Not only is the plot of the novel inspired by a film (The Magnificent Seven) the book reads like a movie itself, complete with caricatures, and the employment of almost every film genre possible: action-adventure, documentary, drama, romance, and political intrigue.

More importantly, the peoples’ illusions of the United States, the people around them, and their quest, are formed by what they see in movies. This develops the reality and illusion theme that Urrea examines with this story. The author may be arguing that the generalized ideas that we form about people and places may infiltrate our thinking and may solidify into beliefs. It is only through real-time experience that these illusions are shattered and we learn the truth.