Anthony's Film Review - El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)

A nicely made crime drama and thriller that neatly complements an outstanding TV series...

Breaking Bad was a phenomenal crime drama television series, with a powerful and memorable final episode to wrap it all up. Now, I'm not going to recap all of the details of the ending, in order to not spoil the surprise for anyone who still hasn't seen the final episode yet. I will, however, mention one detail because it's absolutely necessary here. Jesse Pinkman (played by Aaron Paul), the young man who worked alongside Walter White in the latter's meth cartel, gets to escape with his life. He is incredibly overjoyed in that moment, because he can taste the freedom that lies ahead. At least, that's what we think based on just that one scene.

However, as the sequel film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie reveals, Jesse is not free at all. Not too long after his escape begins, the police are on the way to the scene he just fled. Now Jesse has to avoid getting caught. His first stop is the home of a pair of guys he knew from before, in order to refresh and figure out a long-term escape plan. Once Jesse is ready to hit the road again, we are left wondering what his ultimate plan is exactly, because there's really nothing about it mentioned. All we can do is follow along and see where he goes.

One thing I love about this movie is the story structure. It alternates between the present and the past. That is, events taking place right after the end of Breaking Bad and events taking place within the Breaking Bad timeline. For the latter, a few familiar characters reappear here. When you watch the scenes occurring in the past, you may find it hard to determine whether the scenes were newly shot with the now-older actors made to look like their previous selves, or were shot during the series run and then deleted before being revealed here. Whatever they did ultimately doesn't matter. The important thing is that what you see in the flashback scenes does match what was already shown on Breaking Bad, in terms of how the characters looked.

So what's the purpose of having flashback scenes? There are two I can think of. One is to provide an explanation or background for what happens next when the story flips right back to the present day. The other is to provide newer insight into parts of the Breaking Bad series. After watching the flashback scenes in El Camino, one can have a newer take on certain parts of the series. The flashback scenes don't turn the series upside-down, thank goodness. They just simply embellish certain parts with a little extra optional content. Breaking Bad is great with or without the El Camino scenes set within the same segment of the timeline.

Anyway, going back to El Camino, it's a well-written drama telling the story of Jesse's post-Breaking Bad journey. It's very much what you would expect from a Breaking Bad episode. But there's another element worth mentioning: suspense. You may recall certain moments in Breaking Bad that are suspenseful, particularly in the all-powerful final eight episodes of the show. El Camino has a few great suspense moments, too. One of my favorite scenes involves Jesse hiding from two cops who are just a few feet away, with virtually no route for escape. I found myself holding my breath wondering what was going to happen. I mention this as an illustrative example of how well the suspense is created in this movie.

Lastly, this film, like Breaking Bad, continues to show who Jesse Pinkman is. In the television series, he can easily be described as someone who is lost but ultimately has enough morals to deserve redemption after going through the hell he chose to get himself into initially. As he tries to find ways to survive and elude the police, we start to wonder if he will once again make it or ultimately reach a horrifying end unlike before. Basically, this is a guy who is definitely not perfect, but we care enough about him to follow along and see what happens.

If I were to compare this film to the episodes of Breaking Bad, I would rank it alongside some of the best episodes. I wouldn't put it in the same category as the final eight episodes of Breaking Bad, which were undeniably emotional. That said, El Camino is still very good. It's an engaging and dramatic thrill ride that serves as a nice complement to Breaking Bad without ruining one's perspective of the series. It also gives us full closure to the second main character, after having watched Walter White's journey over five TV seasons.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my review of the television series Breaking Bad.