Sin Nombre can be lobbed into the same melting pot of slum movies like City of God, City of Men and Elite Squad, but where its predecessors revelled in the grim life on the streets, the characters of this drama - like a Mexican Bruce Springsteen - dream only of getting out and do everything they can to achieve it.
Willy (Flores) is a member of a ruthless gang headed up by the psychotic Li'l Mago (Huerta), a heavily tattooed devil who coldly orders executions while cradling his baby son. Feeling increasingly disillusioned with gang life, the final straw for Willy comes when Li'l Mago kills Martha Marlene (Diana Garcia), Willy's girlfriend. Hopping on a train to rob passengers, Willy seizes his chance for revenge and hacks Li'l Mago to death as he's about to rape Sayra (Gaitan). Sayra, a Honduran teenager recently reunited with her father (Taracena) and uncle Orlando (Guillermo Villegas), is on her way to the US border, hoping to steal into the country and on to New Jersey. Because Willy has made this run many times, Sayra and her family reluctantly accept his help, but with his former gang seeking revenge the journey, becomes ever more precarious.
First time filmmaker Fukanaga breaks out of the slum and offers a different story - the road movie - on what is becoming already a familiar film. It's a different and welcome take. His stripped-back style is commendable for a debutant, as he doesn't attempt to comment on the situation, preferring instead to present the story as a matter-of-fact. This is life for the immigrant. Nor is he in a rush to tell his story (Sayra and Willy, nicknamed El Casper by the gang, only meet for the first time close to the half-way mark) or overwhelm the audience with exposition. However, he still never manages to ignite major interest and Sin Nombre (which means 'without a name') toddles along doing everything an audience expects. We never really get to know any of his characters either, and the chasing gang - roping in other gangs who risk everything to kill Willy - brings The Warriors to mind. This unbelievable element, in an otherwise believable story, doesn't work.