Transpecos

"Transpecos" was a movie that I wasn't even familiar with prior to finding it. I picked it up and was somewhat intrigued by the synopsis. But it was actually more of the cast that won me over, and I decided to watch it.

This is a wholesome entertaining movie, with a storyline that had some appeal and some depth to it.

It was definitely the amazing performances by Clifton Collins Jr., Gabriel Luna and Johnny Simmons that kept the movie interesting.

The storyline in "Transpecos" was somewhat predictable though, but straightforward and entertaining enough.

I can warmly recommend that you take the time to sit down and watch "Transpecos" if you haven't already seen it. I was genuinely surprised and entertained by what I saw here.

Benjamin Davis (Johnny Simmons), Lance Flores (Gabriel Luna), and Lou Hobbs (Clifton Collins Jr.) are US Border Patrol working a remote stretch of desert. They find a stash of drugs in a car but Davis turns on the others. He had been pressured by the cartel to help them smuggle the drugs.

This is a small indie with a limited production. It's able to use the desert locations to full advantage. It needs more action to amp up the tension. It runs at a nice low-boil but I kept waiting for more instances of boiling over. Clifton is great as always although the other two could improve. Their characterization needs to be sharper. This indie does some good and worthy work.

We meet three US Border Guards who are patrolling the Southern Border. They are Flores, Davis and the surly Hobbs. Davis is sort of new and a bit green around the ears etc They are doing a routine road check on a dusty stretch of New Mexico desert. The one vehicle rattles up and what it contains will set all there of them on a very different paths as to how they cope with kit.

Now to say anymore would ruin the plot. This is a film that trades on the twists to a large extent but at the same time is well rounded enough to be the sort of film you could watch again and get more from it – that is an accomplishment.

It is violent in parts and deals with some of the nastier issues to do with the Cartels and other aspects of cross border crime. At its heart though is the very human way we respond to threats and what life throws at you. The acting is all to the high end as is the cinematography which takes the arid desert and manages to make it a thing of beauty whilst managing to keep the tension ramped up. It is in English, Spanish and a touch of Mayan with a run time of 82 minutes. This is an indie film but suffers not an iota for that and is one for those who like realism with their grit and a such is one I can recommend.

First thoughts were, this is gonna be a low budget, lackluster film, without any big-time actors. Luckily, I was wrong. It's by no stretch of the imagination great. I could hardly call it good even, but there's just something about it that kept me intrigued.

With the exception of Clifton Collins jr., who I really first noticed in the experiment, I didn't really recognize any other actor. After a couple name searches, I remembered Gabriel Luna from Harley and the Davidsons. I've seen quit a few movies johnny Simmons has started in but he just doesn't stand out to me.

Plot was good. Story line was good enough to keep me interested. Felt like there were a lot of "are you serious" moments. Especially in Gabriel Luna's part. Can't say what I'd have done in his shoes but I'd like to think it's not what he done. Also felt like the ending was rushed and then they realized they still had 15 minutes of film left or something so let's just throw something in there to wrap this up.

Overall a pretty decent watch. Not something to write home to the family about but a little hidden gem if you will amongst over-hyped films that fall short.

+1 Star For the Opening Hook.... liked that !!!!!

+1 Star halfway through the movie and the story has developed nicely

+1 Star for Flores being the ultimate partner/ team player and letting Hobbs listen to the wind

+0 Star for a Good ending just not exactly enough to add another star.

This was a good story. Good quality well made.

Love Clifton Collins. He's really come a long way in his career. Good performance by him in this.