While it may not be getting the same level of publicity as a big budget blockbuster, Mexicali will no doubt be on any action fans’ radar. Writer Jesse V. Johnson has teamed up once again with regular collaborator Luke LaFontaine, who makes his feature length directorial debut. Having worked together on classics like Savage Dog (2017), The Beautiful Ones (2017) and The Debt Collector (2018), you will have a fair idea of what to expect with Mexicali.
However, it isn’t just the involvement of LaFontaine and Johnson that should get you excited, with the film being headlined by the extraordinary Bren Foster, coming hot off the heels of his own directorial debut Life After Fighting (2024). Mexicali is just further proof that Foster should be better known, with him fast becoming one of the best action stars currently working today.
Originally titled The Farmer, Mexicali finds ex-mercenary Joe (Bren Foster) trying to live a quiet life along with his girlfriend Estrella (Tania Raymonde), helping her run her avocado farm in Mexico. Facing financial difficulty, Joe has been taking part in underground fights to make sure he can pay his farm workers salaries.
For a while everything seems to be going okay, that is until Joe comes into contact with local gangster Chavez (Edgar de Santiago). Trying to ignore Chavez, Joe is quickly forced to pick up arms against him, which brings about the attention of Chavez’s father the General.
The General sends enforcer Baptiste (Plutarco Haza) and his right hand man Ruthie (Kris Van Damme) to deal with Joe and take over Estrella’s farm, but this doesn’t exactly go to plan with them witnessing first hand how deadly Joe can be.
Having Luke LaFontaine at the helm, it isn’t a surprise the action is first rate. From bone crunching fist fights to bullet strewn shootouts, the action is expertly choreographed, with both LaFontaine and Foster bringing together their years of experience to create some of the finest action scenes you will see all year.
The film doesn’t waste any time getting to the action, opening with Foster taking on multiple opponents in an underground fighting ring. Facing one fighter after another, these opening five minutes perfectly set up the remainder of the film. Not only do they introduce us to our lead but showcase the excellent fight choreography that will feature throughout.
From here LaFontaine takes a little time to introduce the rest of the characters and set up the plot before unleashing merry hell, with the action increasing in intensity as the film progresses. Not shying away from violence, I was happy to see that LaFontaine had a preference for practical effects. Sure, there is some digital gunfire and blood, but there is a good amount of old school blood squibs used as well that just makes the action hit much harder.
However, just having great action doesn’t automatically make for a great film. Luckily and typically for a film written by Jesse V. Johnson, there is a strong focus on plot and character. Sure, the idea of bare knuckle boxing may not be wholly original, but how the plot is developed, the setting and the characters that inhabit it all come together to make Mexicali a standout.
Years back, Jesse V. Johnson wrote and directed the movie Pit Fighter (2005), which could almost be a companion piece to Mexicali. Both films focus on a character with a violent past who has a strong moral code. Both also feature underground fighting, with several violent beatdowns, with both culminating in a bullet filled finale. Pit Fighter is certainly rougher round the edges, with Mexicali being a more polished production, but if you were a fan of Johnson’s earlier movie you should have an idea the vibe Mexicali is going for.
Bren Foster is a typical Johnson hero, reluctantly dragged into a fight that he had no desire to be involved in, with the villains realizing too late that he’s one person they should have just left alone. Foster brings a great deal of charisma and personality to his performance, making Joe feel more like a real person. It builds on his already stellar work in last year’s Life After Fighting, with Foster bringing a level of naturality to his performance. The romantic angle between him and Tania Raymonde’s Estrella additionally allows Foster to show off his softer side when he’s not kicking ass.
On her initial introduction, I did expect Raymonde to play the typical girlfriend character, mainly there to be rescued. While this does happen at one point, the film smartly twists this with Raymonde coming into her own during the finale, showing that just with a bit of training from her man she too can be a killing machine. One particular highlight has Raymonde mowing down a horde of bad guys with a jeep mounted machine gun.
This marks Raymonde and Foster’s second collaboration after the better than expected Deep Blue Sea 3 (2020). That film found them as adversaries, whereas here they share an easy going chemistry that makes their budding romance all the more plausible.
Raymond’s character isn’t the only one to buck the trend, with Plutarco Haza’s Baptiste turning out to be much more than a typical villain. While he works on the wrong side of the law, like Foster’s Joe, he too has a moral code. How Haza’s character developed throughout the film is just another aspect that makes Mexicali a standout from other genre fare. It would have been so easy just to make him the stereotypical villain, but clearly the filmmakers had other ideas, with the film being all the better for it. Additionally, I’m always happy when an actor I wasn’t previously aware of gets a chance to shine.
If I had one complaint, it would be how little Kris Van Damme was used. Other than a brief fight with Foster, he gets very little to do.. While it was great to see him on screen, it would be nice to see him in more substantial roles. He certainly has the looks and the moves to make for a suitable lead in an action movie, but to date this has yet to happen.
Making up for this minor drawback was the inclusion of regular Johnson and LaFontaine collaborator Louis Mandylor. As ever, Mandylor brings a level of class to proceedings, even in such limited screen time. What makes his appearance all the more noteworthy (SPOILER ALERT!!!) is that he’s clearly playing his character Sue from The Debt Collector. This opens up several possibilities if Mexicali ever gets a sequel. Could Foster maybe share the screen with Mandylor and Scott Adkins? It’s certainly something most action fans would love to see.
We may only be in March, but we’ve already a handful of terrific action movies in 2026. Mexicali is definitely right up there, with it possibly being the best action film of 2026. It’s certainly a tough one to beat. Hopefully it will be enough of a success to give LaFontaine more opportunities to direct.
For Jesse V. Johnson fans, he’s back in the director’s chair for the upcoming Above and Below which finds him teaming up with Antonio Banderas as well as several of his regular collaborators.
Bren Foster is also back in the director’s chair for Relentless, which is currently in post production. As well as this, he has a co-starring role in the soon to be released Beast (2026), an interesting looking MMA drama where he will be starring against Danile McPherson, Luke Hemsworth and screen legend Russell Crowe.
Mexicali has been released in select theaters and is currently available on VOD. It is not to be missed.
Plot: 5/5
Acting: 4/5
Action: 5/5
Overall: 4.6/5
