Noriega: God's Favorite (TV 2000)

The story of Panamanian general Manuel Antonio 'Tony' Noriega, whose meteoric career, from utter poverty, as a soldier and CIA informant who also served as source to various other powers ... See full summary »

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Writer:

Lawrence Wright

Stars:

Bob Hoskins, Jeffrey DeMunn, Rosa Blasi

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Bob Hoskins	...	Manuel Noriega
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Nuncio
Rosa Blasi	...	Vicky Amador
Luis Avalos	...	President Nicky Barletta
Denise Blasor	...	Felicidad Noriega
Nestor Carbonell	...	Major Giroldi
Tony Plana	...	Colonel Diaz-Herrera
Sabi Dorr	...	Irwin
John Verea	...	Father Jorge
Richard Masur	...	Mark
David Marshall Grant	...	Drug Dealer
Michael Sorich	...	Fidel Castro
Jorge Luis Abreu	...	Witch Doctor
Edward Edwards	...	Oliver North
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Susan Africa	...	Adela Giroldi

Storyline

The story of Panamanian general Manuel Antonio 'Tony' Noriega, whose meteoric career, from utter poverty, as a soldier and CIA informant who also served as source to various other powers and even the Colombian drug mafia he claims to fight valiantly to please CIA director and later U.S. president Bush Sr., starts when he confesses to a priest, reminiscing how he has experienced such luck that he believes himself to be God's favorite- each time he takes more risks people tell him he went too far, but always seems to get away with it. In his marriage, he is constantly unfaithful to Felicidad 'Fela', notably with his mistress Vicky Amador. After public opinion, domestic and U.S., was scandalize by the brutal torture, rape and decapitation of generally respected Dr. Hugo Spadafora, he sees to it that the blame goes to President Nicky Barletta, only one year in office. When he feels forced to destroy a drug lab of the Medellin cartel he accepted payment from, even Fidel Castro tells him a ...

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Plot Keywords:

sanctuary | general | decapitation | torture | injection | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 June 2001 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Noriega

Filming Locations:

Metro Manila, Luzon, Philippines

Company Credits

Production Co:

Industry Entertainment, Regency Enterprises, Showtime Networks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Oliver Stone previously wished to make a film about Manuel Noriega and considered Al Pacino and Jean-Claude Van Damme to play him.

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Quotes

Manuel Noriega: You want some friendly advice? I suggest you kill yourself.
Major Giroldi: That is against my religion.
Manuel Noriega: [smiles unpleasantly] Then give me your weapon, and place yourself in God's hands...

User Reviews

Why did Noriega surrender? Just cause.

Those expecting "Noriega: God's Favorite" to be a serious docudrama, biopic, or history lesson will likely be disappointed to find its representation of the reign of Noriega as Panama's evil thug dictator to be an embellished and peculiar mix of tongue-in-cheek drama and dark comedy which is surprisingly sympathetic to the title character. With the Philippines standing in for Panama much better than Hoskins standing in for the squat, pockmarked Noriega, the film goes off tangentially with seemingly little purpose save entertaining. The latter it appears to accomplish well in spite of it's made-for-tv low-budgetness and theatrical execution. Worth a look for those who don't mind filmdom playing with serious matters of history. (B-)