El Gringo
| El Gringo | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Eduardo Rodríguez |
| Written by | Jonathan Stokes |
| Produced by | |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Yaron Levy |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Luis Ascanio |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | After Dark Films G2 Pictures Tanweer Films |
Release date |
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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
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
- 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
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
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
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
- ^ 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. Archived from the original on July 13, 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
- 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