- Actors: Omar Chaparro, Aislinn Derbez, Kevin Pollack, Eric Roberts, Joey Morgan
- Director: Enrique Begne
- Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Region: Region 1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: R
- Studio: LIONSGATE
- DVD Release Date: September 6, 2016
- Run Time: 94 minutes
Compadres could be pitched as an
international film featuring collaboration between Mexico
and the United States, but I
think Hollywood
would prefer little association with this politically incorrect action/comedy
from filmmaker Enrique Begne. Despite using the generic structure of a Hollywood buddy
action-comedy, having Eric Roberts and Kevin Pollak appear in two of the
supporting roles, and the fact that half the dialogue in English, it is quite
obvious that this is a Mexican film with some American actors, not the other
way around. At its best, this cultural style influences the direction and tone
of Compadres’ comedy, though the
objectification of the female characters is overwhelming even for Hollywood.
At the center of
these demeaning depictions is the film’s protagonist, a Mexican cop named Garza
(Omar Chaparro) who somehow attracts large-breasted women to offer their bodies
to him everywhere he goes. After the death of his partner, Garza takes a
gorgeous bartender (Aislinn Derbez) up on this offer, until she is kidnapped by
the same crime lord, Santos
(Erick Elias). Santos also frames Garza for a
crime he didn’t commit, forcing the cop to break out of prison and escape to the
United States
for help.
Vic (Joey
Morgan) is a seventeen-year-old American hacker who inadvertently helped steal
$10 million from Santos,
putting him on the run from the same people who framed Garza. The former
Mexican cop and the teenage hacker pair up, making an unlikely team to stop Santos’ powerful international
crime ring. Though this may sound like the setup for a highly comedic film,
Begne often chooses to focus on the action instead. At times the extremity of
the violence misjudges the tone of the rest of the film, though it keeps things
moving in the narrative.
There is some humor along the way, but
a majority is reserved for the supporting cast. The buddy element between Vic
and Garza is more heavily steeped in melodrama than laughs, and their
friendship is a bit too contrived. Some of the film’s humor may be lost in
translation, as it seems most comedic roles land on the Spanish-speaking side.
The violence is universally unrealistic, but it is done in a way that is
occasionally comical, and also provides a majority of the movie’s spectacle.
The DVD release of Compadres comes
with a Digital HD copy of the film.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
Special Features: 2/10
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