Filmic Friday 242: El Camino

In which I talk about A Very Good Movie

So, I have never watched Breaking Bad.

I know.

But I have seen a couple seasons of Better Call Saul, and like most people with an internet connection, I've got the basic story beats down. Teacher slowly gets crazy and evil after the health care system fails him miserably, drags a former student down with him. I know, I know, it's a lot more in-depth than that, but as a total outsider, that's what I gather to be the main drive of the plot. I know about Lydia and Hank Schraeder and Skinny Pete and Gale and Los Pollos and all of that. I know these things.

I also know that I cannot actually watch Breaking Bad in its entirety. I would stress myself to death.

Finally I know this: This ain't no Halloween flick.

But it's brand new and I really wanted to talk about how awesome it was from even an outsider's perspective!

That Film, of course, is "El Camino".

Oh man, this movie was great. It's kind of an epilogue to Breaking Bad, but it's also something that makes me wonder...

Because it leaves some possibilities for Better Call Saul's Gene segments.

Certain people have done certain things in this movie which could impact whether or not Saul/Gene/Jimmy have to answer for their actions in Breaking Bad.

El Camino is the story of Jesse Pinkman after he escapes the clutches of the white supremacists. From what I can gather, this Jesse is very, very different man than the one who was captured by the monstrous men. Suffering from severe PTSD, starved and desperate, this Jesse Pinkman just wants to leave without getting anyone else killed.

Jesse is desperate to avoid more violence. Yes, he takes guns. Yes, he even fires them. He does not at all want to hurt anyone. He wants to leave. He needs money to leave. Thankfully, Jesse remembers things that his captors would probably have rather he'd forgotten. Like where some of their money was hidden, or who exactly did the metal work for them.

And everything is important.

It's a very moody film, bittersweet one moment (Jesse remembering his first girlfriend who Walter watched die) and brutal the next (Jesse's flashbacks to his torment at the hands of the white supremacists). Nothing, however, compares to just how upsetting and creepy anything involving Todd is.

Freaking Todd, man...

I loved this movie, and since I knew relatively little about the events leading up to El Camino (compared to rabid fans of Breaking Bad) I came into it with no expectations.

For me, this was a satisfying tale of a man breaking free. His life will never be easy. He will never be completely free of his past.

But he might never be caged again.

And that's enough for him.

Go Enjoy Something.

FC