影片讲述了一个职业罪犯(梅尔·吉布森 Mel Gibson 饰)被墨西哥警方抓捕后送往一个充满毒品和犯罪的监狱,在一个9岁男孩的帮助下,他学会了如何在这样的监狱里生存下来。
本片由梅尔·吉布森和《启示》(Apocalypto)的原班人马在墨西哥的伊格阿连德监狱拍摄完成。梅尔 ·吉布森不会亲自执导这部影片,而是让《启示》的第一助理导演Ad rian Grunberg来当导演。不过这部影片的剧本是吉布森自己创作的,而且他也将亲自主演。Heading toward the Mexican border, a getaway driver disguised as a clown and his wounded accomplice try to escape the American Police with a loot of over $2 million hidden in the trunk of the car. In a desperate attempt to break through the thick border fence, the driver crashes the car, the accomplice dies and he inevitably gets apprehended by Mexican Police officers Romero and Vasquez who want the money just for themselves. As the only American inmate in the infamous "El Pueblito" Mexican prison, which resembles more of a small village of convicts rather than a usual prison, the driver quickly gets the nickname "The Gringo" and finds out first hand how rough it is to be a stranger in the perilous world of Javi, the ruthless crime lord who runs the prison. Sooner or later, the Gringo will form an alliance with a 10-year-old kid whose peculiar immunity in this mad place will efficiently keep him alive, only to realise that in this pit, everyone knows about the $2 million. In the end, with an order issued for his execution and knowing that his time is short, will the Gringo manage to save himself and the kid's family, get his money and ultimately escape once and for all from the El Pueblito?