AboveDeepBuggy Some things I liked some I did not.

Dotbankey A lot of fun.

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

a_chinn I feel like I have to qualify every review I make of a Mel Gibson film, so yes, he is an awful, crazy person, but oh man was this an great movie! Mel is a nameless getaway driver on the run with two million in cash, who is arrested by Mexican police within the first two minutes of the film and thrown into jail where he schemes to escape and recover his money. The story and main character have a hard-boiled, lean efficiency that's enthralling, and both also have a nasty violent edge that may not be to the tastes of all viewers (blood and guts Mel co-wrote and produced the film), but much of this is played for for comedy. I really don't want to ruin any of the story beyond the set-up, but Mel uses his wits, charms, guns, and fists to survive a prison like you've never seen. "Edge of Darkness" was somewhat of a return to action for Mel, but this film is undeniably a return to the giddy violent action of "Lethal Weapon" or "Payback", which this film could easily have been a sequel (Mel's character at one point references a partner double crossing him with his wife). Strangely, Mel chose not to release the film theatrically in the US and decided to show it Video-On-Demand instead, but I can kind of see his reasoning, as there are some pretty rough non-Hollywood elements in the film that you would certainly never see in most mainstream action films. Overall, if you're in the mood for "Payback" by way of "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia", then this is the film for you!

pseudonimo I do not understand why this movie was released direct to video when it came across as such a path breaking film? The plot was great, photography superb, acting was splendid. What was absolutely great about the film?- Its background score. Massive, Lovable. I could watch the movie a number of times. Its so good. I wish it had a great release. It would have done superb. Seeing this so great, I often wonder if Mel Gibson had just directed it, and it had either Sylvester Stallone, Al Pacino or Robert De niro playing the part. It would have been legendary. Nevertheless this movie is worth the time and just perfect enough to watch.

carbuff Who would have guessed that looney-tunes Mel would make a great movie-- I thought his best days were long past since he lost his mind, but I was way wrong. This movie is really good and an interesting twist on this classic sort of "Payback" kind of story. It is worth watching just for the Mexican city-within-prison scenes all by itself. It is a solid action film from beginning to end with Gibson really delivering. There are a few scenes of harsh violence, but nothing too shocking considering what people are used to today. I was totally blown away by what an amazing surprise this film turned out to be. Highly recommended as an action/adventure flick, regardless of what you think of "Crazy Mel".

Leofwine_draca HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION is a more entertaining film than it has a right to be. It sees Mel Gibson playing another half-crazed criminal type who winds up in a sprawling Mexican prison that looks more like a shanty town than the usual hellhole. This is a prison where kids and women live in peace alongside the convicts and where all manner of backstabbing (literal and metaphorical) goes on on a regular basis.The plot is lightweight and packed with humour, most of it deriving from Gibson's undeniable grizzled charm. Basically it's a film where he starts with nothing and has to rise to the top by outwitting all the various factions and villains pitted against him. The film's heart is the relationship between Gibson's character and a streetwise kid, played by the very good Kevin Hernandez. This central relationship helps to ground and humanise what would otherwise have been a very superficial and rather unappealing movie.Still, this is well made and fast-paced, although it's not quite the action movie they'd have you believe. Gibson is excellent, as is always the case, and the inventive narrative barely gives you time to draw breath before skipping to another situation. It's goofy but has undeniable charm at the same time.