“Medellin” is a crazy action-comedy where things get wild fast and the movie mixes laughs with real thrills. Reda, an aspiring tough guy from France, takes off for Colombia to save his brother when he is kidnapped. A good effort to help Gavin soon turns into many outlandish incidents that feature parties with drugs, raunchy clubs, planned kidnappings that go nowhere and a brutal cartel led by a man known as El Diablo. The film’s fast pace comes from the combinations of silly plot points and eccentric humor, so everyone stays entertained and on the edge of their seat.
While it’s filled with comic book-like scenes, the movie gives you gritty Colombian streets as well as scenes in bizarre and colorful hideouts. You’ll often notice the film includes intentionally silly scenes and jokes, mannerisms that mimic regular crime stories. All the actors fully accept the absurdity and Reda’s innocence, Chafix’s courage and Cynthia’s false identity bring more laughs. Fast pacing, engaging music and lots of humor and suspense make the film even more thrilling.
It was fascinating to notice that the film chooses an unrefined, campy approach to describe the fascinating story of loyalty, bravery and unexpected heroes. The silly and over-the-top plot actually makes the audience feel a spirit of togetherness and spirit in the characters. Having such an outlandish storyline, the audience gets chances to smile and cheer for the disjointed heroes. Watching these teens, you can’t help but be excited and reminded that, in even the strangest moments, standing by someone can be very powerful.
