Review: El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie

Image courtesy of Netflix.

Fans of "Breaking Bad," one of the best of the Golden Age of Television shows, might want to enter "El Camino," Netflix's two-hour film that chronicles the further adventures of Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul, without expectations - not because the film isn't good, but rather because it's not what one might expect.

The final seasons of "Breaking Bad" moved at breakneck speed and included a fair amount of tension and violence. There is a little bit of both in "El Camino," although the picture moves at its own pace and is not exactly plot driven. As an epilogue to the acclaimed show, it works pretty well. The AMC show always focused on consequences, and this new Vince Gilligan-directed movie concerns itself with that subject matter from start to finish.

The film picks up just moments after Jesse fled the shootout that claimed the life of his captors, but also former mentor Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Much of the film's two-hour running time concerns Jesse on the run, mostly from the law, and figuring out how to make a getaway.

His first stop is to visit his two cronies - Badger (Matt Jones) and Skinny Pete (Charles Baker), who spend most of their time squabbling. But while the duo is obviously there for comedic effect - in an otherwise moody film - there's also something sort of moving about their interactions with Jesse, whom they help hide out after they notice the horrendous state he's in.

"El Camino" is a long overdue goodbye for a "Breaking Bad" character whose fate was left somewhat unresolved. The TV show went out with a bang like a western - and "El Camino" features a shootout late in the movie that is a direct nod to that genre - but this epilogue film is much more mournful and solemn. As we watch Jesse sneak around Albuquerque trying not to get caught - all the while saying goodbye to his parents and making arrangements to flee the city - the film has a dirge-like quality to it. It involves watching one of the show's protagonists flit around to many of the old haunts, but only to find that everybody's mostly gone.

The second half of the movie involves Jesse's efforts to steal some money from the apartment of the sociopathic Todd (Jesse Plemons), who Jesse killed in the show's finale. The movie also intercuts flashbacks to which we've previously not been privy - involving a discussion at a diner with a pivotal character, but also scenes from Jesse's captivity and an incident in which he helps Todd clean up a terrible mess - with the present scenes.

Jesse's attempt to take the money from Todd's apartment leads to a conflict with a group of men, one of whom played a small role in Jesse's captivity. That accounts for the action in the film's final third, but the more engaging subplot is Jesse trying to convince a man (played by the great Robert Forster, who died the day this film was released), who once offered to help Walter flee for a price, assist him in his getaway.

"El Camino" is a solid second finale for "Breaking Bad." It's not quite as good as the show, but it's a great vehicle for Paul, who is excellent here, and acts as a nice sendoff for one of the show's most beloved characters. By the time he died, Walter had alienated (or killed) everyone he knew, but Jesse had obviously left a group of people behind - Badger, Skinny Pete, his parents - who still cared about him, so it's fitting that his character should have the final say.

There aren't too many surprises in the film's ending, but it's satisfying nonetheless. It's impressive that Gilligan waited six years to wrap up his iconic show, and the movie jumps right back into the show's rhythm from its opening moments. "El Camino" might not go out with guns blazing as "Breaking Bad" did, but it's a welcome epilogue for one of TV's greatest shows.