Coronado (2003)

An american woman, in search of her fiance', becomes involved in a revolution of a central-american country.

Director:

Claudio Fäh

Writers:

Volker Engel, Marc Weigert,

Stars:

Kristin Dattilo, Clayton Rohner, Michael Lowry

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kristin Dattilo	...	Claire Winslow
Clayton Rohner	...	Arnet McClure
Michael Lowry	...	Will Gallagher
John Rhys-Davies	...	Presidente Hugo Luis Ramos
Daniel Zacapa	...	Sancho
Gary Carlos Cervantes	...	Jose
David Earl Waterman	...	Renny
Byron Quiros	...	General Rafael
David Purdham	...	Ambassador Hurrie
Danny Mora	...	Skeptical Interrogator
Rafael J. Noble	...	Gullible Officer
Aline Mayagoitia	...	Anna
Claudia de la Cabada	...	Rafael's Subcomandante
José Escandón	...	Prison Guard
Roger Nevares	...	Outpost Guard Garcia

Storyline

After her fiancé' forgot a few documents at home, Claire Winslow goes to Switzerland in order to deliver them to him. When she arrives, however, she discovers that he is not there, and that he went to El Coronado, a central American country on the verge of a revolution. She goes there, and teams up Arnet McClure, a TV reporter who is secretly assisting the rebels with arms from the US government, who wants to bring down the rule of President Ramos.

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Plot Keywords:

switzerland | rebel | president | central america | jungle | 

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Taglines:

Let the revolution begin!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some action violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [de] (English)

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

22 April 2004 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Coronado - Intrappolati nella giungla

Filming Locations:

Estudios Churubusco Azteca, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$4,700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

ARMS GmbH, Coronado Motion Picture LLC, Uncharted Territory

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Claire, Arnet and the others reach the wooden bridge with the truck, there immediately is a wide shot establishing the bridge and the valley. On top of the bridge, however, we can already see the truck driving on it and Claire waving it along, whereas in the next shot everybody is back at the parked truck.

User Reviews

See it for Kristin Datillo. Oh, and the effects. That's about it.

The Coronado DVD was for sale very cheaply in one of the Danish department store chains, so I bought it. I have to say I'm pretty happy with it.

For one thing - the main thing, actually -, it stars Kristin Datillo. I haven't seen the Chris Isaak Show that has apparently made her something of a household name, but I saw her on Hull High, a 1990 TV series, and never forgot about her. I didn't even know what her name was until I got this DVD, so that was a very positive surprise. She's fabulous. Very strong on both looks and personality. And she fits this movie incredibly well, because there is a red thread of subtle self-irony that goes all the way through this movie, and Datillo has the same sort of attitude, while at the same time being a serious and convincing actress and giving a very cool performance.

The extra material on the DVD clarifies how incredibly far the producers stretched the budget, getting a grand, epic and expensive-looking movie out of a meager budget, a lot of well-done computer and miniature prop effects, and a cheap on-location shoot in Mexico ($30 to have a train speeding by: they bought the train drivers lunch!). Very impressive! Considering how difficult it is for the actors to pretend that they're in completely different situations than they really are, the performances given must be said to be all-round excellent.

The movie itself, storywise, isn't much. For a long time, there is *no plot* other than Datillo's character running around looking for her fiancé. As they get embroiled in a central-American revolution (with both sides getting weapons supplied by the U.S.), the plot picks up somewhat, but remains an excuse for the SFX. Technically, it's an interesting package, but the story really is quite weak. It is saved by Datillo's charisma and the genuinely suspenseful and impressive-looking action scenes. It ends on a kind of critical note in terms of U.S. foreign policy, as the rebels are abandoned by their U.S. weapons dealers (who decide to back the other side), but manage to seize power anyway, thus bringing a more democratic government to the country instead of a U.S. controlled puppet government.

All in all, this movie is (and was most likely made as) a study of just how impressive a special-effects spectacular can be created from a very small budget ($4.7 million), and as such it is quite successful. The DVD cover even claims that it looks like a $100 million movie, which in fact is almost true.

6 out of 10.