Desierto

I'm not quite sure why I sought out to see Desierto this weekend. 

I skipped Ouija: Origin of Evil because, despite its surprisingly good reviews, I wasn't quite feeling a typical horror film. 

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back reviews were enough to deter me away -- I can't stand derivative and unimaginative action and almost every synopsis I read echoed as much. 

I'd seen a trailer for this one a while back, was instantly intrigued, particularly because of Alfonso Cuaron's involvement as a producer (which the film overly touts as a connection to Gravity), and then lost interest because of middle of the road reviews. 

I was a bit surprised given the highly unique, timely, and even controversial premise. I could make some joke about this film is likely to make Donald Trump's Top 10 films of the year, but I'm so sick of the election that I'll let that one lie at that. In short, it's a horror film set in the desert that pits an angry, racist American loner vs. a group of illegal immigrants who've just crossed the border. Again, I've had it just about to here [my eyeballs] with politics as of late, so I won't even go near what's right or wrong. I was more interested in: will this be a involving, intense thriller? I couldn't quite see how it couldn't be, but unfortunately I have to report that, despite its violence and cat-and-mouse setup, it's surprisingly dull and I never connected with it. 

I can't wait for the spin-off film: The Adventures of Tracker!

Does that make Negan an even more
terrifying villain, knowing that he got his
practice on illegal immigrants before
the zombie outbreak?

Brief thoughts aside, there are a few things to like about the film. I already applauded its unique premise and the fact that its not afraid to face it head-on in a time where "building a wall" is a supposed viable option. The scene where they actually cross the border practically defends the "wall" position. I came away from watching 10+ immigrants illegally enter the country under a few strands of barbed wire thinking, "It can't be that easy, can it?". And it doesn't take long for our group to get in trouble as Jeffrey Dean Morgan, apparently before he became Negan (reference points!) starts sniping them and hunting them with vigor, along with his dog, Tracker. One by one, they take out the group until there are only a handful left, their companions often taken out violently. When you couple this action with some gorgeous cinematography on a eerily pretty-but-haunting landscape, it certainly creates a unique atmosphere. There are moments of great tension and the film is at its best when it keeps the parties separate, when the audience is unaware of how close they are to each other. 

But too often it devolves into moments of intense quiet that, by the time the film ends, are too many. Desierto has a hard time pulling you in past just the point of "watching a movie" whereas a comparable film, Sicario, grips you from behind the teeth and doesn't let go. Many of my readers might be able to see this from a mile away, but I truly believe one of Desierto's biggest flaws is its original score. I remember thinking about it during almost the entirety of the film and there are only one or two scenes that the music appropriately matches and ratchets up the intensity. Otherwise it's just utterly forgettable and you're left with mostly the quiet nothingness of a windblown desert and scuffles of running feet against the sand and gravel.

Ash? Is that you? Where the hell is Pikachu?!

It's rare that I do this, but I should also mention/warn/slightly condemn that there is a brutal scene of animal violence within the film. I don't think I'm alone when I say that I personally hate when dogs get hurt in films and Desierto has a scene that, quite frankly, doesn't know when to give up. It's hard to watch (and hear), but ultimately it's also unnecessary, at least to the degree that they let it go on. I suppose that's a mild spoiler, but I think it was worth noting. 

All in all, it was a rather lame weekend at the movies and I went in thinking that I'd made a superior decision to what was more "mainstream". That wasn't the case as Desierto is a mostly boring thriller that I feel like could have been substantially better given the premise and talent on board. 

CONS:

• Fails to grab the viewer...it's sometimes surprisingly boring
• Feels longer than it actually is
• The original score needed to be quality to make this film stand out. Other than a couple scenes, it was not, much to the detriment of the film
• An intense scene of violence against a dog that didn't need to be as graphic or long as it was

PROS:

• Jeffrey Dean Morgan as pre-Negan
• Rest of the cast is strong too
• Awesome premise that stays politically neutral for the most part
• Handful of scenes that are truly intense 
• Great cinematography

Rath's Review Score | 5.5/10