El Camino: Truly a “Breaking Bad” Movie

By Avik Basak






Breaking Bad remains one of the best TV series of all time that ended with a somewhat tragic finale showcasing the death of its primary protagonist, Walter White aka Heisenberg. After that, we were left wondering about the fate of White’s sidekick, Jesse Pinkman as it was not made clear as to what direction his path took and that is where El Camino comes in and promises to shed light on the character’s future. This much is known to everyone who has seen the trailer. Do not worry, I am not going to divulge anything more about the plot to spoil the film for anyone who has not seen it yet.


El Camino takes the non-linear route to unfold in its just over two-hour runtime. I will say only this much that it contains flashback sequences as one could guess from the trailer. Now, the question I found myself asking when I first heard about this film is that can anything which comes so many years after that series finale evoke that same feel and mood? Can it really justify its subtitle- “A Breaking Bad Movie?” Well, let’s not rush to the answer.




Aaron Paul reprises his role as Jesse and he sinks so well into the character that no one without prior knowledge can say that it has been so many years since he last portrayed this complex fellow. It feels like he never left the set of the show. The same can be said about Charles Baker and Matt Jones who returns as Jesse’s trusted friends, Skinny Pete and Badger respectively. There are a lot of regulars and fan favourites from the series who make a comeback in the flashback sequences and they are a treat to the eyes and provide us with a pinch of nostalgia.




The film has been written and directed by Vince Gilligan who was the creator of the series. Hence, no wonder it feels like a continuation from the moment, when the screen turned black after Walter White collapsed on the floor in the last scene from the final episode. Yes, it does evoke that same feel and mood of a neo-western and black comedy which made us fall in love with the series. The cinematography has been done by Marshall Adams, who before this shot just one Breaking Bad episode, and has done a splendid job here especially with the way he used light. Skip Macdonald, who edited that final episode, too has been sincere with his scissors as we see some crisp cuts and a compact narrative. The score has been composed by the series regular, Dave Porter and it is once again spot on.


Overall, El Camino is not just a fitting epilogue to one of the most amazing drama series we have known but it also takes the story forward in a familiar but new way and finally gives us closure end which the finale did not (at least I feel that). It is truly “a Breaking Bad movie” which also makes you yearn for more.


4.5 Stars Out of 5 from Me…

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