The Thin Yellow Line
(Celso R. García, 2015)

This well-intentioned though slight Mexican dramedy marginalizes its intriguing social conditions for what’s ultimately a buddy/road movie. Featuring an impeccable lead performance from veteran actor Damián Alcázar, along with a coterie of recognizable Mexican actors (Amores Perros’ Gustavo Sánchez Parra and Savages’ Joaquín Cosio), The Thin Yellow Line persuades you into believing that it has something to say about the socioeconomic climate of its characters, but rather devolves into a facile and uninteresting observation on the human condition. That’s not to suggest that the film’s actors aren’t capable of carrying the material – this is a fantastic ensemble – but rather that Celso R. García’s schematic screenplay never delves too far beyond its superficial tendencies. Neither effectively broad in its social observations nor focused as a character study, The Thin Yellow Line softly lobs the middle, never quite emerging as anything more than adequate.