Film Review: El Camino

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie is a new film written and directed by Vince Gilligan, creator of the show that thrilled audiences over the course of five years. It’s being released through Netflix, with a very limited theatrical engagement, and serves as an epilogue for the show, specifically for the character of Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), who we last saw driving off having been freed from being a caged meth cook. Of course, the joy he felt as he rode off is kept short. His face is plastered all over the news, and the authorities are on his tail, making any attempt to start fresh much more difficult.

Like many, I thoroughly enjoyed Breaking Bad, and what little of its prequel/spin-off series, Better Call Saul, that I’ve seen was also great. Gilligan has more than earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to him revisiting this world and its characters. And the film is very much designed to appeal to the people who have given so much time to the show. A few degrees short of full on fan service, the film is an engaging epilogue that I found remarkably easy to get into. A lot of the charm is probably rooted in the familiarity you already have with the characters, but I can’t imagine why anyone who hasn’t seen the show would watch this.

Like some of the best episodes of the show, El Camino displays masterful moments of tension and suspense in the midst of character driven drama. The show is often remembered for its (sometimes literal) explosions of horrific violence, which also happens in El Camino. The only drawback is that the film, given the nature of being a movie, doesn’t have the slow buildup that numerous episodes of a show would have before giving the final payoff. Because of this, the plotting of El Camino can be considered a bit thin and insubstantial.

However, Gilligan never loses focus on what matters most – the characters. There’s something oddly sweet about Gilligan revisiting Jesse to give him the sense of closure that had always been left to our imagination. There’s an affection that is so deeply felt, and it makes the central drama with Jesse so effortlessly engaging. It also helps that Aaron Paul winks back into the role so well despite the time that’s passed since he last played the character. Some returning faces from the show are certainly welcomed, but it’s Paul’s movie through and through. There is so much he does with his face. Everything from his hopefulness to his sadness to his regrets, are all on full display. It’s at times heartbreaking, yet stirring.

Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul showcased a strong visual aesthetic that very much continues here. Gilligan is working with regular collaborators from cinematographer, Marshall Adams (who worked on Better Call Saul), editor, Skip Macdonald, and composer, Dave Porter (who both worked on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul). The shots are dynamic, punctuating the clever setups and tension filled sequences. A few moments, especially towards the end draw a lot of influences from westerns. It’s plenty slick enough to warrant a visit to see it in theaters if one near you is playing it.

Some of the words I’ve heard a lot when it comes to people’s reaction to El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie is “unnecessary” or “inessential,” which I suppose is an understandable sentiment. The film has a clear aim in putting a cap on Jesse’s arc, having long been the heart of the show as Walter White (Bryan Cranston) only went deeper into darkness, and it does so in an appropriately modest fashion. Had this come out a short time after the series finale, it would almost feel like a natural way to close out the series for good. The fact that this film is coming out after so long doesn’t do the film any favors. That aside, it’s a thrilling and beautiful swan song for a character that thankfully didn’t get killed off at the end of the first season as initially planned.