Save your money for something good and enjoyable

One of my all time favorites.

As Good As It Gets

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

To the other reviewers who pointed out the movie's storyline flaws: is this the first movie you've every seen? It's the nature of the beast. To those who mocked the acting: two out of three ain't bad. Didn't like the pacing? It's hot in the desert (and a cinematogrpaher's dream). Go slow.I wanted to watch a movie before bed. I passed on this one because of the reviews and went to a more "sophisitcated" choice. Five minutes later, I was back to Transpecos. That's usually all it takes me to know if I want to watch a movie or not. Next thing you know, it was well past midnight. Overall, a very good watch.

We meet three US Border Guards who are patrolling the Southern Border. They are Flores, Davis and the surly Hobbs. Davis is sort of new and a bit green around the ears etc They are doing a routine road check on a dusty stretch of New Mexico desert. The one vehicle rattles up and what it contains will set all there of them on a very different paths as to how they cope with kit.Now to say anymore would ruin the plot. This is a film that trades on the twists to a large extent but at the same time is well rounded enough to be the sort of film you could watch again and get more from it – that is an accomplishment.It is violent in parts and deals with some of the nastier issues to do with the Cartels and other aspects of cross border crime. At its heart though is the very human way we respond to threats and what life throws at you. The acting is all to the high end as is the cinematography which takes the arid desert and manages to make it a thing of beauty whilst managing to keep the tension ramped up. It is in English, Spanish and a touch of Mayan with a run time of 82 minutes. This is an indie film but suffers not an iota for that and is one for those who like realism with their grit and a such is one I can recommend.

Good acting and beautiful scenery get overwhelmed by unbelievable story ...To list a few things that 'spoiled' this for me:1) If you have a 3 man border crossing, and bribe/blackmail only one guard, make sure it is the one who can override the other 2. Otherwise, your odds of getting things through are less than 1/3. Especially, when you choose the most junior guy.2) I thought of the adage, 'I could beat you up with one arm tied behind my back'. A man with a freshly broken arm, can not balance his weight while choking someone. Roll him off of you!3) If you know Drug Lords kill Border Guards (with pipe wrenches and pushing off cliffs). Why does the hero want to go to a drop-off? To arrest them? (better off with backup) Kill them? (better off with backup) Reason with them? (seems unlikely; more likely you will be killed and they will take the drugs)4) How do you expect to have a successful drop-off driving a Border Patrol truck while still in uniform? Why not drive the mules car?5) Once the hero knocks out the guy, why does he not call it in? His lack of radioing for help, leads to the death of his fellow officer. After not calling it in, how is the hero not, at least, kicked off the force?6) When the pick up guy tells you to head down a road, and a boy appears in the middle of that road, how do you not think it is a trap?7) Why throw the drugs out of the truck? You need the drugs for any hope of a resolution with Drug Lord. Why not go back and pick them up?8) If you believe the premise, that they drop the drugs off and everything will be OK. Once you get to the drop-off, and you are spotted, why continue? The pick up guy is going to phone in that 2 Border Patrol were at the drop-off. The charade is over. Tio is immediately going to order your family killed. He is not going to wait until they get in protective custody.9) Why not leave the drugs with the pick up guy?10) When you open fire with an automatic weapon on 3 guys ... the only one to die is the one with the bulletproof vest?11) That Border Patrol truck has GPS ... track it12) Who would want to be partners with the hero after this? You know he let his last partner bleed to death to 'maybe' (threats are not always carried out) protect someone else's family, and Tio is clearly going to want revenge for losing half is drugs.13) Throw the drugs in the river and a ferry will pick them up?!?! Maybe if they were bright orange ... but to cover an entire river would require a lot of boats and men walking on shore.Finally, if I am ever shot, I hope the people with me, continuously apply pressure to the wound (which I never saw them do; a tourniquet to the waist is a waist), and if I say, 'just let me die' ... they say, 'You will be OK' and call for help. Do not let the person with lack of oxygen to the brain, make the decisions.

Surprisingly better than I expected 7.5/10 (wish I could give half stars - better than a 7 but not quite an 8, but got the 8 anyway)Going into this with no A-list actors, I wasn't expecting much but must say, although it was a slow progressing movie (86 mins was perfect), I still enjoyed it.The acting was actually quite good, the cinematography and location setting was excellent as was the score. The director did a great job putting this all together and making you feel you were right there feeling the anxiety of the actors and the situation. There were some parts that needed improvement, such as the opening scene with the guy getting dragged out of the trunk - would have liked some more background on that part, as well as more of an ending.This was no Sicario by any means, nor did it have the actors to support it, but overall for a movie that was a little slow (and I'm not one to sit through long dragged out movies), this one kept me anxious and following the storyline with anticipation. The ending was also a little convoluted... who where the group of people that shot them, and where the Border Patrol higher-ups in on this scheme, as the report of the amount they retrieved was much less than the actual initial find.Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend Transpecos as a Netflix & Chill type movie night. Cheers!