He is a softly spoken, diligent young man whose indifference to his violent actions results from loyalty to his employer. This idea is embodied through Jesse’s traumatic memories and Todd, one of Gilligan’s most disturbing figures. The contrast between when Jesse is a prisoner and when he is searching for the money reveals a third element: the impossibility of criminals living ordinary lives, free from trauma and oppression. Gilligan uses cross-cutting to juxtapose two timelines within the same room. The most vivid example is when Jesse is taken to Todd’s apartment. One psychological idea that El Camino challenges is mundanity in the criminal world. The intercuts and memories underline how the past continues to haunt people and defines their present actions. Later, he is affected by the memories of the same Neo-Nazi thugs chaining him up and swinging his body back and forth in an act of torture. There are also deep scars on his back and face. We see glimpses of the Neo-Nazis hosing Jesse down and laughing at him. When Jesse showers, Gilligan employs quick cuts to show his tortured memories. His reunion with Badger and Skinny Pete is interrupted by disturbing memory triggers. The exchange between the two men echoes throughout every scene and continues to dramatise Jesse’s psychological trauma. The irony is chilling because this is where he will later die. His words suggest that people’s actions, choices, and experiences are irreversible. Yet Mike corrects him and says, ‘that’s the one thing you could never do’. In the opening scene, Jesse says he would like to move to Alaska and ‘put things right’. While Breaking Bad envisioned choices and dire consequences, El Camino is concerned with how the past haunts people. Todd is the creepy, diligent nephew of a Neo-Nazi who captured Jesse and forced him to cook methamphetamine. In flashback, we learn that he was previously brought to this building by Todd ( Game Night’s Jesse Plemons) when he was his prisoner. He returns to an apartment block to find a large sum of cash hidden inside. However, he needs money to reach a contact who can provide him with a new identity. Soon the trio swap cars, which allows Jesse to evade the law. Jesse is visibly tortured, and his behaviour is deeply erratic. He seeks shelter from old friends, the humorous junky pair named Badger (Matt Jones) and Skinny Pete (Charles Baker). He is desperate to escape the police who are fast approaching the lab. The abuse he endured has left him dishevelled, tired, and broken. Jesse roars off in his car having escaped the cell of a Neo-Nazi meth lab. The film then cuts to the end of Breaking Bad. It is the same river where Mike will later die. Yet seven years after the show ended, the film is a memorable epilogue due to how it uses contained spaces to create meaning and how it explores questions relating to personal trauma and the banality of criminal life.Įl Camino opens with a poignant flashback shared between Jesse and Mike (Jonathan Banks). Without featuring some of the series’ major players, gaps in the chemistry and personal dynamics were inevitable. Despite the absence of Walter White (Bryan Cranston), the high school chemistry teacher turned meth dealer, El Camino provides his business partner, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), with a finale some deemed necessary following the show’s fifth season.Īdditional time is also spent with one of the show’s side characters and underlines their disturbed psychology. His ability to draw complex thematic ideas from tensely written scenes makes this epilogue compelling. Its strengths are attributable to its writer and director, Vince Gilligan. Rather than offering new insights into Breaking Bad’s excellent story, El Camino reinforces the show’s best traits. Release Date: available now to watch on NetflixĬontains spoilers for the film and Breaking Bad Starring Aaron Paul, Jesse Plemons, Matt Jones, Charles Baker, Jonathan Banks, Bryan Cranston, Krysten Ritter, and Robert Forster Produced by Mark Johnson, Melissa Bernstein, Charles Newirth, Vince Gilligan, and Aaron Paul Netflix presents a film by Vince Gilligan Reviewed by Damien Straker on the 6th of April 2020 By Damien Straker El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie – Film Review
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |