Bad Hombres is one of those thrillers that starts out very promising. It sets up with a foundation of exploring the lives of people working to feed their families and finds a direction of conflict. The problems that arise are disastrous in finding employment with a certain immigration status and landing in dangerous territory. To an extent though, the writing feels like a blur that just fills up missing spaces in between the action. Problems arise in the film and there is a rush to find a solution with little regard for a quality story. This film hits uncharted territory and struggles to remain on pitch.

The movie opens on a setting where there are immigration problems, and many illegal immigrants are desperate for an income. Lack of money and citizenship struggles set the tone for Bad Hombres. It takes place in Lucera, New Mexico, a landscape of dry lands and empty fields where just a few people own many plots of land. The owners though, may not be as trustworthy as the audience may think. The tone of trusting no one with anything is set in Bad Hombres.

The film opens with the story of Felix (played by Diego Tinoco). He is an immigrant trying to put food on the table for his family. He teams up with Alfonso (played by Hemky Madera) and they both agree to do work for Donnie (played by Luke Hemsworth) and Steve (played by Paul Johansson). Felix and Alfonso begin the work of digging holes in the desert for Donnie and Steve. The job becomes unsettling as Donnie starts to show signs of strange personality traits and innuendos towards Felix and Alfonso. After a drastic and life-threatening incident with an individual getting shot, Felix and Alfonso make a run for it trying to hide from the crime scene they witnessed.

With Felix being one of the shooting victims, his injuries become the central conflict of the film. Alfonso is the one that aids Felix in finding a way to survive the dangers following them after their incident with Donnie and Steve. Felix refuses hospital treatment because he fears being deported. Regardless, everyone will suffer…if they are caught. The life of Felix and Alfonso is on the line—the authorities, illegal immigration operations, and criminal activity are the moving parts of one wild and destructive ride in Bad Hombres.

The film shifts a lot and the writing is lacking here. It feels as if it just keeps finding ways to fill time instead of moving the story along with quality content. The film does not have the surprises most would expect in a thriller like this. It is an experience where the suspense builds and anxiety-provoking stressors are anticipated yet not executed properly. This is one of those films where I feel it had much more potential to be more astounding, but fell short through weak attempts to thrill. Bad Hombres is a ride where the suspense is shaky and keeps halting in its tracks leaving moviegoers disappointed.

Bad Hombres is dark and brutal with floppy writing. The moving parts never come together and result in a ride of uncertainty and frustration. It is an unsatisfying experience. The acting is promising and realistic, but the realism of the film is not in its direction of brilliance. I thought there would be more backstory to the characters in the situation of immigration conflicts. Sadly, there is none of that. The film relies on action and suspense alone in trying to find conclusions and it misses out on providing a full story. Two out of four stars for Bad Hombres.