringo at Rotten Tomatoes
