1. Get The Gringo (2012)
Who'd have thought that a late-stage Mel Gibson could make a movie with a plot as generically tepid as "American guy goes to Mexican prison" into a surprisingly entertaining and brilliantly funny exploitation movie in 2012? Not me - that was until I was exposed to its non-pretentious charms and outrageous violence.
Get the Gringo, titled
How I Spent My Summer Vacation in most places that weren't America, has Gibson as a bank robber who finds himself in one of the most dangerous prisons in Mexico, and ends up trying to liberate a kid and his mother from a drug ring. See, the prison in his movie is kind of like a mini-town with its own set of rules, and it's a blast to watch Gibson channelling his action hero tough guy persona as he tries to wrangle his way to the top. It sounds naff, but the whole movie is so likeable and so easy to watch, it's impossible to hate it. It's also a nice reminder as to how great Gibson can be. Perhaps
Get the Gringo's greatest achievement is in just how much it makes you miss the good ol' days, when Mel Gibson was at the top of his game, then.
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