A lurid and exciting film dealing with a sheriff : Patrick Wilson investigating a drug cartel deal and a brutal, psychopathic killer : John Leguizamo who is carrying out a criminal spree. As the latter dispassionally murders nearly every rival, bystanders and others in his implacable pursuit. As violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a deal goes wrong and while a valuable cash is attempted to retrieve near the border. Good men can do bad things ! You can't stop what's coming. One opportunity can change your life, one mistake can destroy it! . There are lo laws left!

This is a brutally entertaining thriller with intrigue , suspense, plot twists and lots of violence . Concerning a merciless manhunt, as a cop desperately attempts to keep one step ahead, but the unstopped chase from this bloody hunt starts to flow more and more behind him with relentless intensity as the contract killer closes in. Set in Los Reyes County Arizona where returns a patrolman well played by Patrick Wilson - he replaced Timothy Olyphant- as the officer in law tracks down a cruel murderer committing grisly killings, being stunningly performed by John Leguizano in a similar role to Javier Bardem's No Country for Old Men. Remaining cast are pretty good with notorious actors giving acceptable interpretations, such as : Ian McShane, Lynn Collins, Jim Belushi, David Stevens, Michael Flynn, among others.

It contains atmospheric and evocative cinematography by cameraman Jose David Montero, shot on location in Los Ángeles, California. As well as thrilling and enjoyable musical score by Juan Navazo, including some songs in Mexican style. The motion picture was well directed by Gonzalo López Gallego . This Spanish director is a good professional who has made some nice films as Nomads , Sobre Arco Iris , Rey de montaña, Backdraft 2 and two hits : Apollo 18 and Open Grave . Rating : 6/10. Acceptable and passable. The flick will appeal to Patrick Wilson fans and thriller enthusiasts.

This film wants to be No Country for Old Men if it was directed by a second rate Robert Rodriguez.

A Mexican cartel arms deal goes wrong leaving several dead and some money missing. Ian McShane is a wily but ageing small town lawman in Arizona, Patrick Wilson is his straight laced replacement, the new sheriff in town. They both join forces as a mysterious cartel hit-man (John Leguizamo) arrives with a literal hit-list, the trouble he is also a police officer. John Belushi is a sleazy used car salesman who seems to be doing the Cartel's dirty work.

This is a gritty neo noir B film, convoluted and viscerally violent, at one point Wilson loses his hand in a machete attack but it also comes across as confusing, hollow and silly at times.

It amazes me how reviewers here on IMDb can watch the same movie and come to wildly differing opinions. I get it that someone may or may not like a particular film, that's fine. But when you have those who enjoy a film for it's story telling and others who state they couldn't follow it, I just have to wonder if paying attention might have solved that problem.

So I guess that's what is at issue for this finely constructed tale. It's about a couple of law enforcement officers attempting to curb the trade in ammunition to a violent Mexican cartel that won't stop at anything to insure receipt of their bullets, or exact revenge on those who stand in their way.

Right out of the gate, any film with Ian McShane is going to hold my interest. After seeing him for the first time as the violent saloon owner Al Swearingen in the HBO series "Deadwood", I've been a loyal fan. His character, aging sheriff Leland Kilbaught calls to mind the role of Tommy Lee Jones in "No Country for Old Men", the difference being that Kilbaught hasn't become the wistful lawman regretting the way times have changed and passed him by. He's still whaling away in the thick of things, even after a new sheriff is assigned to replace him when he takes out a drug mule working for Shep Diaz (Jim Belushi) and Ken Mercey (David H. Stevens).

We never actually see the Mexican cartel gun lords calling the shots in the small, unnamed Arizona town where the story takes place. The tension is provided, again, in similar fashion to 'No Country's' relentless hit-man Javier Bardem, by the similarly motivated assassin called Atticus, forcefully portrayed by John Leguizamo. What was a bit convoluted though, was the idea that he was seeing a local woman named Lilly (Karli Hall),thus making him a known commodity in Los Reyes County. One would expect a villain like Atticus to be dispatched by his employers as someone who would remain largely anonymous.

That the movie offers it's fair share of gory violence shouldn't come as a surprise, it's something one would expect with the attendant story line. The machete business on the part of Atticus is particularly nasty as new sheriff Wallace would remorsefully attest. The one painful scene that tickled me was when Marla (Lynn Collins) took the sledge hammer to Shep's foot. Before it happened, I was thinking to myself that she should go with it, and if I saw it coming, Shep should have too. I bet that hurt like hell.

The thought I had to ponder when Wallace eventually put down Atticus had to do with Leland begging him to hand the gun over and not reduce himself to the level of the bad guys. My version of the story would have that happen so Leland could do the honors, thereby allowing Wallace to make a getaway without the killing on his conscience. Leland seemed to be the kind of guy who wouldn't have cared one way or the other. At least Leland got some measure of revenge with the final scene, but for that you'll have to catch the movie.

You know, as a big Johnny Cash fan, I was surprised that the song played over the closing credits was one I never heard before - 'God's Gonna Cut You Down'. It fit well enough, probably even better than the one I would have picked - 'When The Man Comes Around'.