A recent TV screening of this movie was preceded by a brief interview with director Eloy De La Iglesia. During the late 70s and 80s, De La Iglesia had became a prominent director by making a series of movies that mixed exploitation (nudity, violence) with asocial commentary. Seen today, his films are unique documents on how life was lived and perceived during that period. And unlike other filmmakers from the period, De La Iglesia is a very talented filmmaker. At his best, his films still have the gritty edge, the naturalistic approach and the poignancy that made them successful at the time. At his works, they show how thin is the line between contention and excess, between drama and exploitation.
On the interview I've mentioned De La Iglesia didn't seem much appreciative of this film. He had made it with the idea of making a commercial film, something light that would earn big money. He also mentioned that critics had slammed it for being broad, which he said it was something intentional.
And he is dead-on. The film starts like many of his urban dramas, with two small delinquents arriving to Vallecas and trying to assault a tobacco shop. But soon, comedy is introduced. The owner, an angry middle aged woman (an completely OTT Emma Penella) refuses to let the criminals take the money, and while the police takes siege to the shop tension and comedy escalates in both places, as the police seems hesitant to assault the shop and the hostages start to develop the Stockholm syndrome.
Personally, I enjoyed the film quite much, but I finally decided that the eye De La Iglesia has for social commentary (the attitudes of police and neighbors of Vallecas are very realistic) mix together quite badly with comedy, specially in cases like this one, where the stages of the Stockholm syndrome are so poorly explained that suspension of disbelief needs to be applied in great doses.
Still, it is a highly enjoyable film. Performances are fantastic, although Penella's very conscious overacting may displease some viewers. The actors playing the criminals are very good as well, and Marivel Verdú, in one of her earlier works, is lots of fun as well. We can also see Jesus Puente, a veteran Spanish actor, playing a police officer. He has one of the best dramatic moments in the movie, I won't say more.
The only real problem I have with this film is, as I mentioned earlier, that comedy and drama mix very poorly, and while I enjoyed many of the dramatic scenes some of the comedy had my eyes rolling. But, of course, if you are into dramas you can always watch the rest of De La Iglesia's movies.
On the interview I've mentioned De La Iglesia didn't seem much appreciative of this film. He had made it with the idea of making a commercial film, something light that would earn big money. He also mentioned that critics had slammed it for being broad, which he said it was something intentional.
And he is dead-on. The film starts like many of his urban dramas, with two small delinquents arriving to Vallecas and trying to assault a tobacco shop. But soon, comedy is introduced. The owner, an angry middle aged woman (an completely OTT Emma Penella) refuses to let the criminals take the money, and while the police takes siege to the shop tension and comedy escalates in both places, as the police seems hesitant to assault the shop and the hostages start to develop the Stockholm syndrome.
Personally, I enjoyed the film quite much, but I finally decided that the eye De La Iglesia has for social commentary (the attitudes of police and neighbors of Vallecas are very realistic) mix together quite badly with comedy, specially in cases like this one, where the stages of the Stockholm syndrome are so poorly explained that suspension of disbelief needs to be applied in great doses.
Still, it is a highly enjoyable film. Performances are fantastic, although Penella's very conscious overacting may displease some viewers. The actors playing the criminals are very good as well, and Marivel Verdú, in one of her earlier works, is lots of fun as well. We can also see Jesus Puente, a veteran Spanish actor, playing a police officer. He has one of the best dramatic moments in the movie, I won't say more.
The only real problem I have with this film is, as I mentioned earlier, that comedy and drama mix very poorly, and while I enjoyed many of the dramatic scenes some of the comedy had my eyes rolling. But, of course, if you are into dramas you can always watch the rest of De La Iglesia's movies.