Movie Review – “El Camino” A Breaking Bad Movie

Beginning as a 10-minute project, “El Camino” metamorphized into a 2-hour ride down nostalgia lane. When Jesse (Aaron Paul) breaks out of captivity and all but digs up old graves to save himself, it gives you an emotional closure by telling you what happened to Jesse when the show ends.

The movie literally takes you back to a time when ‘Breaking Bad’ was the biggest hit sensation on television. As Bryan Cranston, who plays Mr. White on the original TV drama, once stated in an interview that the show changed his life, most of us who followed the show religiously, would agree.

Okay, maybe not as dramatically as it did his, but it certainly set the bar high for good quality television leaving an impression on audiences and paving the way for other superhit shows revolving around drugs and cartels such as ‘Narcos’ and ‘Ozark.’ 

The movie however doesn’t leave a lasting impression despite bringing back some of the original cast and having the same style of direction and pace as the show. What you find yourself missing the most in the movie is the chemistry (pun intended) between Jesse and Mr. White, and you realize that one character without the other is just an incomplete equation.

My Verdict – A must see if you have seen ‘Breaking Bad.’ If you haven’t seen ‘Breaking Bad,’ then watch the show first and you can thank me later.

SPOILERS ALERT! 

So, there is a scene that will make your jaw drop. It is when Walter White is seeing having a meal with Jesse in a diner. Of course, it was a scene depicting a flashback, but it was nevertheless a sweet moment to cherish. The cast of “El Camino” did a phenomenal job to keep Bryan Cranston’s appearance a secret.

Bryan Cranston was flown in from New York in a private jet to Albuquerque airport, taken to a secret house booked for him. The team had only 36 hours to shoot the entire scene as Cranston is busy six nights a week playing Howard Beale in the Broadway show ‘Network’.

Even while shooting, they covered the Owl Café with green cloth, not only to add the desert look through CGI but also to give privacy and hide Cranston’s role in the movie. However, there were some onlookers, who got excited when they saw the RV with bullet holes. But the crew members came up with an idea of distributing fake flyers and told people that they were shooting a trailer for ‘Breaking Bad tour’.

It is creativity like this that makes me a fan of entertainment and makes binge watching one of the favorite past times of our generation!