600 Miles (2015) User Reviews

The Long & the Short of a Cut-Price Sicario!

[spookyrat1 · 5/10 · 5 May 2019]

600 miles at 85 minutes is a relatively short feature, but in terms of screenplay and storyline, it actually seems padded out at that length. Truth to tell, though long on distance according to the title, the movie is brief on story. There's plenty of footage of people travelling in darkly lit vehicles, not saying a lot or saying nothing at all. Consider Tim Roth's Hank Harris ATF officer is really only in about the last hour of the film (at most). It takes close to 30 minutes to set things up, before he arrives on the scene and even then, there hasn't been a lot happening. I'm still not sure what the film is trying to say. That gun-running for cartels is dangerous and sucks in too many young Mexicans seeking the fast road out of poverty. Well, we probably already knew that.

The first act involved Arnulfo's American associate walking in and out of several gun shops, whilst looking at guns and talking to staff. Director Gabriel Ripstein doesn't mind repeating himself, but I'm still a little vague at what he was messaging. Suffice to say we get to the denouement relatively quickly, but that all ends up being somewhat ill-defined too. Kind of inevitable I'd suggest, for what really is a pretty half-baked production that somehow managed to get Tim Roth involved. Give me its bigger-budgeted cousin any day of the week.

Nicely done but boring

[GeoDover · 4/10 · 10 November 2015]

This is Mexico's submission for the 2016 Oscars, and it's a semi-kinetic B-movie with good acting but no story. A G-man (Tim Roth) on the trail of teenage gunrunners gets himself kidnapped by one of the Latino teens, who doesn't really know what to do with his likable victim. It all ends in violence although director Gabriel Ripstein adds an amusing coda to keep it light. With minimal character development and mostly unpleasant characters, 600 MILES acts like its plot twists are tremendous.... they are as diving behemoths with the equivalent crushing effect, rendering the movie quite boring. Further proof of bore city: Endless tight shots of people driving and standing, or just staring into space. A B movie masquerading as artistic vanity is a waste of effort. Ripstein, who also co- produced, edited among other things, could have gained more market value for his film by just doing it as a straightforward B-movie. At least then we could revel in expanded villain roles. The villains here are boring, too. Not Oscar worthy.

Kept At A Distance

[SwollenThumb · 5/10 · 9 May 2018]

Laid back approach to exciting drama that gets where it's going to very slowly and quietly. For the most part though the director keeps us distant from the characters and the action. Unfortunately this limits our involvement.

Riveting and tense

[Red_Identity · 4 July 2016]

I really hope this film gets a theatrical US release, at least in some limited theaters. I think it's a pretty effective character piece, even if much of it is driven by its plot and circumstances. It succeeds in its ability to make us empathize with its characters and humanize them even when not forgiving their flaws. There are many films of this type, but this is just another one that cleverly walks a fine line between being a crime tragedy and also exposing the horrors that come with people involved n this kind of business. It's effective, and definitely recommended in terms of what cinema fans may want to see. Definitely seek this one out, do yourself a favor.

Painfully slow

[Tak005 · 3/10 · 4 May 2019]

This films basic plot is ok. However, the movie has one major flaw. It is painfully slow and develops at a snails pace. This has an adverse impact on the whole film. Neither the story or the characters progress sufficiently to keep your interest. Also the hand held camera style is used quite a bit. Whilst it may be intended to give the film reality. It actually tends to make the film appear low budget. In the end this film is boring and it's a struggle to make it to the end.

I Liked It

[gibbonst-38714 · 6/10 · 16 April 2016]

I saw this film at the Minneapolis St. Paul international film festival and I have to say even though it was tense, I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is a though-provoking film that makes you take a deeper look at gun control and tensions between the US and Mexico.

I love Tim Roth, and think he does an excellent job in this slower paced drama. This is definitely not an action packed film, and the dramatic tension is led up to over the course of the film. Tim Roth's character does an excellent job bringing an understated but poignant performance.

While I don't agree with some parts of the film, I found that it laid out the complexities of this issue in a very human way. This film is definitely packed with tension and emotion as we are taken through not just a journey of guns and drug cartels but of human character.

Takes way too long to get going. 2/10

[leonblackwood · 2/10 · 7 June 2016]

Review: I've always been a fan of Tim Roth, because he usually puts in great performances, especially when he teams up with Tarantino but this movie was awful. The pace is really slow throughout and there was way to many airy scenes, which had no dialogue and we're completely unnecessary. Roth, who plays federal agent, Hank Harris, is on a case to take down gun traffickers across the US to Mexico border but when he goes to arrest the young driver who is carrying the militant cargo, Arnulfo Rubio (Kristyan Ferrer), his plan is disrupted by his young friend and he ends up being kidnapped by the young driver, who is the main gun runner. As Arnulfo isn't a trained murderer, he takes him to his uncles house, who has bad intentions for Hank, which leads to a showdown which really wasn't that impressive. I won't say anymore about the plot because it will spoil it for people who haven't watched it, not that your really missing anything. The ending was also really disappointing, mainly because there wasn't much closure to the whole film but on the plus side, it's not that long and Roth and Ferrer put in decent performance. I personally was left feeling empty when the film had finished and I doubt that I would watch it again. Disappointing!

Round-Up: This is the first movie written and directed by Gabriel Ripstein, who had a decent concept but it just wasn't put together that well. Some of the camera work was pretty amateur and I would have liked to have seen the aftermath of such a dangerous situation. There is a hint of intensity throughout the movie, mainly because the main gun smugglers looked so deadly but apart from that, I did lose interest after a while. 

I recommend this movie to people who are into their drama/thrillers starring Tim Roth, Kristyan Ferrer, Craig Hensley, Monica Del Carmen, Harris Kendall, Greg Lutz and Harrison Thomas. 2/10

Potentially a very good movie

[mallaverack · 6/10 · 6 May 2018]

It is quite understandable to see ratings for this movie score from top to bottom. Yes, it is slow and there are scenes where frankly nothing happens (only in the viewer's cerebral reckoning). The use of Spanish/English dialogue is not too much of a success. Hand-held camera photography and some grainy texture to this remind one more of a documentary than conventional film. And the point of the mirror scene with its homosexual connotations is not all that obvious especially when it is not tied to any ensuing character or plot development.

And of course the ending, which has been revealed on reviews elsewhere,is completely unacceptable to viewers. And the continued dialogue as the end credits roll is anathema to many. So yes, the disparaging reviews and low ratings come as no surprise.

There are saving graces however. The performances, not just of the principals, are very good. Tim Roth is excellent as one might expect. And most interesting was the portrayal of Arnulfo and Carson who really came across as barely kids out of their teens, their boyishness amply displayed by the horseplay in which they engaged. Arnulfo's attempts at playing tough from the outset are in stark contrast to his whimpering, sobbing behaviour towards the film's end.

A further plus to be garnered from this movie is the way in which the 'baddies' are portrayed. Those involved in gun-running are no stereotypes villains in the Hollywood sense, but nonetheless capable of sudden violence. The scene in Arnulfo's uncle's kitchen is a highlight of the film as events move from the mundane (washing up and clearing the table) to murderous violence.

Overall, I would still recommend this movie despite its shortcomings. Potentially this could have appealed to a wider audience and quite possibly have deserved to be Mexico's official entrant to the Oscar's best Foreign Film category.

Anti 2nd Amendment Propaganda and a Ending that Sucked Eggs

[omegamanradio · 1/10 · 7 February 2016]

I went to see this movie thinking it would be a look at the Gun Wars and Mexican Cartels.

Your movie is anti-gun propaganda. You had the young guy buying guns filling out an ATF Form 4473 and then the Dealer not doing a NCIC Instant Background Check.

No Dealer sells guns illegally like that. In real life the young kid making the "Straw Purchases" would have been flagged and intercepted early on by the ATF as the instant background checks were run.

That aside your ending totally sucked. What were you thinking dropping the guy off in the desert and then going to a kitchen scene with audio still playing during the credits. Total ripoff experience

Nowt special, though suitably watchable

[r96sk · 7/10 · 4 March 2022]

I enjoyed it.

'600 Miles' is fairly simple and doesn't trailblaze anything new, yet for what it is I found entertainment in it. Tim Roth is good and Kristyan Ferrer is solid, I liked seeing them two in a road trip setting. The film does wrap up quicker than I thought it would, but that's not a negative. Nowt special, though suitably watchable.

Looooooooong liiiiiingggering shotssszzzzz

[brightthings · 4/10 · 22 August 2016]

You'd be better off reading the plot of this somewhere and saving yourself some time. But if you like watching different people driving vehicles for extended periods from a passenger's perspective, you'll love this.

The makers were obviously looking for some kind of real-time realism by keeping the camera lingering on scenes where nothing important happens, where a person is just thinking and driving. This kind of reminded me of car interior scenes in early Tarantino films (the only ones of his worth watching). However, they were more stylish and involved action and purpose.

In this movie, the okay acting is spoiled by the pointlessly long lingering shots in vehicles and elsewhere. Check out Sicario instead if you're looking for a Mexican cartel movie and avoid this one.

Nice modern day western vibe to it.

[subxerogravity · 8/10 · 11 February 2016]

600 miles starts off with a very Intriguing look into America's gun control policy.

I learned a lot about how and where I can purchase a firearm. Some instances I sincerely hope are being over exaggerated by the film.

The movie really comes to life the moment Tim Roth's character comes into it. It's a slow paced drama, that feeds on his low key and very effective performance, as an ATF officer, very imperfect in doing a very dangerous job.

His relationship with Arnulfo, a weapons smuggler who kidnaps him was fantastic. Every thing was so subtle as these guys barely said but a few words to each other, yet you could see the connection coming between them. Just amazing and effective filmmaking.

I also like how the movie was dubbed in both Spanish and English. Not that you really needed dialog to understand the movie.

It was a small movie that was able to tap into the human emotion and really suck you in with the great performances and excellent film structure.

600 Miles Review

[GRBBack · 1/10 · 24 July 2016]

This has to be one of the worse movies of all time. It is a very slow paced movie and poorly directed. It takes 5 minutes for the movie to let you know that Tim Roth is driving a suburban with the kid in the back sleeping. Then they are taken to the boys uncle who is eating and wants to see the A.T.F. agent. He tells his guard to go get him, (remind you, the vehicle is parked in a gated area next to the back door)the uncle clears the table of ALL dishes and washes them ALL, before agent is brought in. Then another scene the boy is crying for five minutes while we as an audience have to endure this for no reason. Make your point in the movie and then move on to next scene. The rating of "R" is not for any of the shooting that takes place. It is for ridiculous and retarded. Just before head gunrunner is killed, Tim Roth runs out back door and kid is cowering behind a credenza. One of Capi's men without taking any precautions, runs directly into the same path as Tim had traveled only to be mowed down. In summary: Anyone wanting to save themselves some money and want to have a boring evening, I'll be glad to give you my copy..Such a waste!!!

America's Creepy Gun Culture Meets Mexican Death Cult Narcos

[leftbanker-1 · 5/10 · 4 July 2016]

First of all, the sound quality was awful and by sound quality I mean diction. The Spanish was so bad that it barely qualifies as that language. I just didn't feel like trying to understand every word of some ignorant street urchin and I doubt any Spanish speaker outside of northern Mexico could understand much of what the kid was saying. His English was worse and although this may be realistic it doesn't really play well in a film in which dialogue is so important. Diction classes would have been a wise pre-shooting decision.

There just isn't enough here for a movie. I liked the look into America's ultra-creepy gun culture and this is something we really need to examine more thoroughly. The fact that a teenager can walk into a gun show and walk out with enough fire power for a small war is nothing but creepy. The people buying these weapons in Mexico are thoroughly evil and the narcos' death cult is probably second only to ISIS on the list of ghoulish human activities.

In the end not much of a script and with very little to say.

Huh?

[trrsb · 3/10 · 20 December 2019]

Worst movie I have seen in years, even if I was bilingual and could deal with no subtitles for a film literally half Engish half Spanish. Awful nonsense, even worse script with bad editing and camera work with long shots of nothing interesting. How does a guy holding a gun on a little kid get whacked unconscious with a kick from another kid running at him from a distance? Bad. View with your own subtitles and something else more enjoyable to do when you turn it off about half way thru, like peeling onions or breaking down and cleaning your AR15.

Mr Roth

[marie_allcock · 3/10 · 8 August 2019]

Scrap everone else but give Mr. Roth more guns. Way more entertaining

"600 Millas"

[horitaj · 9/10 · 1 August 2016]

"600 Miles" or "600 Millas", stars Tim Roth and Kristyan Ferrer, and is the directorial debut of Gabriel Ripstein, who wrote the script for another Tim Roth movie "Chronic" (2015). The film won the Best First Feature Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. The film was met with much hype by critics and audiences but didn't get a big theatrical release.

The film follows the characters of Arnulfo (Ferrer) and Hank (Roth). Arnulfo is a very young man who smuggles weapons across the border to Mexico along with his associate Carson (Harrison Thomas). Arnulfo works for his uncle who is either a member or the leader of the weapon smuggling mob. Hank is an ATF agent who has been tracking down Arnulfo and Carson, knowing that they're buying a lot of guns. One day Hank confronts the two young men and things go South. Hank is kidnapped by Arnulfo and smuggled into Mexico. As the two characters become weary of what they are doing and the situation they are in they must work together to get themselves out of it.

"600 Miles" is a very well crafted film that has very strong performances by the two leads (Roth and Ferrer). The two actors have such good chemistry and it translates beautifully on screen as the characters they play get to know a little more about the other and soon have a complicated relationship. Tim Roth is gold in this movie, he's the best part of this film, in my opinion. Roth gives a very realistic approach to the character he's playing and adds the humanity that this film so dearly needs. Ferrer did very well in the film as well. Ferrer plays a very complicated character in the movie and you never really know what his character's motives are.

The directing in the film was handled very well. The cinematography is good as well, nothing truly spectacular but I did very much like the angles in which they shot the film and the long drawn out takes. The story was very subtle but powerful at the same time, a beautiful combination which I adore very much.

A couple of issues I had with the film was the editing. Certain scenes in the film would have a significant jump in time and leave a very big gap. This didn't bother me that much since it didn't hurt or affect the story but it was definitely noticeable. Certain scenes would just end and the next scene would be hours or days after the last one.

Now I know many people have an issue with the ending of the film, I'll be honest when the film supposedly ended I laughed and asked myself "That's it?". Now I do think that that type of ending was intentional but if you stay through the end credits you'll see what the film was going for.

Overall "600 Miles" is a solid film with great direction, acting, and a tense story. I would recommend it to any Tim Roth fan out there because he gives a very good performance in this film. Hope this review helped you decide whether "600 Miles" is or is not for you.

A ride that takes the viewer through the lowest brick of crime and justice and their relationship

[andrestejeiro · 8/10 · 8 June 2015]

The son of Mexico's prominent filmmaker Arturo Ripstein, makes a debut like a few, with a big cinematic crime thriller that talks about humanity and it's advantages and disadvantages through the smallest workers of each band, the one of the crime (a Mexican drug cartel) and the one from the justice (ATF), showing that none of them are evil or good, they are just acting from their human behavior. There is not a big plot and a big twist, as it more focused on it's principle themes, the film shows an agent that get caught in a nasty situation when a young criminal he is following gets to apprehend him and the relation they create in a long travel the criminal has to do to show him to his boss. That's it, the interesting part is how the director takes this simple actions to go further, approaching the substance of his film with delicate affection. With a calm rhythm and performances well directed (Tim and Krystian develop and incredible chemistry), this film gets to the point it is looking for. The cinematography is clean, very natural. Maybe it is not for everyone and less the mainstream audience but it will keep them in their sits with a couple good but breve shootouts as it is no intention to look for an action flick position. Deep, meaningful and beautiful. One of the best films Mexico produced this year.

Diffrent angles - literally - on a drama genre. Check it out.

[suripat · 8/10 · 17 January 2018]

I liked this movie. It's good for washing you off Hollywood stuff once in a while. The camera behavior differs from the habitual and leaves you pondering and doing your own interpretation in a variety of moments. This different take leaves you in the edge of the couch sometimes! It also shows how easy it is for a stupid young man to buy loads of guns and how easy it is for a young man to choose the wrong path.

The Return of Tim Roth - 600 Millas (miles)

[arthur_tafero · 8/10 · 11 January 2019]

This film is very good. It is original; that alone puts it in the top 20% of films for any given year. It is violent; but the nature of the story is violent. Mr. Ripstein is a very talented writer, and a pretty good director as well. This film came out of nowhere, and is easily the best Mexican film since Robinson Crusoe (which was made in the 1950s). The movie presents good guys and bad guys in real life situations. Bad guys sell guns, bad guys buy guns. The ATF seems to have an impossible job; even more impossible than border guards between Mexico and the US. The Wall aside, it would make no difference at all if there was a wall or not. Americans with Mexican contacts will still buy lots of guns, and Mexicans will take the chance to deliver them to Mexico because there is a lot of money to be made bringing them into the country. Simple economics. There are criminals on both sides of the border; only in the US, the criminals are white collar owners of gun companies. The stores and clerks are just trying to make a living. The gun show promoters are just trying to make a living. The people who sell at the gun shows are just trying to make a living. And the criminals in Mexico are just trying to make a living. Even Roth's character is just trying to make a living. What are we missing here? Oh guns. Let me see, if there were no guns, all of these people would be out of a job. So I guess guns are good for the American and Mexican economies, or else they would be illegal. No? That's not it? There is the second amendment (in case those British, like Roth, try to invade us again), hunting (got to kill for meat on the table in 2020?) target practice (cant play video games?; much cheaper) and protection (from other people who have guns etc, etc.). A well-made small independent film that luckily avoided Hollywood kaka. Go Roth, and great supporting cast, especially Arnulfo and Carson.