Review of Desierto (2015) by Orlando O — 08 Mar 2017

Desierto is a top notch thriller for a foreign language film that delivers on the intensity with a base pumping music score. From the director Jonas Cuaron (Alfonso Cuaron's son) is starting to take up the reigns in making a thriller film like how his father did to 2013's Gravity.

Desierto is about Mexican immigrants crossing the border to start a new opportunity for a better life. Moises (Gael Garcia Bernal) is traveling with a group; he is looking to cross the border illegally to go home back to his son. As they travel across the desert terrain. They are all hunted by a sniper toting man named Sam (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). With Sam on their trail, as he snipes and hunts them down one by one. It is a matter of survival with Moises and another immigrant Adela (Alondra Hidalgo) who also is trying to seek a better life in America.

The plot is basically straightforward and plays out as a survival adventure as these characters are trying to survive a vigilante. Besides the scorching hot heat, dehydration, and rough terrain. They have to avoid being caught by Sam and his hunting dog, Tracker.

The film does have plenty of thrills, that put you on the edge. As these characters try to avoid being sniped. Or trying to stay ahead of the trail away from Sam. Cuaron does have a good use with their music composer score Woodkid. Which delivered on the score.

Also, some good performances with Gael Garcia Bernal, and Alondra Hidalgo. And Jeffrey Dean Morgan was also good and menacing as an alcoholic vigilante.

The film is fast paced with a thrilling chase of cat and mouse in a desert setting. Sure, characters do have that cliché of not making smart choices as in having opportunities to trip or push the bad guy off the cliff as he climbs up it.

The film does struggle with weak flat characters in the script. Yes, a group of immigrants, which we only need to know about two of them. As you can tell, the rest will be picked off quickly. The two we do learn, the characters are written in a flat dimension that it was still difficult to care for them. Moises, we learn that he was accidently deported back to Mexico, separated from his son that lives in the U.S. He made a promise that he would come back and holding on to his son's stuffed animal toy. Adela, we learn her parents wanted her to live in America to start a better life. We learn very briefly with these characters, and still have a little emotional feeling towards them.

Otherwise, Desierto is an effectively good thriller film that has worthy performances; intense cat and mouse hunt chases, and a decent characterization.