• Consequence
  • Music
  • Film
  • TV
  • Heavy
Menu Consequence
Menu Shop Search Sale
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Live
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
Advertisement
  • Film
  • Film Reviews

Film Review: El Camino Offers an Affecting Epilogue for Breaking Bad Fans

Vince Gilligan finds closure by writing the final chapter for Jesse Pinkman

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie Review
B+
Advertisement
Michael Roffman
October 11, 2019 | 8:36am ET

    The Pitch: Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is dead. The Nazis have been vanquished. An El Camino is missing. One question remains, “What the hell happened to Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul)?” As we find out in Vince Gilligan’s 122-minute epilogue sequel to Breaking Bad, quite a whole lot. To quote Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), Pinkman must contend with a lot of “shit creek” action if he’s going to make it out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, alive. With dwindling connections and almost zero resources, our former foul-mouthed slacker-turned-chemist has only his wits and memories to lean upon. Of course, as we’ve seen before, that’s more than enough for anyone stuck on Gilligan’s Island.

    (Ranking: Every Breaking Bad Cold Open)

    Full Measure: Despite being shot on an ARRI Alexa 65 camera and in 2.39 wide-screen aspect ratio — an attempt by Gilligan to hallmark the CinemaScope format that Sergio Leone had used for his Dollars Trilogy — El Camino feels relatively in sync with Breaking Bad. Much of that has to do with the fact that Breaking Bad was already cinematic in nature, seeing how it was one of the few shows of the 21st century to have been shot on 35mm film. But also because Gilligan never attempts to stray away from the source material. He wasn’t kidding when he told The Hollywood Reporter: “We don’t slow down to explain things to a non-Breaking Bad audience.” Rather than tear a page from his alma mater, The X-Files, whose 1998 feature film served as both a standalone feature and a bridge between Seasons 5 and 6, El Camino is an epilogue through and through. It’s ripe with deep references and chock-full of callbacks to the series, all of which fuel the majority of the film’s emotional weight. It’s essentially one two-hour special.

    El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (Netflix)

    El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (Netflix)

    Advertisement
    Related Video

    A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal: What’s surprising about El Camino is how it’s less of a cat-and-a-mouse story and more of a meditation. So much of the film is spent inside Pinkman’s head, affording Gilligan a resourceful medium for all kinds of flashbacks. But rather than waste this opportunity on convenient cameos — of which this film has many, make no mistake — Gilligan utilizes these moments to do what he does best: deconstruct. This is a story about trauma and how one perseveres through it all, and in typical Gilligan fashion, he finds a palatable way to have the past fuel the present. Yet rather than stopping and starting every other scene, Gilligan keeps the pedal to the metal, grooving through memories both sordid and sweet as the action at hand continues undeterred.

    Temper those expectations regarding any action, though. While there’s certainly a number of riveting sequences in El Camino — a standoff teased in the trailer should prove GIF-worthy and a manic strip-search of Todd’s apartment brings out the best of Gilligan as a filmmaker (and a designer) — it’s a very laid-back feature. Spiritually, that’s congruent to the narrative: Whereas Walt’s sendoff in “Felina” captured the true distillation of a mild-mannered genius coming to terms with being a sociopathic mastermind, Pinkman’s unlikely coda in El Camino offers a tranquil portrait of a junkie slacker attempting to renew his soul. In that respect, it was always going to be a lighter affair, and it’s all the better for it.

    (Read: The Forgotten Arc of Jesse Pinkman)

    5 Days Out: Of course, the biggest elephant in the room is how Walter White — and several other deceased characters like Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) — might factor into the narrative. Without spoiling too much, they’re all handled with the kind of finesse that can only come from a creator who a.) still has a grip on his narrative and b.) prioritizes that narrative over his fanbase. Because really, it would have been so easy for Gilligan to indulge his audiences and make White some sort of Dark Passenger to keep him in the movie from beginning to end. Instead, he flexed his creative muscle, the same one that’s managed to deliver four essential seasons of spin-off series Better Call Saul and found a way to wedge a chapter into one of the best and most poignant episodes of Breaking Bad. Again, no spoilers, but you’d be wise to revisit “4 Days Out” — ahem, Season 2, Episode 9 — if you want Cranston’s cameo to bruise in the ways Gilligan absolutely intended.

    Advertisement

    Kafkaesque: Cynics may disagree, but El Camino exists solely for Jesse Pinkman. Not for the check. Nor the contract. Nor the fan service. No, this is a two-hour olive branch for Gilligan, who’s making peace with his character some six years later. Just look at the way he discussed this project in the lead up to its release, particularly how it evolved from a five-minute film to the two-hour feature we have before us. “You see him driving away,” he explained to The Hollywood Reporter in the aforementioned interview, “And to my mind, he went off to a happy ending. But as the years progressed, I thought, What did that ending — let’s just call it an ending, neither happy, nor sad — what did it look like?”

    (Read: Breaking Bad’s 10 Most Brilliant Schemes)

    Here’s the thing, though: Jesse didn’t just drive straight into a happy ending at the end of “Felina”, and that’s ultimately the conceit of El Camino. Again, it goes back to the way Gilligan weaves the past into the present. On the surface, the film is a survival Western, the classic narrative of the down-on-his-luck cowboy getting out of Dodge against all odds. But inside, it’s a spiritual battle of man against himself, and that’s not only where the film thrives, but also where Paul shines. After all, this isn’t just a way to find a happy ending for Jesse, but to see him fully transcend, a narrative vacancy that clearly got under the skin of both Paul and Gilligan. Otherwise, why the hell else would they do this?

    el camino breaking bad 1 Film Review: El Camino Offers an Affecting Epilogue for Breaking Bad Fans

    El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie

    Advertisement

    Whether or not they succeed depends solely on one’s position with the series. As a standalone film, there’s admittedly not much depth to Pinkman’s trauma, and much of the pain and turmoil that Paul wrestles with stems back to connective tissue that’s paramount to the series. All things considered, that might not sit well with some viewers and probably not a handful of critics who are attempting to watch this as El Camino and not Breaking Bad: The Movie. (An impossible task this writer would argue.) But, taking into account all that came before, El Camino offers a beautiful, late-hour extension of a character whose fate had been relegated solely to fan theories.

    The Verdict: Considering he’s spent nine whole seasons within his quirky New Mexico universe, there was never any doubt that Gilligan loves his characters, but goddamn does El Camino bring that idea home. Not to beat a dead horse, but the whole film appears to exist solely for the guy to have some sense of closure on the character. Some might argue that’s overkill, and they’d be right, if only he were doing this for anyone but himself. No, there’s a sense of solemnity to this feature experiment that aligns more to Gilligan’s commitment to narrative above any other demands, and you gotta respect that. As he’s already proven with Better Call Saul, if there’s a story to be told, he wants to tell it, and El Camino is one such story. It’s a meditative epilogue for Breaking Bad, a film that feels less like a sequel and more like torn-out pages from the original story. Impressive.

    Where’s It Playing? El Camino is ready to roll on Netflix. Right now.

    Trailer:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit

More on this topic

  • Aaron Paul
  • Better Call Saul
  • Bob Odenkirk
  • Breaking Bad
  • Bryan Cranston
  • El Camino
  • Jonathan Banks
  • Netflix
  • Vince Gilligan

Sign up for updates

Subscribe to our email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Advertisement

Popular Stories

angelina jolie sued fbi brad pitt domestic violence jane doe lawsuit plane children

Film

Angelina Jolie Sued FBI to Learn Why Brad Pitt Wasn't Arrested for Domestic Violence

Better Call Saul Series Finale Review

Features

Better Call Saul Series Finale Review: This Is How They Get You

Get the Most Out of High Strength Strain Specific Tinctures!

Get the Most Out of High Strength Strain Specific Tinctures!

Advertisement

Taylor Hawkins tribute concert

Music

Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert to Stream Live on YouTube and Paramount+

kiss continue with new band members

Heavy Consequence

Gene Simmons: KISS May Continue with "Four Deserving 20-Year-Olds Sticking the Makeup Back On"

Personalized Stories

Around The Web

Latest Stories

C
Orphan First Kill Review

Orphan: First Kill Is the Most Bonkers Horror Prequel In Years: Review

August 15, 2022

C+
Emily the Criminal Review

Review: Aubrey Plaza Breaks Bad in the Tense Thriller Emily the Criminal

August 12, 2022

B-
Day Shift Review Jamie Foxx

Day Shift Review: Jamie Foxx’s Vampire Hunter Movie Boasts Great Fight Scenes and Formulaic Comedic Beats

August 11, 2022

C-
They/Them Review Kevin Bacon

They/Them Review: Kevin Bacon-Starring Slasher Proves Hollow

August 5, 2022

Advertisement

News

  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture
  • Tours

Reviews

  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews

Features

  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Rankings
  • Artist of the Month
  • Song of the Week

Live

  • Concert Tickets
  • Festival Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Livestreams
  • Music Instruments & Gear

Heavy

  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts

More

  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Music Videos
  • Streaming
  • Wellness
  • Giveaways

Other sites

  • Heavy Consequence
  • Consequence Media
  • About
  • Privacy policy
  • Advertising
  • Terms
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Do not sell my personal information

Download our app

  • Get it on the App Store
  • Get it on Google Play
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Consequence
Current story

Film Review: El Camino Offers an Affecting Epilogue for Breaking Bad Fans

Menu Shop Search Sale
Consequence
News
  • All News
  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture
  • Tours
Reviews
  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews
Features
  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Rankings
  • Artist of the Month
  • Song of the Week
  • Giveaways
Live
  • Concert Tickets
  • Festival Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Livestreams
  • Music Instruments & Gear
Podcasts
  • The Opus
  • Kyle Meredith With...
  • Stanning BTS
  • The Story Behind the Song
  • The What
  • Going There with Dr. Mike
  • The Rome and Duddy Show
  • Rootsland
  • This Must Be The Gig
  • Assembly
Videos
  • Interview
  • Video Essay
  • Fan Theories
  • Sole Kitchen
  • Annotated Video
Heavy
  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts
  • Premieres
  • Culture
  • Beyond the Boys Club
  • Mining Metal
Shop

Follow Consequence

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Close
Close
 

Loading Comments...