For a while now Mel Gibson hasn’t exactly been at the top of the Hollywood pile, but recently he has started to climb his way back. Firstly with The Beaver and now, it’s probably safe to say Gibson is back in How I Spent My Summer Vacation (or as it’s called Stateside Get the Gringo)
A career criminal who gets arrested by Mexican Authorities and ends up in the most bizarre prison known to man, in Mexico. Helped by a 9 year old boy, Gibson’s character learns to survive and ultimately attempts to escape this incredibly corrupt prison system. Combine this with a liver transplant story (I shit you not) and you get a rock solid piece of entertainment.
Gibson is back on form here and is incredibly likeable and continues to ooze that coolness and persona that we have come to know from the Lethal Weapon star. And while he has pushed on in years about, thankfully he’s not too old for this shit. He is simply a joy to watch and the chemistry he has with the 9 year old chain smoker is flawless.
And while its not the most original story going, besides the liver transplant side of things, How I Spent My Summer Vacation is very, very entertaining. The pacing is spot on and the whole movie rocks along rapidly. The supporting cast, while stereotypical badasses, complete with clichés galore, are also very watchable and, again here comes that word, entertaining. Granted many of them die in spectacular slow-mo’d fashion. And that’s another thing, some of the kill scenes are quite brutal and at times are almost straight out of a video game.
Overall, How I Spent My Summer Vacation is incredibly watchable, enjoyable and damn entertaining. Mel Gibson is back and this is certainly worth a watch!
