Forced to give up his land home, Texas rancher Red Bovi (Robert Duvall) isn’t about to retire quietly to a trailer park.   Instead he jumps into his old red Cadillac with his estranged grandson Gully Bovi (Jeremy Irvine) to take a trip across the border into Old Mexico for one last adventure filled with booze, women, and guns.  Along the way, Red accidentally acquires (without knowing it) a bag of money left in the car by two petty criminals he gives a ride to (before leaving them on the side of the road).   Red and his grandson are now by tracked by several people who want the money while Red just wants to have some fun as he meets a wannabe singer who works at a Mexico strip club and she is added to his adventure against the backdrop of the Mexican Day of the Dead.

 

A NIGHT IN OLD MEXICO is a modern day Western following an old cowboy who doesn’t want to give up his old life and a grandson who wants to connect with him (decades after his father ran away from the life of ranching to pursue his own dreams).   Red never quite forgave his son for running off and he is trying to make his grandson enjoy the night.   The movie is about having adventures and grabbing life by the horns to get a second chance at life.    Sometimes, the movie plays more like a better than average made for cable movie while the location and local Mexican flavor adds to the atmosphere where old meets new.   The woman left the hometown she misses to pursue her dream of singing only to have ended up in a strip club where she sings and strips.   Most Americans who cross the border don’t appreciate her singing while some of the Mexicans on the street do.   Meanwhile, Gully tries to be like a cowboy by dressing up in a cowboy outfit sold to tourists at the airport.   He seems to be more concerned with the time the adventure is taking, but Red works at trying to make sure his grandson loosens up.  A NIGHT IN OLD MEXICO is a fun modern day Western that is well worth a rental.

 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Behind The Scenes featurette (17 minutes) that has interviews with cast and the director mixed with behind-the-scenes production footage and clips from the movie.   The actors comment on the story and how it was to work with Robert Duvall while the director focuses on the story and locations.

 

Also included on the DVD is the theatrical trailer in addition to previews for other releases from Phase 4 Films including HEATSTROKE.

 

FINAL ANALYSIS:  A NIGHT IN OLD MEXICO is a good showcase to see how Robert Duvall can really chew the scenery in what plays out like a good made for cable TV movie which is at least worth renting.

 

This DVD review is ©7-17-2014 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com

 

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