Tacticalin
An absolute waste of money
Aneesa Wardle
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
Erica Derrick
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
masonfisk
Desierto tells the tale of a pack of immigrants besieged by a frustrated patriot who is picking them off one by one as they attempt to cross the border. Part social commentary & part thriller, Desierto isn't completely successful on both counts. The villain is thinly drawn to the point if he had a mustache, he'd twirl it & the entering Mexicans are saintly & well meaning also suffer from the same lack of characterization so we're left w/a sense of a story told but not very well.
Lee Eisenberg
To the pantheon of movies about immigrants we can add Jonás Cuarón's "Desierto". It focuses on a group of migrant workers who cross from Mexico to the United States only to become the targets of a racist vigilante. I suspect that this happens a lot. These vigilantes must have no life if they spend their days shooting people. The important thing to remember is that people coming from Latin America are fleeing horrible conditions (Gregory Nava's movie "El Norte" dealt with this). The movie depicts the trip across the desert as one harrowing experience.It's one of those movies that everyone should see. We might hear stories of people trying to cross the US-Mexico border, but people who don't attempt it have no idea what it's like. And believe me, Trump's proposed wall - increasingly looking unlikely - would have no effect; people would find a way around it.Definitely see this movie.
shmittyfro
Desierto is a movie that tries to tackle a very serious topic with a handful of caricatures and two very good actors which are lazily directed. From a purely technical stance it tries to offer up some captivating shots during its first couple of minutes but it becomes quite clear as the movie progresses that Quaron does not know how to shoot a chase sequence, which this movie basically is. It's one big horror movie chase sequence that leaves a lot to desire in terms of dialog and pacing.The most concerning thing is that one leaves the movie without knowing what the directors intentions were. Was it to shine a light on the topic? to make a polarizing movie? to get some sort of radical reaction from the viewer? to serve as a cautionary tale?In any case, it ends up being a pretty tasteless and irresponsible treatment of a serious topic and it doesn't offer up anything else as a possible saving grace.
Bob Rutzel
People trying to reach the United States are shot dead by Sam (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) a pure racist and he is helped by his dog Tracker. Why would anyone make a movie like this? Why would anyone want to star in a movie like this? It is basically someone shooting fish in a barrel, but the fish are human beings looking for a better life. Say what you like about illegals coming to the United States, but this story is way over the top. Yes, there is a cat and mouse aspect to all this, but this doesn't make it right. Yes, why would anyone even watch a movie like this? I only watched to be sure that Sam got his in the end as we had the feeling that Moises (Gael Garcia Bernal) would find a way to end Sam.Don't talk to me about production values, the acting, the cinematography, this is just wrong and it should not have been made. (1/10)Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes and in sub-titles too.
