Mel Gibson and Kevin Hernandez, who plays a boy who lives with his mother in prison and knows a vital organ will soon be harvested from him by the gravely ill drug lord who killed his father for the same reason
Mel Gibson is back to his acting roots in an action-packed crime drama set in a Mexican prison. Gibson, who bankrolled and co-wrote the script, skipped the theatrical release in the U.S. altogether to launch the movie in VOD and Blue Ray. The movie will be seen in theatres around the world.
In “Get the Gringo,” Gibson plays a character known as Driver, a veteran criminal who after stealing millions of dollars, crushes against the border fence and is thrown into a Mexican prison, El Pueblito, a city that operates much like a classist society, with some individuals living large and having guns, drugs, prostitutes and other amenities at their disposal, while others sleep by the garbage dump. In the enclosed environment, patterned after a correctional facility by the same name in Tijuana, even the families of inmates are housed in what Gibson’s character calls ‘the world’s shittiest mall.’
Video: Trailer “Get the Gringo”
Originally titled “How I Spent My Summer Vacation,” the film was directed and co-written by Spaniard-Argentinean Adrian Grunberg, who worked with Gibson as his first assistant director on “Apocalypto.” Grunberg has also assisted in memorable movies such as Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Edge of Darkness, Amores Perros, Frida, Collateral Damage and Traffic.
This is Grunberg’s directorial debut.
Playing to the Latino and American audiences, the movie has the look and feel of Latin American films with the plus of an excellent casting, well-written plots and subplots and dialogues in Spanish and English (with subtitles when needed, which was great because of the Mexican slang). It’s a unique multicultural mash-up that keeps you engaged from beginning to end.
Contacto Latino had the opportunity to speak with the individual responsible for pulling this one off: director and co-writer, Adrian Grunberg. He took the call from Mexico, where he now lives.
Adrian Grunberg on location
How does it feel to be the director who put Mel Gibson back on the map?
Well, Mel has always been on the map, a little bit hidden lately, but on the map. I’ve always wanted to direct, and the way this came to me was incredible. Mel and I worked and became friends during the filming of Apocalypto, which was also shot in Mexico. When he thought about this idea of a Gringo in a Mexican prison, he asked me to direct it. Since he’s always very creative and thinking of thousands of things at the same time, I thought he was joking around. But, when he called a few months later and we started to talk, I knew this was for real and was very excited.
Because of the title, I recognize thinking it would be filled with stereotypes. I was so wrong! This movie has the quality of a Slumdog Millionaire. Tell us about the process to put together this great script
The script was written by Mel Gibson, Stacy Perskie and I. It took us almost two years to get it ready. It’s my first script as well. We did a lot of research about jails, especially in Third World countries. Then we came upon El Pueblito in Tijuana; and it was a treasure trove. We interviewed people who lived or worked there, also inmates… Truthfully, those real life experiences were a gold mine for us. It certainly helped.
Adrian Grunberg and Robert Sosa, who plays Carnal in the movie
The movie is a mix of Hollywood and Latin American movies. Tell us about that
Mel comes from Hollywood and action-packed movies. We have the Latino mindset. The result is a movie with American production values but with a different feel to it. Our entire team was Mexican and I think that gave the movie a look and feel that is special, with red gritty tones that evoke heat and sweat and uncomfortably tight spaces. It also gives that sensation that this film is a documentary, and it is, because jail itself is a character in this movie.
Tell us about working with the kid that steals our hearts in this movie, Kevin Hernandez
Kevin is from El Salvador and currently lives in Los Angeles. He is truly a gem. This is his first movie. We knew this character would make or break the movie, and it was important to get the right actor for it. Well, we did a massive casting call in Mexico and couldn’t find who we wanted. We saw thousands of boys. Then, we got lucky and found Kevin through a casting agent in L.A.
You deserve to be on the big screen
And we will be, everywhere in the world but in the United States.
“Get the Gringo” was already released in several countries such as Spain, Brazil and Mexico. Several Latin American countries will be able to have it on the big screen. Only in the United States we went for Video on Demand.
“Get the Gringo” will be available in Blu-Ray, DVD and video on demand starting July 17. The movie is produced and distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Icon Productions. Filmed in Mexico, this bilingual, culturally competent movie also stars Daniel Giménez Cacho, Jesús Ochoa, Roberto Sosa, Dolores Heredia, Kevin Hernández, Fernando Becerril, Mayra Serbullo, Mario Zaragoza, Gerardo Taracena, Tenoch Huerta and Peter Gerety. It’s co-produced by Bruce Davey and Stacy Perskie.
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