Just Walking

I went to this screening solely on the basis of an alluring trailer and my decision proved a wise one. Just Walking is the story of four women, battered by life and motivated by revenge, who plan a heist to rob some Mexican drug traffickers. Aurora (Gil) is serving a prison sentence for a failed robbery, while sister Ana (Anaya) is a prostitute married to a wealthy drug trafficker, Felix.

His dirty business is lucrative but he beats Ana and has driven her to alcohol. Ana plans to get him back where it really hurts - by robbing from his business operations. Once Aurora finishes her stretch she, Ana, pal Paloma and mutual friend Gloria hatch a dangerous plan to attack Felix and his gang, with the prize being money and power.

Just Walking is a stylish femme-thriller with good twists and turns, neat action sequences and a great mix of colourful characters. The pace never really lets up. The movie is quite violent - a hammer scene had me looking the other way and I´m not a squeamish person. The director looks to have been influenced by Sam Peckinpah because there are some nice nods to his shooting style, and during the heist one of the characters is watching The Wild Bunch. Diego Luna is the main star here, playing Gabriel, Felix's right hand man and muscle. Gabriel too seeks a better life and things take a turn for the better and worse when his path crosses with these four women.

I really liked Just Walking, it's a breath of fresh air for the gangster genre. The script's many layers thrust you right into a world of gangsters and girls but it will appeal to a wide audience, not just fans of the hard-boiled. It deserves an international audience.