El Gringo

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.

Not to be confused with Miguel "El Gringo" Villarreal.
El Gringo
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEduardo Rodríguez
Produced by
Written byJonathan Stokes
Starring
Music byLuis Ascanio
CinematographyYaron Levy
Edited by
  • Don Adams
  • Harold Parker
  • Eduardo Rodriguez
Production
company
Distributed byAfter Dark Films
G2 Pictures
Tanweer Films
Release date
  • May 11, 2012 (2012-05-11)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Spanish
Budget$7 million[1]

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 Lt. 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
  • Atanas Srebrev as Rick
  • Marii Rosen as Naco
  • Edward Joe Scargill as Officer Conner
  • 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
  1. Harvey, Dennis (May 10, 2012). "El Gringo". Variety.
  2. McNary, Dave (July 12, 2011). "Indie banner buys 'El Gringo' Joel Silver to exec produce in the fall". Variety. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  3. "After Dark buys El Gringo for Joel Silver". Deadline Hollywood. July 12, 2011.
  4. "Theatres". afterdarkaction.com. After Dark Films. Archived from the original on 2012-06-27.
  5. "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.
  6. "FAQ". afterdarkaction.com. After Dark Films. April 27, 2012. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  7. "iTunes – Movies – El Gringo". Apple. Archived from the original on 2013-12-17.
  8. Olsen, Mark (May 11, 2012). "Review: 'After Dark Action' has uneven quality, steady violence". Los Angeles Times.
  9. 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.
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