(That‘s one mean left hook you got, ese!)
CAST: Kuno Becker, Steven Bauer, Danay Garcia, Bruce McGill, Stephen Lang, Alex Nesic, Steve Bilich, Lisa Suarez.
DIRECTOR: Jimmy Nickerson
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and one really determined illegal alien/boxer straight ahead…
IT’S LIKE THIS: Okay, there’s this dude names James Bond who gets sent to Istanbul to pick up this Russian chick who wants to defect - only she’s really a double-agent and… wait a minute… Oh, right: that’s the plot for FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. Our latest review is FROM MEXICO WITH LOVE. My bad. Okay - start over… there’s this dude names Hector Villa (Kuno Becker) who is an illegal alien working a farm on the U.S./Mexico border along with his mom (Lisa Suarez) and his childhood sweetheart Maria (Danay Garcia). Hector also like to spend his off-time boxing, like his late pops who was something of a legend. Then our boy Hec lets his temper get the better of him, and before you know it, his ruthless employers toss his ass back to Mexico. Concerned for his ailing mother, Hector determines there’s only one way to make money to get back his family and his footing: win a boxing match against his former employer, Big Al Stevens (Stephen Lang). Well, more specifically, against Big Al’s son, Robert (Alex Nesic). Better start training, ese…
THE DUDE (OR DUDETTE) MOST LIKELY TO SAVE THE DAY: Billy (Bruce McGill), grizzled dude who trained Hector’s dad - and now must train our hot hero to get him ready for the match of his life.
EYE CANDY MOST LIKELY TO FIRE UP A WOODY: Kuno Becker and Alex Nesic are like Dark-Haired Hunk/Blonde-Haired Hunk Killer Combo. And since this is a boxing flick, they spend a lot of their time with their shirts off. Sign. Me. Up. For the “Slalom Off Alex Nesic’s Awesome Pecs” trip. And “Backstroke On Kuno Becker’s Sea of Chest Hair” trip.
MOST INTENTIONALLY EXCITING SCENE: The final match between our hot and his equally hot nemesis. Sexiest scene, too, because they’re half-naked, yo! Look it’s been a long day and a certain someone isn’t home from work yet. Shoot me.
MOST UNINTENTIONALLY EXCITING SCENE: Big Al Stevens finding out his cucumber crop is infested with root maggots. Take that, asshole.
HOTTEST SCENE: Any scene where Kuno Becker or Alex Nesic take their shirts off. Which is pretty much a third of this movie. Yay! And that final match with them all sweaty and shit. Double Yay! Goddamnit, where is that guy?
INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW: Will Hector win his match against Robert? Will the illegal alien actually trounce the spoiled rich white boy? Or will Robert triumph and show Hector who’s boss? Will Billy succeed in preparing Hector for the fight? And what is the role of the cunning wheeler-dealer named Tito (Steven Bauer) in the whole thing? And the most important question: who will Maria choose beween Hector and Robert. Girl, my advice: either way, you’re getting a pair of pecs that you could ski on. Win-win, girl, win-win…
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH “FROM MEXICO WITH LOVE”: If you don’t mind above average sports/underdog dramas that become outright good films because of a nice group of complex characters and a solid cast playing them. And if you love boxing…
WHY YOU MAY NOT ENJOY “FROM MEXICO WITH LOVE”: If you don’t like sports movies or underdog dramas. And if you’d rather watch badminton than boxing. If so, may I ask you what planet you're from?
BUT, SERIOUSLY: Touted by some reviews as a movie in the vein of ROCKY, FROM MEXICO WITH LOVE covers the same groundwork as that classic from the 70’s. But is FROM MEXICO WITH LOVE as good as ROCKY? Well, it’s good in its own way. It’s not as flashy or as soaring as ROCKY, but it holds its own rewards. The illegal alien angle also lends the film an interesting texture. You can’t help but feel for people who are working their fingertips off for barely $15 a day. This strengthens Hector’s underdog status and solidifies our sympathies for him.
In fact, its because of the characters and their surprising complexity that FROM MEXICO WITH LOVE soars past the average and above average mark to turn into a solidly good film. With the exception of Hector’s ailing mother (who doesn’t get much screen time anyway), everyone is painted in shades of gray. The “good” characters have selfish streaks, while the “bad” characters have unexpected humanity and vulnerability.
The complexity starts with our hero, Hector, who is a loyal son, hard worker, and talented boxer, but who also is waylaid by a bad temper and pig-headed pride inherited from his father. There’s an early scene where Robert (not a nemesis yet) reaches out to Hector in a genuine act of kindness - and Hector reacts very ungraciously. This has the unfortunate effect of sending their relationship down the wrong path. Robert himself is definitely no saint, but his gesture to Hector was definitely done out of peace. As with his character in the soccer classics GOAL 1 (review # ), GOAL 2 (review # ), and unfortunately disappointing GOAL 3 (review coming), Kuno Becker delivers a strong performance that combines boyish qualities and manly wisdom.
As far as Robert, he is probably the movie’s most interesting character. As played by Alex Nesic, this is a guy who is used to getting what he wants and is not above using his power for gain, but also has a sweetly generous and open nature. It’s an interesting combination for an antagonist. I was actually hoping for an adversarial-turned-brotherly relationship between him and Hector, very much the same way Santiago Munez and Gavin Harris from GOAL 1 and 2 ended becoming loyal friends. Unfortunately, Hector and Robert’s association devolves into bitter rivalry. Even with his character’s change to the dark side later on, though, Nesic never fails to imbue Robert with a certain vulnerability that sort of keeps you in his corner a little. That is, until he starts taunting Hector about his dead mother - then we know he's gone too far.
The rest of the cast are written as many-sided as Hector and Robert. Danay Garcia’s Maria is a fetching combo of innocence, calculation, and sincerity, and easily holds up her end of the triangle with the two male leads. Bruce McGill is very likable as Billy, the Gringo who stuck by Hector’s father through thick and thin - and now does the same for his son. Most of what little humor is in FROM MEXICO WITH LOVE comes from their training sessions. Especially one that combines a game of Chess with boxing. You’ll see… hilarious.
Steven Bauer is equally good as Tito, the opportunistic wheeler-dealer who has made a living ferrying illegal aliens across the border for the wealthy American farmers. His calculated, all-or-nothing bet to change his life - and the lives of the illegal aliens is what pushes the story to a head by pitting Hector and Robert against each other in the ring. Suffice it to say, this is one smart guy. As Robert’s demanding father Big Al, Stephen Lang manages to find the sadness under his character’s cold, hard exterior - as well as the sense that he loves Robert very much, but doesn’t know how to show it.
If there’s anything that keeps FROM MEXICO WITH LOVE from rating higher than ***½, it’s because the climactic bout between Hector and Robert, while exciting, also has a curiously muted feel. It feels a little short, too. Had this sequence gone on just a little longer, the film might have rated highter.
As it is, though, FROM MEXICO WITH LOVE is enjoyable entertainment buoyed by its dimensional characters and the talented cast playing them. It also reminds us that there are people out there who would do anything to have a fraction of what most of us enjoy on a daily basis. As one of the migrant workers asks Tito in one scene: “When will we stop living just to work for enough money so that we can live? When do we actually start living?”
Did ROCKY ask that question? Nope. And it makes Hector’s journey (and victory?) even more satisfying…
