Nicotina (2003)

A real-time dark comedy about a science geek who tangles with a clutch of Russian gangsters after he delivers them the wrong computer disk.

Director:

Hugo Rodríguez

Writer:

Martín Salinas

Stars:

Diego Luna, Rafael Inclán, Rosa María Bianchi

12 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Diego Luna	...	Lolo
Lucas Crespi	...	Nene
Norman Sotolongo	...	Svóboda
Jesús Ochoa	...	Tomson
Martha Tenorio	...	Eulogia (as Marta Tenorio)
Rafael Inclán	...	Goyo
Rosa María Bianchi	...	Carmen
José María Yazpik	...	Joaquín
Marta Belaustegui	...	Andrea (as Marta Beláustegui)
Eugenio Montessoro	...	Carlos
Carmen Madrid	...	Clara
Daniel Giménez Cacho	...	Beto
Alexis Sánchez	...	Andrei
Jorge Zárate	...	Sánchez
Enoc Leaño	...	Memo

Storyline

"Nicotina," is a crime caper set in Mexico City about a simple exchange that goes awry, causing the lives of nine unsuspecting characters to explode in one tumultuous night over a fortune in diamonds. Diego Luna stars as computer hacker Lolo, who is infatuated with his neighbor Andrea and catalogs her every move via high-tech peeping devices. Lolo teams with amateur criminals Tomson and his younger counterpart Nene in a deal with a Russian mobster that involves the exchange of diamonds for computer access to Swiss bank accounts. But the deal goes terribly wrong after Lolo's attempts to spoil Andrea's romantic trysts spiral out of control. Down the street, the irritable pharmacist Beto and his fed-up wife Clara get inadvertently entangled in the exchange, along with the humble barber Goyo and his domineering other half Carmen. Infected with diamond lust, these characters become obsessed with the intoxicating possibility of an easy life and their greed quickly transforms into fiery ...

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Plot Keywords:

diamond | caper | hacker | mexico city | gangster | 

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Arenas Group [United States]

Country:

Mexico Argentina Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

3 October 2003 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Cigarros, desamores, y 20 diamantes

Filming Locations:

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$446,768 (USA) (20 August 2004)

Gross:

$800,371 (USA) (27 August 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Altavista Films, Arca Difusion, Cacerola Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Smoke , Diamonds & Blood

'Nicotina' is a dark semi-gangster comedy revolving around gangsters (obviously), a computer geek, a corpulent Russian kingpin, two hairdressers and a convenience shop owner among others. The premise is interesting and I liked the premise and the Mexican humour.

However, the film starts off slow. The dialogues are a little repetitive but the pace brilliantly picks up after about the first half hour. Rodriguez could have incorporated more style in his execution. The editing could have been tighter but at the same time, some of the characters could have used more development.

The comedic situations, which the characters encounter and deal with, work excellently. The irony is well displayed and the film has a darkly whimsical feel to it. I thought a different background score would have worked better, something with a little more energy.

Yet, 'Nicotina' remains an enjoyable urban film. Diego Luna, Martha Tenorio, Rafael Inclán and Rosa María Bianchi are very good. At the time, dark urban comedies may have been a trend in Mexican cinema but that does nOt stop 'Nicotina' from being fun.