Movie Review: ‘Emerald Run’

Review by Lisa Payne

“The lengths we go to for family are infinitely immeasurable, but this path may have just led me too far beyond my return.”

During the opening credits, words flash across the screen and honestly, I should have tweaked what type of movie this was.

The plot in a nutshell. John Thomas’ daughter, Lisa, is acting strangely, aka she is a teenager. His wife, Anna, is trying to convince a priest who looks like a sicario to perform an anointment. John needs money for Lisa to see a doctor for a diagnosis. John’s father-in-law, who is a criminal, rather than giving them money for doctors for his granddaughter’s treatment, entices John to come work for him on a dangerous job smuggling jewels across the US/Mexican border, hence the Emerald Run.

When I see the joins in a movie and am criticizing from almost the first scene, I know that I’m in for a long, bumpy ride.

Lisa buys some weed, and John acts as if she lit up a crack pipe.

John and his companion literally just escaped a shootout. “They’re on foot, they have no water. They’re probably dead already.” What kind of dumb-ass logic is that?

This film is offensive on so many levels.

“The problem with Mexico is that it’s full of Mexicans.”

“Is this an Indian thing?”

In his hour of need, John prays, “Please help me, God.” And a savior appears. I’m thinking, please make this movie be over, like right now. I don’t know if I’m gonna make it.

Emerald Run is full of obvious, shallow religious symbolism, hallucinations, a bad script, awful soundtrack, and wooden acting. One indignity piled on another. To top it off, near the end, in case we missed the plot, there is some bad monologuing.

A full-on religious, redemption film masquerading as an action-adventure.