REVIEW: Borrego is a No Frills Thriller
On the surface, a young botanist out in the desert does not sound like the beginnings of a thriller movie, but add in drug mules, interesting characters, and a story that never deviates from its path, and you end up with an entertaining and wild story. In Jesse Harris’ Borrego, a young botanist named, Elly (Lucy Hale) travels out into the desert to conduct a research study on an invasive plant species. What starts as just a routine trip ends up with Elly fighting for her life when she is captured by an inexperienced drug mule (Leynar Gomez).
To put it simply, this film does not beat around the bush when it comes to its storytelling. It doesn’t fill its time with filler scenes or exhausting dialogue that could potentially deviate from the plot of the film or waste valuable moments. And it most certainly does not introduce any secondary stories or unnecessary characters that tend to take away from the main story. Instead, director Jesse Harris immediately jumps right into the harrowing story and never looks back. His ability to keep the narrative simple and utilize some absolutely beautiful cinematography will keep viewers on the edge of their seats for 95% of this film.
Shot on location in Spain, the desert becomes as much of a character as the real characters. In a film heavily filled with intense moments, Harris’ sweeping camera shots of the exquisite environment, and the use of some beautiful backdrops, are the perfect moments of distraction. At certain points throughout the film, the scenery was so beautiful that I forgot I was watching a thriller. As crazy as this sounds, these moments, which were far and few between, were quite refreshing and by far my favorite parts of this movie.
Lucy Hale leads the cast as Elly, and though I love her in romantic comedies, this film is a step outside her comfort zone and she does a decent job in Borrego. However, it is Jorge A. Jimenez’s Guillermo that steals the movie. Even though his character isn’t your stereotypical bad guy, he plays the villainous role with such perfect ease. Nicholas Gonzalez (Jose), Olivia Trujillo (Alex), and Gomez round out the cast, and do well with the material that they are given. My only wish is we had seen more scenes between Hale and Trujillo. The relationship between these two characters had a lot of potential to be more than what it was and I wish Harris had explored it a little bit deeper.
For those who love a big budget, special effects, and intense action sequences in your thriller movies, this is not the movie for you. Borrego, instead, creates its nail biting scenes in smaller, more cost effective ways. The movie also gives a look at the power of the drug cartels in Mexico and the lengths people will go for the ones they love. It’s a different kind of thrill not often seen in the same way as some of the big budget thrillers. If you are looking for something a little more unique in the thriller genre, give Borrego a chance. It is not the greatest thriller out there, and it should probably be watched from the comfort of your home, but it is definitely an entertaining way to spend an evening.
Grade: C+