As important as the costumes, the prop guns, the location, were the cars we used in the Bagman. Each car told a story for their character just by being there, never moving, always present.
Cabron (Andrew Prescott) drove a steel gray 1989 Toyota Pickup. Rusted out in some places, it was still a reliable way to get from point A to point B. The Pickup is a symbol of the hard working American, and the fact that it’s a Japanese import speaks to the growing obsolescence of his place in the criminal underworld, being overtaken by the Mexican drug cartel.
Amigo (Rodrigo Carballo) drives a classic light camel 1980 Chevy El Camino. Also showing its age, the El Camino presents a desire to be better than the character actually is. It has style and is reliable, but is rough around the edges; hard to love at face value. But there’s definitely something special there.
The two cars are parked facing opposite directions, mirroring the characters’ differing point of views, and the colors, likewise, mimic the skin tones of the actors.
Special thanks to Andrew Johnson for donating the Pickup, and Ryan Olsen for donating the El Camino to our production. Both turned out to be exactly what we needed