600 Miles

I enjoyed it. '600 Miles' is fairly simple and doesn't trailblaze anything new, yet for what it is I found entertainment in it. Tim Roth is good and Kristyan Ferrer is solid, I liked seeing them two in a road trip setting. The film does wrap up quicker than I thought it would, but that's not a negative. Nowt special, though suitably watchable.

Worst movie I have seen in years, even if I was bilingual and could deal with no subtitles for a film literally half Engish half Spanish. Awful nonsense, even worse script with bad editing and camera work with long shots of nothing interesting. How does a guy holding a gun on a little kid get whacked unconscious with a kick from another kid running at him from a distance? Bad. View with your own subtitles and something else more enjoyable to do when you turn it off about half way thru, like peeling onions or breaking down and cleaning your AR15.

It is quite understandable to see ratings for this movie score from top to bottom. Yes, it is slow and there are scenes where frankly nothing happens (only in the viewer's cerebral reckoning). The use of Spanish/English dialogue is not too much of a success. Hand-held camera photography and some grainy texture to this remind one more of a documentary than conventional film. And the point of the mirror scene with its homosexual connotations is not all that obvious especially when it is not tied to any ensuing character or plot development. And of course the ending, which has been revealed on reviews elsewhere,is completely unacceptable to viewers. And the continued dialogue as the end credits roll is anathema to many. So yes, the disparaging reviews and low ratings come as no surprise. There are saving graces however. The performances, not just of the principals, are very good. Tim Roth is excellent as one might expect. And most interesting was the portrayal of Arnulfo and Carson who really came across as barely kids out of their teens, their boyishness amply displayed by the horseplay in which they engaged. Arnulfo's attempts at playing tough from the outset are in stark contrast to his whimpering, sobbing behaviour towards the film's end. A further plus to be garnered from this movie is the way in which the 'baddies' are portrayed. Those involved in gun-running are no stereotypes villains in the Hollywood sense, but nonetheless capable of sudden violence. The scene in Arnulfo's uncle's kitchen is a highlight of the film as events move from the mundane (washing up and clearing the table) to murderous violence. Overall, I would still recommend this movie despite its shortcomings. Potentially this could have appealed to a wider audience and quite possibly have deserved to be Mexico's official entrant to the Oscar's best Foreign Film category.

Laid back approach to exciting drama that gets where it's going to very slowly and quietly. For the most part though the director keeps us distant from the characters and the action. Unfortunately this limits our involvement.

600 miles at 85 minutes is a relatively short feature, but in terms of screenplay and storyline, it actually seems padded out at that length. Truth to tell, though long on distance according to the title, the movie is brief on story. There's plenty of footage of people travelling in darkly lit vehicles, not saying a lot or saying nothing at all. Consider Tim Roth's Hank Harris ATF officer is really only in about the last hour of the film (at most). It takes close to 30 minutes to set things up, before he arrives on the scene and even then, there hasn't been a lot happening. I'm still not sure what the film is trying to say. That gun-running for cartels is dangerous and sucks in too many young Mexicans seeking the fast road out of poverty. Well, we probably already knew that. The first act involved Arnulfo's American associate walking in and out of several gun shops, whilst looking at guns and talking to staff. Director Gabriel Ripstein doesn't mind repeating himself, but I'm still a little vague at what he was messaging. Suffice to say we get to the denouement relatively quickly, but that all ends up being somewhat ill-defined too. Kind of inevitable I'd suggest, for what really is a pretty half-baked production that somehow managed to get Tim Roth involved. Give me its bigger-budgeted cousin any day of the week.

This film is very good. It is original; that alone puts it in the top 20% of films for any given year. It is violent; but the nature of the story is violent. Mr. Ripstein is a very talented writer, and a pretty good director as well. This film came out of nowhere, and is easily the best Mexican film since Robinson Crusoe (which was made in the 1950s). The movie presents good guys and bad guys in real life situations. Bad guys sell guns, bad guys buy guns. The ATF seems to have an impossible job; even more impossible than border guards between Mexico and the US. The Wall aside, it would make no difference at all if there was a wall or not. Americans with Mexican contacts will still buy lots of guns, and Mexicans will take the chance to deliver them to Mexico because there is a lot of money to be made bringing them into the country. Simple economics. There are criminals on both sides of the border; only in the US, the criminals are white collar owners of gun companies. The stores and clerks are just trying to make a living. The gun show promoters are just trying to make a living. The people who sell at the gun shows are just trying to make a living. And the criminals in Mexico are just trying to make a living. Even Roth's character is just trying to make a living. What are we missing here? Oh guns. Let me see, if there were no guns, all of these people would be out of a job. So I guess guns are good for the American and Mexican economies, or else they would be illegal. No? That's not it? There is the second amendment (in case those British, like Roth, try to invade us again), hunting (got to kill for meat on the table in 2020?) target practice (cant play video games?; much cheaper) and protection (from other people who have guns etc, etc.). A well-made small independent film that luckily avoided Hollywood kaka. Go Roth, and great supporting cast, especially Arnulfo and Carson.

I liked this movie. It's good for washing you off Hollywood stuff once in a while. The camera behavior differs from the habitual and leaves you pondering and doing your own interpretation in a variety of moments. This different take leaves you in the edge of the couch sometimes! It also shows how easy it is for a stupid young man to buy loads of guns and how easy it is for a young man to choose the wrong path.

This films basic plot is ok. However, the movie has one major flaw. It is painfully slow and develops at a snails pace. This has an adverse impact on the whole film. Neither the story or the characters progress sufficiently to keep your interest. Also the hand held camera style is used quite a bit. Whilst it may be intended to give the film reality. It actually tends to make the film appear low budget. In the end this film is boring and it's a struggle to make it to the end.