El Camino"Breaking Bad" was one of the most influential televisions shows ever made, featuring complex characters and an engrossing plot that spanned five seasons, and even a spin-off series. El Camino is an epilogue movie to the series that follows Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) after his escape from a clan of murdering drug dealers. In the bloody aftermath of the series' conclusion, the police are hunting for Jesse, and he must stay low and conceive of a way to flee to safety before he is apprehended. During Jesse's exodus, he has flashbacks to his imprisonment and other key moments of introspection, confronting him with all that has brought him to where he is now.
|
|
El Camino derives its name from the car of the same name, which Jesse's late captor, Todd (Jesse Plemons), once drove and Jesse subsequently claimed for his escape. The car shows up in a flashback where the deceptively pleasant Todd compels Jesse to help him dispose of a body. And while this might just be a scene that continues to emphasize just how horrible Jesse's abductors were instead turns into a framing device that leads to Jesse's means of escaping Albuquerque, and the lengths to which he will go to get there. His apparent destination is to get as far away from New Mexico as possible, as intimated in the opening scene to El Camino--itself a flashback--between Jesse and Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), as they discuss what they might do with the wealth they've earned from their dangerous dealings. Yet for those who have already seen the series--and this is who this movie really is for--they know that this is all doomed to end poorly for almost everyone concerned. Jesse remains the last one who seems to have a chance of escape, and El Camino focuses on this, at least in terms of plot. Beyond this, El Camino is a kind of closure for fans of the series, including cameos of some recognizable characters. The first place that Jesse hides out at is with his erstwhile drug dealing buddies, Skinny Pete (Charles Baker) and Brandon "Badger" Mayhew (Matt Jones), who give him a place to lie low for the night and get cleaned up. Pete goes out of his way to give Jesse the means to escape, When a confused Jesse asks him why he's doing all of this for him, Pete replies that Jesse is his "hero". Although Jesse is more of an "anti-hero", he represents someone who rose up to become something greater than he was, even if it led him into moments of profound darkness. Moments like these are for the benefit of fans of the series, who--in spite of the questionable morality of these characters--have become familiar faces; this film becomes a kind of reunion with old chums, just as it is with Jesse.
Jesse's escape has left him in a state of PTSD; even taking a shower triggers recollections of abuse and torture that he endured when he believed that all hope was lost. He thinks back on key moments that defined him along his journey with Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as they became underworld superstars, though it came with a terrible cost to their loved ones. Jesse catches his parents on the news, imploring him to turn himself into the police. A part of Jesse longs to return to simpler times; but life for Jesse was never simple. What becomes evident is that through his suffering, he has matured and grown into a complex human being. In order to secure his freedom, he must procure the services of the mysterious Ed Galbraith (Robert Forster)--a task that will require not just a substantial sacrifice, but (in a sense) that he prove himself to be free of his past before embracing his new life. Along his journey, Jesse crosses paths with a welder and thief named Neil Kandy (Scott MacArthur), a man devoid of a moral compass who knew of Jesse's captivity but did nothing to aid him--rather, he helped to make sure Jesse remained a prisoner. Neil becomes the last facet of Jesse's past that he must purge to put aside the sorrow of his former life before he can embrace his new one. In a moment of reflection, Jesse remembers an old flame named Jane (Krysten Ritter), who postulates that it is better not to resign oneself to the universe but to take control for oneself and live life accordingly. Jesse heeds these words as he ventures forth into a new life, one that is a far cry from the self-absorbed and petulant little punk that once played second string to Walter White years past. Jesse's lesson is the most important one that comes from maturity, and one that Mike imparts to him at the start of El Camino: you cannot make up for the pain you've caused others, but you can change the way you live your life--you just have to have the courage to do it.
Recommended for: Fans of a neo-noir drama that adds greater depth and dimension to one of the key characters from the beloved TV show, "Breaking Bad". El Camino has surprisingly little violence--although it is present--and exercises restraint by resisting the urge to turn into just a two hour span of fan service, instead showing how Jesse--like the show's audience--has grown up over the years.
Jesse's escape has left him in a state of PTSD; even taking a shower triggers recollections of abuse and torture that he endured when he believed that all hope was lost. He thinks back on key moments that defined him along his journey with Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as they became underworld superstars, though it came with a terrible cost to their loved ones. Jesse catches his parents on the news, imploring him to turn himself into the police. A part of Jesse longs to return to simpler times; but life for Jesse was never simple. What becomes evident is that through his suffering, he has matured and grown into a complex human being. In order to secure his freedom, he must procure the services of the mysterious Ed Galbraith (Robert Forster)--a task that will require not just a substantial sacrifice, but (in a sense) that he prove himself to be free of his past before embracing his new life. Along his journey, Jesse crosses paths with a welder and thief named Neil Kandy (Scott MacArthur), a man devoid of a moral compass who knew of Jesse's captivity but did nothing to aid him--rather, he helped to make sure Jesse remained a prisoner. Neil becomes the last facet of Jesse's past that he must purge to put aside the sorrow of his former life before he can embrace his new one. In a moment of reflection, Jesse remembers an old flame named Jane (Krysten Ritter), who postulates that it is better not to resign oneself to the universe but to take control for oneself and live life accordingly. Jesse heeds these words as he ventures forth into a new life, one that is a far cry from the self-absorbed and petulant little punk that once played second string to Walter White years past. Jesse's lesson is the most important one that comes from maturity, and one that Mike imparts to him at the start of El Camino: you cannot make up for the pain you've caused others, but you can change the way you live your life--you just have to have the courage to do it.
Recommended for: Fans of a neo-noir drama that adds greater depth and dimension to one of the key characters from the beloved TV show, "Breaking Bad". El Camino has surprisingly little violence--although it is present--and exercises restraint by resisting the urge to turn into just a two hour span of fan service, instead showing how Jesse--like the show's audience--has grown up over the years.