El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
Release date: October 11, 2019 (Netflix)
Runtime: 122 mins
Directed by: Vince Gilligan
Starring: Aaron Paul
Jesse Plemons
Charles Baker
Charles Forster
Before I get into the review, I am going to lay down a blanket spoiler warning for the entirety of the “Breaking Bad” series. I will not go out of my way to spoil random things, but this movie really does presuppose your familiarity with that show’s plot and characters. If for whatever reason you have not seen “Breaking Bad” yet, you should really get on that as soon as possible. If you do not want to find out how it all ends, stop reading right now.
More than six years ago, the series finale of “Breaking Bad” aired. It delivered what is still the most satisfying conclusion to any piece of fiction I have ever consumed. Everything was wrapped up so perfectly. For that reason, I was decently annoyed when rumors of a movie were officially confirmed earlier this year. I did not see a need to continue the story. What was left to be said? However, I had thought something similar when the spin-off series “Better Call Saul” was announced and that turned out to be great. I decided to trust writer/director/creator Vince Gilligan knew what he was doing and looked forward to the movie with cautious optimism.
“El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie” starts right where the show left off. Uncle Jack’s Neo-Nazi meth compound has been raided. Jesse Pinkman had been held captive there for at least a few months and is now free. The police are vigilantly searching for him, though, and he must outrun them and escape to safety.
To the surprise of no one who is a fan of the show, Aaron Paul is once again outstanding in the role of Jesse. Jesse stayed reasonably sympathetic over the show’s run. He has still done awful things, but only when he really had to. At least he did not turn into an outright monster like Walt. It felt good to see him speeding off, laughing hysterically, finally free. Although I was fine with having his fate kept open to interpretation, a feature-length epilogue showing us explicitly where he ends up is not unwelcome by any means, even if it is wholly unnecessary.
Much of the movie is comprised of flashbacks set during the events in the show but which we never saw before. Most of these cover the time Jesse spent as a prisoner at the compound. The psychopathic Todd is featured in a good portion of these. Todd is probably the most loathsome character in the “Breaking Bad” universe. Other characters do worse things, but Todd seems more like a regular guy on the surface than those other characters. It is almost as if he thinks Jesse is his friend, but in the way that a dog is your friend. Jesse Plemons plays him well yet again, and Vince Gilligan takes the opportunity to add a few extra layers to his character.
Speaking of Gilligan, it is clear he does care about this project, like he actually wanted to say something else about these characters. He did not come back to make this just because Netflix and AMC gave him a fat check. “Breaking Bad” was already extremely cinematic for a television show, but things do look a tad more polished as far as cinematography goes this time around. Gilligan pulls off some more beautiful shots of the New Mexico desert. The movie also has some of the best editing I have seen all year.
The movie acts as a kind of recovery period for Jesse. His character went through so much trauma over all five seasons of the show, and he still very much has to deal with that. He also shows signs of maturity and coming into his own.
“El Camino” is a meld of genres. It starts as a criminal-on-the-run story before veering more into a crime/suspense thriller. It then hits its climax as a modern-day western. “El Camino” does not quite justify its own existence. However, I would be lying if I said I was not happy to see this character I spent hours and hours with finally get the opportunity to start a new life.
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