El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)

Directed by Vince Gilligan. Starring Aaron Paul, Jesse Plemons, Robert Forster, Scott MacArthur, Scott Shepherd, Charles Baker, Matt Jones, Tom Bower, Tess Harper, Michael Bofshever. [TV-MA]

Movie epilogue to the television series “Breaking Bad” traces the immediate aftermath of Jesse Pinkman (Paul) speeding away from the Aryan Brotherhood compound in an El Camino. Written, directed and co-produced by series creator Vince Gilligan, the gritty authenticity, neo-noir suspense, volatile cocktail of percolating violence, startling coincidences, and penchant for elliptical interludes are all intact here. Storyline is a fairly simple one—Jesse needs to evade authorities and get himself a lot of money so he can disappear off the grid forever; this relentless drive is interrupted frequently by flashbacks that do little besides revisit and expand upon past incidents, restate what faithful viewers already knew, and add some streamlined perspective to the lessons Jesse has had to grudgingly learn along the way. Leans a little too much on the cameos of deceased characters, which provide more fan service than dramatic juice, but the movie still delivers enough galvanized stimulation and character arc closure to rate as a potent but inessential coda. Not recommended for anyone who hasn’t watched most if not every episode of the show (the last season at the very least).

74/100