A nameless career criminal aka Driver (Mel Gibson) drives his getaway car through the fence of the Mexican border to get away from the cops only to get thrown in a hard-core community prison known as "El Puebilto" by corrupt Mexican cops (who take the two million he robbed).   He must use his wits to survive while trying to figure a way out of his situation as he navigates between ruthless drug lords, hired guns who want him dead, and a US Consulate official who supposedly want to help him.    He falls in with a mother and her ten year old son (who is a liver donor match for a drug lord who is in the same prison) while he figures how to get the money back. 

GET THE GRINGO didn't receive a theatrical release in the USA (something me Gibson wasn't happy about) and I wish it had even though it is a predictable jumbled mess.   The movie does have some interesting characters and Mel Gibson at his best as an actor.  The action scenes are skillfully directed by Adrian Grunberg (who co-wrote the script with Mel Gibson and Stacy Perskie).   Mel still is a good actor despite all of the bad press he has been getting in the last few years.   The production design is great for realizing this corrupt prison environment where families can live with the prisoners and some prisoners carry guns in this corrupt facade of a prison.   

SPECIAL FEATURES:

GET THE GRINGO:  A LOOK INSIDE is a detailed look at how the movie was made that has interviews with Mel Gibson and the other two writers behind the script.   

El Corrido Del Gringo is a music video for anyone who likes mariachi music, but this song doesn't appeal to me.  Additional behind-the-scenes featurettes are included on the blu-ray. 

FINAL ANALYSIS:  GET THE GRINGO shows Mel Gibson back in form as a bad ass criminal despite a jumbled story that still manages to be fun (and yet predictable).   I hope Mel gets back to acting more (beyond the sequel to Machete).   If you still like Mel, go check out the movie now.

 this DVD review is (c)8-10-2012 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com