Let's Go with Pancho Villa: War isn't all glory

Is it worth your time?

If you like your historical dramas without a side of Hollywood polish, yeah, give this a spin. It’s not a movie for people who need a clear hero or a neat ending. If you’re looking for a rousing, flag-waving war epic, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s way too cynical for that.

The whole thing starts with six guys who think they’re going to be legends. By the end, the camera is just looking at the dirt. It’s a rough ride, honestly.

The weight of the revolution

There’s this moment where you realize the guys aren't really fighting for a grand cause anymore. They’re just trying to not die, which is way harder than the songs make it sound. It reminds me a bit of the cold reality found in The Good Bad Man, where the environment is basically just another enemy trying to kill you.

The way the group thins out feels so casual. One guy drops off, then another. It doesn't happen in a big, slow-motion ballet of fire. It just happens. Bang, he's gone. Back to the beans and the dust.

Domingo Soler really carries the screen whenever he’s on. He has this way of looking exhausted that feels totally real, like he’s been awake for three days straight just worrying about which way the wind is blowing. You can tell he’s tired of the shouting.

Some weird stuff I noticed

• The lighting in the camp scenes is super murky. You can barely see the expressions on their faces sometimes, which is probably the point.
• The horses seem more stressed out than the actual soldiers.
• There’s a scene involving a train that feels like it goes on for about twenty minutes too long. Maybe it was the budget. Maybe they just liked the train.

It’s funny, I keep thinking about the scenes where they aren't shooting. Those quiet moments around the campfire are way more intense than the battle sequences. The battle scenes are kind of a mess, but I think that’s intentional. War is a mess, right?

It doesn’t try to be pretty. That’s why it works, I guess. It doesn't treat the audience like kids who need a lesson. It just shows you the mess and expects you to deal with it. Not every film has the guts to do that.