Movies
Mexican crime epic, that starts quite light and amusing, but ends on a much more serious note. I wouldn't go as far as to call it a comedy, instead the film seems to contrast the outwardly flashy appeal of criminal life with the harder truths that lurk beneath. Estrada's film is just a little too safe to make a big impact. Performances are nice enough and the yellow glow gives the film some welcome flair. The first half of the film is pretty fun, when things get more serious though it quickly becomes clear that there's simply not enough meat here to warrant the epic scale and runtime of the film. Not bad, just a bit overblown in places.Read all
Expectations were pretty low when I started this film, but after a short introduction it quickly became clear that director Estrada was building up a pretty amusing narrative. The middle part of the film was by far the best, the quality does slip a little in the final third, but overall this was a nice find. It's pretty amusing to see Vargas evolve from well-meaning major to villainous crook. There's a dash of dark comedy that keeps things entertaining, performances are solid and Estrada makes excellent use of the barren setting. Things maybe get a little too serious near the end and the film's a tad long, but I had some solid fun with this one.Read all