El Camino

This review should come with a heavy disclaimer that I'm an enormous fan of Breaking Bad - it was/is the best show in television history and has come to be synonymous with the "height" of the Golden Age of television - and that I'm very much looking forward to El Camino, this follow up film to Breaking Bad's finale. 

If you're not a fan of Breaking Bad (what's wrong with you?) or you haven't seen it yet (what are you waiting for and what's wrong with you?) you should ignore this review. Artistically, El Camino has a lot to offer but I can't imagine having much idea of what's going on or who these characters are without the context of several previous seasons of Breaking Bad. 

Truth be told, it's a bit shocking that we're here. Breaking Bad is often heralded as the pinnacle of a specific medium so for Vince Gilligan (its creator) and team to want to revisit that world and put its reputation somewhat on the line is risky and shocking. But if you trust Vince Gilligan, you also know that's very exciting too. Even more incredible is that this follow up, which is focused solely on Aaron Paul's Jesse Pinkman, may have not ever happened in a not-so-distant alternate universe. Jesse is a character that wasn't even supposed to make it out of original scripts of the first season but Paul's chemistry with Bryan Cranston's Walter White (the core character of Breaking Bad) was so magnificent that he was kept in the story and ended up being a pivotal character study; one that was equally fascinating to Walt's descent into a monster. 

For the record, El Camino doesn't need to exist. The way Breaking Bad ended left a handful of loose ends, but more often than not most circles believed that Jesse, because of all he'd been through, was able to escape and live a new life. But even off the fact of not needing to exist, El Camino still finds plenty of story to provide in what plays like one last, extended, and very excellent Breaking Bad episode. 

Guess who's back? Back again?
Badger's back! Tell a friend!

Why does he have a coat on in the desert?!

Again, it's a bit hard to separate its grade as a standalone film from the ties it has to the show, so I'm obviously grading it from the standpoint of someone who's cautiously optimistic they wanted to delve back into this world which had left on such a tremendous final season. El Camino doesn't mess with that season in really any form. Whereas that final season had a heavy focus on Walt and his final transgressions, El Camino strives to answer what WAS and what DID happen to Jesse during/after that time. It's essentially the epilogue to a good story. The best of tales don't need the epilogue, but the best of tales still often have one to close out their messages (or get people excited for a sequel, but that's not the case here). In this regard, El Camino is highly entertaining and paced as it unwinds and we learn more about Jesse, his captors during that final season, and even some of his relationships with past characters. It never really felt "gimmicky" or nostalgic to me; Gilligan who wrote and directed has a lot of intention here and it's clear that he cares deeply about digging up this world and treating it the way he used to. Obviously there won't be any spoilers in this review, but suffice it to say that El Camino is a wonderful send-off for Pinkman and most of the encounters/flash backs included remind us of how, when he wants to be, he can be a caring, thoughtful person. 

In classic Breaking Bad fashion, there's a handful of expertly-crafted tense moments that glue you to the screen. There's also classic moments of calm. It's almost shocking how easily the film "fits" back into the Breaking Bad mold with some features of the show like fitting/darkly humorous song choice, sped-up panning shots of vistas, a somewhat tribal original score, and even a montage or two. It will make you miss the show dearly, and this particular reviewer thinks it might be time to re-watch it all again.

Aaron Paul's performance is the focal point of El Camino and it's one of his best turns as the character that made his career to date. Because of the events in the final season, this Jesse is broken, abused, and ultimately betrayed by Walter. Paul's performance here is laced with desperation, pain, anger, and survival. If you thought it would be easy for Pinkman after the finale, you were wrong. Across from Paul we have the return of Jesse Plemons' Todd (aka "Meth Damon"). Plemons is highly awkward in the role - in the best of ways - and it's a testament to another one of Gilligan's strengths: crafting memorable and intimidating villains. 

"Watch El Camino, b***h!"

The whole point of this review is to say that if you're a fan of Breaking Bad (or the very-good Better Call Saul), El Camino, much to our relief, is only a superb add-on to this all-time classic series. It does absolutely nothing to tarnish any reputation of the show and I'd even argue it adds some appreciated context to the craziness that was the final season. I'm reviewing it under my "movie" moniker here, but it's truly an extended episode and, despite its final score, probably won't be up for many awards come year end because...well...how do you give a show that's won everything even more? 

CONS

• Though I enjoyed them, the cameos began to feel like a "best of" tour
• Probably unwatchable for those that haven't seen the show
• A bit predictable in some ways

PROS

• Vince Gilligan's direction and script result in a fantastic close-out to the series in what would have been an excellent episode 
• His attention to detail and plot details remains unmatched
• Aaron Paul's performance is one of his best as Jesse Pinkman and he leads the film in this skin with ease
• Jesse Plemons' Todd is equally captivating in one of the film's larger roles
• Thoughtful conclusion to this character with a lot of context added to lingering questions
• Keeps the classic BB staples in terms of exquisite choices of songs, cinematography, quirks, etc. 
• Also features some edge-of-your-seat moments that will make you miss the show
• It's just so cool that A) this exists and B) retained the quality or the original

Rath's Review Score | 9/10