Camino, which had its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX this weekend, marks the second collaboration between stunt-woman/actress Zoë Bell and director Josh C. Waller (their first was the 2013 film Raze), and unfortunately it’s not the slam dunk we were hoping it to be.
Avery Taggert (Zoë Bell, Death Proof, Whip It) is an award-winning photojournalist recovering from a recent tragedy who begrudgingly accepts a job in Colombia photographing a religious group/military force led by Guillermo (Nacho Vigalondo, Timecrimes). When she witnesses Guillermo murder a Colombian child during a drug deal, he frames her for the murder and orders the rest of his squad to hunt her down.
This is a solid setup for a survival film, especially one starring the incredibly talented Zoë Bell, who carries the film with Vigalondo. If only the film weren’t didn’t peak early with a spectacular fight sequence between Bell and one of the tougher members of the group. Once Taggert is on the run, the first person she must fight (and ultimately kill) is the most unhinged member of the group. It’s a great sequence, but Camino is unable to live up to the expectations set by that scene for the rest of its runtime.
At 104 minutes, the film is about 10-15 minutes too long and could have used a bit more editing. I’m specifically referring to a couple of monologues by Vigalondo’s character that seem to go on forever. It’s cliché, but sometimes necessary for a villain to get his “this is why I’m doing this” speech. Vigalondo gets at least two of them, and they drag on and on and on.
There is also a slight supernatural element present involving the aforementioned tragedy Taggert experienced that doesn’t really add much to her character and takes up more screen time than is necessary. Waller informed us before the screening that the script was written in two days, and it shows.
Waller’s direction is strong, and the cinematography of the jungle (set in Colombia but filmed in Hawaii) is beautiful yet horrifying at the same time. Camino is very well put-together and looks great for being such a down-and-dirty film. It’s clear that a lot of hard work went into the shoot.
Nothing about Camino is overtly bad, it’s just a standard, by-the-numbers survival film that peaks way too early. It’s worth watching for Bell’s performance and some well-choreographed fight sequences, but you probably won’t remember it a week after seeing it.
