Beau Knapp as Cuco was a poor choice. His lethargic Spanish at the 8 minute mark highlighted the fact that he was the wrong choice. His character is as menacing as a middle school bully. There's just no real suspense. It reminds me of Boyd Holbrook in Logan. Just a poor fit, no real menace. It's not his fault but he's the main protagonist with a hook throughout the film. Just very unfortunate for everyone involved.
Frank Grillo's character on the other hand, that dude is fearsome. You can't have a weakling against someone with no feeling except a one track mind. Just a terrible imbalance.
I suspect they noticed it during editing but didn't have the budget to fix it. The only other issue was a well worn storyline. It's hard to come up with new ideas though. Caught in the middle of two warring parties and you're the underdog. Maybe next time.
Frank Grillo's character on the other hand, that dude is fearsome. You can't have a weakling against someone with no feeling except a one track mind. Just a terrible imbalance.
I suspect they noticed it during editing but didn't have the budget to fix it. The only other issue was a well worn storyline. It's hard to come up with new ideas though. Caught in the middle of two warring parties and you're the underdog. Maybe next time.