{"id":2094,"date":"2012-05-12T15:38:24","date_gmt":"2012-05-12T15:38:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/?p=2094"},"modified":"2012-05-12T16:07:15","modified_gmt":"2012-05-12T16:07:15","slug":"how-i-spent-my-summer-vacation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/comedy\/how-i-spent-my-summer-vacation\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Spent My Summer Vacation ****"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Not to be confused with the 1997 teenie film of the same name, this is Mel Gibson\u2019s new drama, How I Spent My Summer Vacation<\/em> that for those in the know seems part like a film version of Rusty Young\u2019s brilliantly gripping Marching Powder<\/em>. It seems that Gibson \u2013 who needs a career\/personality boost and is the co-writer on this film \u2013 has possibly taken some ideas from this novel about the real-life experiences of a drug dealer in a Bolivian jail run like a miniature city.<\/p>\n

In terms of a Gibson revival after the rather odd and equally retrospective (if pretentious) The Beaver<\/em> in 2011, this action film is far better placed to draw back audiences, and the actor draws on a lot of the personality traits of his previous, best-loved characters \u2013 including Riggs\u2019s sideways shooting from the Lethal Weapon<\/em> glory days.<\/p>\n

Gibson is back in action-man form playing \u2018Driver\u2019, a career criminal who is chased by the US authorities over the US-Mexican border and crashes to a stop. Placed in a tough, tiered prison \u2018city\u2019 of haves and have-nots with its own rules, he learns to survive the harsh lifestyle with the help of a 9-year-old boy (Kevin Hernandez) who has been raised in the penal environment. Everything can be bought and bartered inside, and Driver soon realises a grim new \u2018currency\u2019 that is life-threatening.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a carefully considered, tailored part written for controversial Gibson \u2013 you never really make your mind up about Driver either or know whether to like\/trust him completely, but you know he needs to be given a chance to put injustices right: life imitating art, perhaps? Gibson is highly watchable mixture of harden cynic and melancholic, weary softie in this, and like his Riggs character, has a lot of baggage that this story never really needs to venture into to keep up the enigma that is \u2018Driver\u2019.<\/p>\n

Bouncing off Gibson\/Driver\u2019s knee-jerk reactions is a rather commendable performance by young Hernandez who plays a wise-beyond-his-years and hardened kid with time running out, a far better role than his cringeworthingly racist turn as Rodrigo in flop comedy The Sitter<\/em> last year. He reflects Gibson\/Driver\u2019s edgy attitude in mini form, and even though the outcome is fairly obvious and will result in an unlikely bonding, co-writer-director Adrian Grunberg\u2019s film still has a lot of intriguing avenues it could head down as it combines action, humour and dramatics, all within one tough environment and never stagnant pace.<\/p>\n

There is almost a stylised, Tarantino-esque expenditure to it as the body count rises, mixed with old-school Latino crime drama shootouts. Bottom line is all are \u2018bad guys\u2019 in this; the question is which ones perish or live to tell the tale, and that is what keeps things fresh and engaging. With a devilish sardonic humour running throughout, Summer Vacation<\/em> always entertains in action or retort. It has a free will attitude that you can really get onboard with, as well as a sympathetic stance on the politics of the region, without being overtly condescending.<\/p>\n

Love or loathe Gibson, he is hard to resist in this tantalizing tale of hard knocks, winners and losers, as he charms then reminds us of what made him a big screen star in the first place. It does promise a good night out at the cinema.<\/p>\n

4\/5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

By @FilmGazer<\/p>\n

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