I really enjoy watching shows and movies that are filmed in New Mexico. However, it's a double edge sword. On some aspects you are watching the movie for what it is. On the other side, you sit there and wonder where they are filming? Did i drive passed one of the several filming locations? Do I know anyone in the movie? How are they at one location turn the camera and they are on the other side of town?? If you have ever watched Breaking Bad or In Plain Sight, they did it all the time. So, i was a bit hesitant to go see this, i was able to do it a few times. I mean when you see your home mountain range, it's hard not to.
I had the privilege of watching the world primer of Coyote Cage. The movie was premiered this week at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque. I really have some mixed emotions about this movie. Overall, i did like the movie. Let's get into it. There may be spoilers ahead.
Coyote Cage (2023) focus on a group of Latin Americans trying to escape Juarez, Mexico to get into the United States. They hire a coyote to assist them in crossing the border. When they run into desert rednecks looking for drugs and losing their supplies, that's when things take a turn for the worst. Sadly, not only for the characters but for the people watching the movie. This is about where the movie almost lost me. As we take time in the desert looking for the supplies and getting back on track, the story starts to slow down. When the characters started dropping clues as their path you knew something was coming.
As they get back on track the movie starts to get back up to speed. Now they talk about a kidnapping the whole movie as what could happen. Surprise that's what happens to them. Shocker! Here is where the story let me down as a fan of horror movies. So many things could have gone different to make it more of a horror film. When the new Coyotes take over, we get to a safe house, and you know something is wrong. They show them to their rooms, and they feel safe. Thats when they start to shake them down for more money. Now this is where I felt that we could have had more horror.
Death and violence are often shown graphically or overtly in horror movies, while in thriller films, they are usually implied or suggested. This is where I think Coyote Cage fell. It was more implied. I think it could have been a bit more horrifying to the audience. One thing I think could have made it a bit more is how did they get the sister? How did she end up in the freezer? I think that would have added a bit more complexity and answered a ton of questions that the movie left.
Growing up here in New Mexico the stories of coyotes is not uncommon. The abduction of people or people getting hurt crossing border is not unheard of. This was a different look at the stories that you hear. What would have I have liked to see different? I think the struggle in the desert could have been better. I think the Coyote Cage aspect of the movie could have added a ton of horror to the story. You could have had more torcher and struggle in the Cage. When i think of movies like SAW you could have added elements of that to the Coyote Cage to make it horrific. That have given the audience get more or a sense of accomplishment when they escaped.
When i look at movies what do i compare this to? Is this a Marvel Movie with a 100-million-dollar budget? in short, No. When you look at this i would compare this to another indie, Lazer Team. Not a high budget film but the studio that made it was extremely proud of it. What did i like about Coyote Cage? Well to start it was a good story, again a little slow but one i could relate to. Knowing people who had taken similar journeys i feel it was a good tribute to the struggle they take to get to America. I like that it highlights the dangers of the border states. I can remember in high school we watched El Norte to highlight the journey. I could actually see this doing similar. if it rated this movie out of 10 I would give it a 7.5. It's a good movie for the story. Take the simple fact that i live in New Mexico out of it, take the fact that I know that what they go through is real, I don't think Coyote Cage was a horror film. But I generally enjoyed the move and would watch Coyote Cage again.
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