Red (Robert Duvall) is a nasty old man who has recently lost his home. Practically broke, he's unwilling to grow old gracefully or move into a mobile home. Instead, on impulse, he takes a ride over the border into Mexico...taking his estranged grandson with him. Along the way, they pick up a couple drifters who, unknown to Red or the grandson, just killed a man in a drug deal gone bad. Soon, however, Red ditches the pair...not knowing they left a bag with a ton of cash in Red's car. At the same time, a hitman is after the two killers...and possibly Red and his grandson.
As I watched this film, I found my attention flagging. Why? Because the film meanders so much and takes forever to get to the conclusion. Plus, seeing a nasty old man who you cannot possibly like in Mexico chasing prostitutes while being chased by killers isn't exactly my idea of fun. However, the ending DID perk me up...not because it was good but because the characters behaved so ridiculously and incredibly inconsistent. I rarely have ever seen such a bad ending...with characters suddenly acting completely unlike they had through the first 80% of the movie. I really hated this.
In many ways, this plays like many of Duvall's other 2000s roles where he plays crusty old gents. Some, like "Secondhand Lions" are great and others, like "Wild Horses" are not! This is not among the better films at this point in his career. I really wanted to like it more than I actually did.
As I watched this film, I found my attention flagging. Why? Because the film meanders so much and takes forever to get to the conclusion. Plus, seeing a nasty old man who you cannot possibly like in Mexico chasing prostitutes while being chased by killers isn't exactly my idea of fun. However, the ending DID perk me up...not because it was good but because the characters behaved so ridiculously and incredibly inconsistent. I rarely have ever seen such a bad ending...with characters suddenly acting completely unlike they had through the first 80% of the movie. I really hated this.
In many ways, this plays like many of Duvall's other 2000s roles where he plays crusty old gents. Some, like "Secondhand Lions" are great and others, like "Wild Horses" are not! This is not among the better films at this point in his career. I really wanted to like it more than I actually did.