Steve Jenkins It took a little bit for this one to get revved up, but once it did, boy howdy, it really delivered the goods. Darkly humorous, ultra-violent, and plot twists that keep coming right up to the very end, Gringo easily measures up to its contemporaries such as "Lucky Number Slevin", "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels", and "Snatch". Stellar camera work, magnificent writing, and all-around great performances by Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Joel Edgerton, and the amazing David Oyelowo. Put this one on the must see list, gang! It does not disappoint.

lukyboy1 This movie was pretty good. I did not have much expectation do to the ratings and some of the reviews. It was a fun movie, with comedy and action all in one. David Oyelowo was great as Harold. All in all good movie to relax and eat popcorn.

adonis98-743-186503 GRINGO, a dark comedy mixed with white-knuckle action and dramatic intrigue, explores the battle of survival for businessman Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) when he finds himself crossing the line from law-abiding citizen to wanted criminal. Despite a terrific cast this dark comedy is toned down by it's own stupidity and horribly written characters that even actors like Charlize Theron can't fix. The story was also boring and the pacing was off, a total waste of good money and names. (0/10)

lavatch In the extensive behind-the-scenes segments of the DVD of "Gringo," it is revealed that actor David Oyelowo was influential in shaping the concept of the central character named Harold. Oyelowo's idea was to make Harold's character an immigrant from Nigeria, who is on the receiving end of a scam run by his bosses in a Chicago pharmaceutical firm. Indeed, the film was a success in large measure due to Oyelowo's character, who was an outsider caught up in the machinations of his bosses' twisted vision of the American Dream.In the bonus track, Oyelowo described how in playing dark comedy, it is essential to "play it straight" in order to achieve the the tragi-comic nature of the tale. The film was directed by a specialist in action stunts. The director described how stunts are most effective with the element of surprise. There were numerous moments in the film that caught the viewer off guard with the sudden impact of well-conceived and complicated physical action scenes.Most of the film was shot in Mexico with good location footage and a sense of a clash of cultures with the visit of the American pharmaceutical executives. As noted in the bonus track, the goal was to explore the "darker side of capitalism," and what better metaphor for excess, greed, and cost exploitation than pharma! The film demonstrated the fine line existing between the legitimate manufacture of drugs and the massive industry of illegal drugs. In the old days, the word "narcotics" was used to denote illegal drugs. Today, that word has all but dropped out of our vocabulary, due to the exact confusion about drugs that was dramatized in this dark comedy. One plot strand that was left unresolved was a shady deal between the pharma executives and a couple of venture capitalists willing to invest in a marijuana pill that had not yet been created or approved. It was never shown whether or not the deal went down or went sour. Overall, "Gringo" was well-scripted, well-acted, and well-paced. There was one scene where the memorable character Harold summarized the film's themes about rampant greed, competition, and ethical misconduct: "The world is upside down. I don't think it pays to be a good person." That passage is well worth pondering as one thinks about getting ahead in the world today.