El Camino - Review Thread

At this moment, many would tell you that we're in the midst of a golden era of television where the best content, thanks in large part to streaming services that don't need to abide by content or time restrictions unlike their broadcast counterparts, is hitting the small screen and cinema is the dinosaur in trouble. I find this narrative to largely be bullshit since both are offering extremely compelling reasons to watch and that while television is certainly feeling much more "cinematic" these days, it's not really breaking any ground in the medium itself. What I mean by that is I don't feel like any of these golden era television shows are game changers in the way so many movies have been in its, to be fair, longer history. What's the television equivalent to Breathless, where it broke rules and redefined cinematic structure? What television show has introduced techniques not already used in movies for decades? Have we really had a television show that truly redefined the medium? Well, perhaps we have.

Breaking Bad was a phenomenon for several reasons, one of which being that I think it's one of the few if only shows that was unlike anything we've ever seen before including on the big screen. From brilliant use of montage to fresh takes on old tricks like extreme colored filters and off-kilter angles, Breaking Bad has the look and feel of the most redefining works of cinema. Throw in a fantastic character arc around Walter White (Bryan Cranston), one of the most compelling protagonists in any works over the last several decades, and a show that never let up over five seasons, and it's no wonder why Breaking Bad is the television show that defines our era and is the poster child for anyone looking to dispute my claims that we are not in a golden era. And yet even with a fantastic finale that pulled off the rare feat of disappointing no one, people inevitably wanted more, namely more answers to the questions left on the table. While a fantastic spin-off show, Better Call Saul, has now finished four seasons and has provided a little bit more insight into the Breaking Bad world, what people are really after are the core questions at the end of Breaking Bad's final episode: is Walter White dead and where is Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul)? Well, show runner and Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan has released a highly kept under wraps movie, though more of a television movie since it's being distributed through Netflix, picking up right where we left off with Jesse speeding away in the eponymous El Camino, so gleeful fans such as myself will get even more Breaking Bad. Naturally there's a lot of hype surrounding this, and people's expectations should be tempered to accepting that this is more of an epilogue than a two hour twist and revelations fest. That may disappoint some who are eager for all loose ends tied up in the thrilling fashion the show is known for, but El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie is marching to a different beat; a slow burn story of redemption and revenge for Jesse as he seeks the fresh start he's waited so long for.

As mentioned above, the movie picks up with Jesse in the El Camino speeding off to his freedom after Walter rescued him from the Nazi meth dealers that had enslaved him. The authorities all across the state are looking for Jesse, but before he can truly split town he's got to finish up business while also arranging for his safe travel to a new life with his new identity. This brings up some familiar faces like Jesse's buddies Badger (Matt Jones) and Skinny Pete (Charles Baker), though much of the film is actually told in flashbacks, mostly dealing with Jesse's captivity and odd encounters while running "errands" with Todd (Jesse Plemons). While there isn't a lot of meat on the story itself, Gilligan has always excelled at making what would normally feel like plodding exposition or dutiful character action wonderfully exciting and alive. While Jesse looks for cash in Todd's old apartment and tears the place apart, Gilligan shoots this time-lapse montage in a brilliant bird's eye view tracking shot and setting the scene to the fantastic music the show was known for. I don't know if anyone has done montage as brilliantly as Gilligan since Eisenstein and the Soviet filmmakers of the Silent Era invented it, seriously. The guy is just so adept at making what should be slogs of scenes and turning them into works of blissful art. After finding the cash, he's robbed by a familiar face, thus setting in motion Jesse's final act of revenge in order to achieve his redemption.

Aaron Paul anchors the film with a meditative performance that is less of Jesse's "yo, bitch!" and more of a broken man suffering in anguish. He does outstanding work here and just seamlessly steps back into the career-defining role even after years away from it. The strong work of Paul and Gilligan make what on paper seems like a lackluster storyline not worthy of the hype and return of Breaking Bad into movie form extremely compelling material after all. El Camino has all of the elements that made Breaking Bad the game changing show it was, from the aforementioned montage sequences, the striking cinematography, the off-kilter soundtrack, wonderful characters and performances, and satisfying payoffs to complicated setups. While the film may not be the revolutionary return to Breaking Bad many fans will hope for, I also don't feel that one can be entirely unsatisfied with the result either. It's a two hour long backend to Jesse's story, and in that sense it absolutely succeeds. No, this is not a standalone film or one that feels entirely necessary even if it ends several internet theories and discussions, but El Camino is a movie that's true in spirit and style to the show and more than just a delightful Easter egg from the brilliant mind of Vince Gilligan.


8/10