“Yeah, I know who this is. At this point, who doesn’t?” - Old Joe
WARNING: If you haven’t seen the T.V. show Breaking Bad, I will be getting into spoilers of the show. Not to worry though, I won’t be discussing spoilers of El Camino. If you’ve seen the T.V. show, you’re okay to read this review, but if you have not, I strongly suggest watching the show before reading this review. You have been warned!
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie is a sequel to the award winning T.V. series Breaking Bad. It is directed by Vince Gilligan, and stars Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman. The story follows Jesse immediately after he escapes from Jack, Todd, Kenny, and the rest of the white supremacist gang that held him captive, and forced him to cook meth for them. Now, because of his involvement with Albuquerque's own (now deceased) crystal meth kingpin, Walter White, also known as Heisenberg, the police are after Jesse. Throughout the entire two hour runtime, we follow Pinkman as he goes to extreme measures to escape Albuquerque, and start a new life for himself.
I recently watched the entire series of Breaking Bad for the first time, because I wanted to be caught up by the time El Camino came out. I am so glad I did, because not only is Breaking Bad a fantastic show, but all of the tiny details in this movie wouldn’t have meant anything to me had I not seen the show, and that would’ve been a shame. It goes without saying that Vince Gilligan is a genius, and a master at his craft, but if Breaking Bad didn’t convince you of that, El Camino definitely will.
There are so many amazing things going on in this film, not the least of which being the phenomenal character progression. Aaron Paul takes the beloved character of Jesse Pinkman and portrays him in a way that is entirely new. When we saw Jesse in the T.V. show, we witnessed many different sides of his character. We followed him through all of the ups and downs of his life. When he started out, he was just a clumsy, dopey meth cook. Then, as the show progressed, we saw him discover more about who he is as a person. We saw him suffer through countless beatings, humiliations, failures, and deaths of people he cared about, all leading him into a downward spiral of depression and substance abuse. And then when Jack and the gang got ahold of him, he had finally reached the lowest point of his entire life. But in El Camino, we see a side of Pinkman we never have seen before. He is now a prime example of a true gangster: tough as nails, cold-blooded, extremely intelligent, the ultimate badass.
Aaron Paul is more than capable at delivering performances that are convincing, and realistic. Never was there a better example of his acting ability than his work as Jesse Pinkman. He hooks you from the start, and maintains the same energy throughout every single scene. All of the other actors in the film are just as good. There are never any moments where I thought to myself, “the acting could’ve been better.”
A lot of familiar characters return to the screen in El Camino, such as Badger, Skinny Pete, Todd, and Ed the vacuum cleaner salesman, played by the wonderful, and sorely missed Robert Forster, who passed away at the age of 78 the day El Camino was released on Netflix. All of these character appearances were great, and very satisfying to see. I also really appreciated how a good chunk of the film takes place in the past. I wasn’t expecting to see that, and I thought those scenes were handled very well.
This should come as no surprise to folks who have seen the T.V. series, but the music in this film is excellent. I love how the songs all have a level of meaning and significance. The sound effects are wonderfully crafted, and the locations in which the film was shot are breathtaking. The cinematography is beautiful, and just like the show, the camera shots that are used are ridiculously creative and innovative.
My only issue with the film is that some of the scenes that involve Todd in the first act are very slow, and could’ve been cut down a bit. That’s it though. El Camino makes for a wonderful followup to the show, and a beautiful conclusion to Jesse Pinkman’s story. I highly recommend this film to all fans of Breaking Bad, and I think that people who love the T.V. series will not be disappointed with the movie, but rather fulfilled and satisfied.
Rating: TV-MA
Grade: A
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