Compadres DVD Review

• 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