Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
In 'Gringo,' man strives to get back on track
David Oyelowo, right, and Amanda Seyfried in “Gringo” / Courtesy of JIN JIN Pictures
By Kwak Yeon-soo
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Dark comedy film “Gringo” is about an amiable businessman who finds himself crossing the line from law-abiding citizen to wanted criminal in order to survive.
Harold Soyinka, played by David Oyelowo, is a manager at a Chicago pharmaceutical company called Promethium run by his supposed best friend Richard Rusk, played by Joel Edgerton.
Richard and his co-president Elaine Markinson (Charlize Theron), who is a relentless career climber, have been mass producing medicinal marijuana at a Mexico-based facility and offloading a portion of their inventory to a Mexican drug cartel to make money.
Looking to sell their company, the two attempt to cease their illegal trade. Harold accompanies them on a necessary business trip to Mexico, where he finds out that Richard is not quite as trustworthy as he had seemed.
In an act of revenge, Harold fakes his own kidnapping and asks Richard for $5 million in ransom, but then finds himself in trouble as he is hunted by a violent drug lord and a hired killer.
The film is so unpredictable and unfocused, and with such an overly convoluted plot, that one may find it hard to follow.
Though it is packed with an A-list cast and is co-written by accomplished screenwriters Anthony Tambakis and Matthew Stone, the film leaves the audience wondering why such talented industry players would involve themselves in such a lackluster creation.
Poster for film “Gringo” / Courtesy of JIN JIN Pictures
The flick exposes shallow characterization, especially of its female characters. Women are portrayed as either sexy, like Elaine or naive, like Sunny.
In the film, Elaine uses her sexuality to advance her career, while Sunny (Amanda Seyfried), is easily fooled by her drug-dealing boyfriend, and follows him to Mexico.
Sunny is the only person in the film who acts out of kindness rather than selfishness, but her character has little effect on the narrative, which focuses on American corporate greed and ruthless Mexican drug cartels.
The title of the film “Gringo” is a term used in Latin American countries to refer to people from the U.S. or other English-speaking countries.
Despite its downsides, the film draws some laughs whenever Harold is stuck in unseemly situations. Though Harold cries out “Why do I always get screwed for doing my job?” he manages to navigate through life-threatening situations with a sense of humor.
“Gringo” will hit local theaters on March 5.