One of the year's best action movies
Summary
Bren Foster shines as arguably my favourite action movie character of the year who manages to be sympathetic while totally badass at the same time. I wish Kris Van Damme had more to do but aside from that Mexicali is action movie nirvana.
Plot: Ex-fighter Joe helps run his partner Estrella’s farm in Mexico. After taking underground fights to support workers, he’s forced to defend himself and Marco when Chavez’s gang attacks them on the road.
Review: Bren Foster is one of the best action stars in the business and Mexicali is one of his finest movies to date. Directed by Luke LaFontaine and written by Jesse Johnson, this is the action picture to beat this year as it has amazing fight scenes, shoot-outs and an explosive finale.
It’s also just over 90 minutes, so it isn’t overlong and bloated like so many modern films.
I feel like this movie was made just for me as it’s everything I want to see in an action picture. Foster plays a sympathetic lead called Joe who wants a peaceful life as a farmer, but the local cartel has other plans. Forced out of retirement he is the indestructible badass that we are rooting for all the way. I like how ruthless he is too, so his character feels like a classic old-school action hero the likes of which we rarely see anymore.
It’s great to see Kris Van Damme as the main henchman although I was a little disappointed, he didn’t get more to do; he moves like his dad and could easily be an action star in his own right.
I’m not sure if this is a spoiler or not, so if you don’t want to know this then stop reading, but Louis Mandylor shows up as a character named Sue which has me wondering, is this the same Sue from The Debt Collector movies? Does Mexicali take place in the same universe? If so, that’s awesome and we need a crossover movie next, please.
Overall, this is a super short review as I loved everything about this movie, the action is incredible with well-choreographed fight scenes, an appealing badass lead in Bren Foster and a bodycount surely in the hundreds. This is easily going to be one of the best action movies of the year.