'Get the Gringo' Premieres in Austin

The movie Get the Gringo premiered in Austin at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar last Wednesday night, followed by a special Q&A with producer and star Mel Gibson (seen above on the red carpet), young actor Kevin Hernandez, director Adrian Grunberg and producer Stacy Perskie. What made this Q&A moderated by Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News so special was that it was streamed live to audiences in nine other cities that viewed a simultaneous screening of the film along with Austin. Audience members were able to submit questions directly to Knowles via the internet.

In Get the Gringo, Gibson portrays Driver, a career criminal who is nabbed by corrupt Mexican police and then hidden away in a tough prison where he must learn to survive through his own street smarts along with the help of a 9-year-old boy and a not so reputable U.S. Consulate representative. There were a few technical issues during the Q&A, and Gibson was a bit abrupt on the red carpet -- perhaps due to bad and sensationalist publicity earlier that day from a celebrity gossip website. Find out more about this crime drama including what I thought of Mel's onscreen performance in Get the Gringo after the jump.

Gibson's self-financed film Get the Gringo reunites him with Perski and Grunberg (seen above) whom he worked with on Apocalypto and Edge of Darkness. Perski spoke about the concept of the film -- "Initially Mel had an idea about an American who ... had images of a high-speed chase going to the border, and he had read a lot about Mexican prisons and was kinda inspired by them. You know how gritty and how different it could be."

This theatrical debut is the only time Get the Gringo will be seen in theaters, as it will be exclusively screened on DIRECTV beginning May 1. During the Q&A, Gibson -- who co-wrote the screenplay with Grunberg and Perski -- spoke about the reasoning behind a straight to video-on-demand programming. He stated that movie fans are consuming their content differently nowadays, and that the industry must change to meet audience needs.

Afterwards VIP attendees were treated to a party at The Highball, which included a performance from a Mexican conjunto band, "Bando Machos" (seen above). Grunberg was out on the dance floor, easily persuading partygoers to join him in the festivities. The filmmaker has much to celebrate -- Get the Gringo is a fast-paced, well-balanced and realistic tale of a man who must choose to be a hero despite his criminal tendencies. Gibson's performance was excellent, as were the supporting cast members. Young actor Kevin Hernandez as "The Kid" turned in a stellar performance, and supporting actress Dolores Heredia was well-cast for her rugged beauty and natural portrayal as The Kid's Mom aka "TKM" -- kudos to the casting team for not casting a much younger or "Hollywood" actress, but instead a talented actress who you believe is from a Mexican border town.

The setting of Get the Gringo is of historical significance, as it was filmed in a prison in Veracruz that was closed due to its inhumane treatment and living conditions of prisoners. El Pueblito was a real prison in another location in Mexico several years ago, a social experiment which allowed criminals to bring in their families to live with them -- until the Mexican government shut it down.

I highly recommend if you either have DIRECTV or knows someone that does, to be sure and see this compelling and action-packed film soon.

[Photo credit: "Mel Gibson on the Red Carpet," "Perski and Grunberg on the Red Carpet," "Bando Machos" by Debbie Cerda, all rights reserved]