My thoughts on writing, feeling guilty, and that sense of accomplishment…
The Crime Club reconvenes to discuss Transpecos…
For a small movie, Transpecos accomplishes a lot, crafting an engaging story about three border guards and the bloody encounter with a drug smuggler that forever changes their lives. It gets off to a slow start as it establishes our players and the bleak desert backdrop before suddenly shifting into high gear with a stunning revelation that sets the story off in a completely unexpected direction. All well and good but then, somehow, inexplicably, the movie downshifts and gets stuck in neutral for the rest of the narrative ride. The action and emotion feel strangely muted. While I felt for one border guard’s seemingly insurmountable dilemma, I had a harder time getting on board his co-worker’s crusade to solve a clearly unsolvable issue. This is a personal pet peeve, but I find it hard to muster up much enthusiasm for hopeless plights. You know at the start of the journey that a happy ending is out of the question, so it’s hard to emotionally commit. Then again, I had the same problem with The Usual Suspects, and I seem to be of the minority on that particular movie.
Still, this film is peppered with great moments, from the post traffic stop reveal to the conversation with the late Julio Oscar Mechoso’s Miguel Hernandez who absolutely steals his only scene. It’s a testament to the art of craft of low-budget filmmaking.
I”m going to slow down the pace of our Crime Club and suggest we convene 3 days from now (this Friday) to discuss our next selection, the psychological thriller The Gift:
Amazing people with whom I have worked…
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