Highway Patrolman (El Patrullero)

It was no surprise to me when I found out that Alex Cox directed a film about a Mexican Highway Patrolman. After all, a Mexican Highway Patrolman is easily comparable to an American Repo Man. Like Repo Man before it, Alex Cox’s Highway Patrolman follows a young man as he encounters the many dangerous adventures of the open roads. Unlike Repo Man, Highway Patrolman features a man trying to uphold the law, albeit in a lawless country. Otto in Repo Man was enticed to a career as a Repo Man due to the ambiguous legality of the job. After all, Otto was a punk rocker who loved to skank and mosh to the lovely punk hardcore group The Circle Jerks. Pedro Rojas, the lead and idealistic cop of Highway Patrolman, on the other hand is a Mexican patriot that is truly looking to cleanup up crime and grime of his beloved ancestral homeland.

Pedro is a Patrolman who truly thinks Mexico is a great country. When a Gringo offers Pedro and his partner some German beers, Pedro proclaims the best beer is Mexican. Of course, when the Gringo and his Gringo comrade leave, Pedro and his Mexican comrade guzzle down the Kraut Brewski as if they were dying in their quest for aqua. After all, whether you be an Injun, Mestizo, or Negro, it is wise to hide partaking in the altruistic welfare of a Gringo. One must never let the Gringo know that your existence relies on his generosity, even if he is a “racist.” Pedro not only loves his wonderful sandbox Nation, but he also carries about the beautiful Chicas that live in it, especially female prostitutes with cocaine addictions. After marrying a Mexican broad and implanting his zesty ranch sauce in her meaty fajita, Pedro becomes a father. At this point, Pedro realizes he will now have to gets his sex elsewhere as he cannot stand his Punta wife and her firecracker-style bitching.

Not long after starting his career as a Highway Patrolman, Pedro’s fanatical idealism starts to wear thinner than a .50 cent piñata. And like a piñata, once Pedro’s idealism breaks, he explodes with an eclectic array of colorful surpises. After Pedro’s partner is killed, he goes vigilante and hunts down the drug peddling culprits. Pedro also makes sure to steal some drugs and cash from the dealers as he feels he owes it to his mistress prostitute girlfriend. Pedro may have to work a little overtime to get the job done, but I guess that is what one has to expect when bedding down two spicy ladies. Surprisingly, Pedro somehow is able to single-handedly bring down a group of drug dealers. Maybe Alex Cox was shooting for the Sci-Fi angle a little bit with Highway Patrolman just as he did with Repo Man. After all, everyone knows that there ain’t no Mexican cops stopping drugs from getting into the glorious United States of America.

Highway Patrolman is no doubt one of Alex Cox’s better films but certainly not his best. I can only assume that Highway Patrolman was made as a somewhat serious film for Mexicans, yet the film is full of hilarious scenes that probably only a Gringo could love. I also having a feeling that despite being directed by an outsider (and Brit to boot), Highway Patrolman offers a somewhat realistic look at Mexico and the typical daily hell the average Mexican faces. Shirtless grade school children skipping school to sell wild Iguanas, rabid dogs that need to be shot, a family of Mexicans gutting a recently dead pig, and a variety of other depressing/disgusting scenarios give meaning to the life of a Highway Patrolman. I certainly would rather be an American Repo Man rather than a Mexican Highway Patrolman. I can’t wait to see how great this country looks in a couple decades from now with all the Illegal (and Legal) immigrants. One can certainly expect a rise in Repo Men and Highway Patrolmen as a result.

-Ty E