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El Gringo

2003·Movie
4min

Where to watch

No stream option in US yet.

Links go to licensed services. Data from JustWatch and TMDB.

About

As is well known, ‘gringo’ is the derogatory term Mexicans use to refer to NorthAmerican citizens. Shot in a central province of Mexico, Alÿs’s video portrays the confrontation between a group of dogs protecting their master’s home and an intruder (the cameraman, invisible to the work’s spectators). In this fiction of sorts, the camera takes an active role in the unfolding of the narrative. By examining the way in which its oppressive gaze can be a form of weaponry as much as a shield, it draws attention to how videocameras have become an epitome of power. Acting ‘like a dog among dogs’, Alÿs deliberately set the camera against the animals knowing that dogs loathe direct eye contact. Throughout the film the camera manages to keep the dogs at bay, sometimes providing a physical armour, sometimes actively entering into the game of menace and recognition.
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Crew

Directed by:

Sequels and Prequels

No sequels or prequels available

Media

Questions about El Gringo

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Where can I stream El Gringo legally?

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Is El Gringo worth watching?

30
BadGoodWatch score

Reviews are weak, with a GoodWatch score of 30/100. The GoodWatch score combines critic and audience ratings.

How long is El Gringo?

0 h 4 min

El Gringo runs 0 h 4 min.

What language is El Gringo in?

English

It was made in English. Produced in Mexico.

What tropes does El Gringo use?

Thirsty DesertAfter-Action Healing DramaMachete MayhemIncompetent Guard AnimalMugging the MonsterOne-Man ArmyImpromptu TracheotomyFruit CartBig Bad EnsembleGuns AkimboEven Evil Has StandardsKnow When to Fold 'Emand 21 more

TV Tropes lists 33 storytelling tropes for El Gringo, including Thirsty Desert, After-Action Healing Drama, Machete Mayhem.