El Crimen Perfecto (The Perfect Crime) (2004)
"Crimen ferpecto" (original title)

Rafael is the best salesman in the biggest department store of Madrid. He is a fascinating man; all his colleagues fell in love with him. He tries to live a high-standard life. He is ... See full summary »

Director:

Álex de la Iglesia

Writers:

Jorge Guerricaechevarría (screenplay), Álex de la Iglesia (screenplay)

Stars:

Guillermo Toledo, Mónica Cervera, Luis Varela

2 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Guillermo Toledo	...	Rafael González
Mónica Cervera	...	Lourdes
Luis Varela	...	Don Antonio Fraguas
Enrique Villén	...	Comisario Campoy
Fernando Tejero	...	Alonso
Javier Gutiérrez	...	Jaime
Kira Miró	...	Roxanne
Rosario Pardo	...	Señora despistada
Gracia Olayo	...	Concha
José Alias	...	Matías
Penélope Velasco	...	Susana
Montse Mostaza	...	Helena (as Montserrat Mostaza)
Eduardo Gómez	...	Taxista
Enrique Martínez	...	Pepón
Alicia Andújar	...	Desiree

Storyline

Rafael is the best salesman in the biggest department store of Madrid. He is a fascinating man; all his colleagues fell in love with him. He tries to live a high-standard life. He is definitely ambitious and aspires to be the new head of sales on his floor. But he has to beat Don Antonio: the best salesman in the man wearing sector. Competition gets harder and harder, until Rafael kills Don Antonio! Lourdes, the ugliest woman in the store, unexpectedly helps Rafael to hide the corpse, but her help isn't for free. Rafael will soon start considering a new crime. A new perfect crime.

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Plot Keywords:

salesman | corpse | dead man | elevator | topless female nudity | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [es]

Country:

Spain Italy

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

22 October 2004 (Spain)

Also Known As:

El Crimen Perfecto (The Perfect Crime)

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

€4,750,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,059,688 (Spain) (22 October 2004)

Gross:

$1,974,985 (Spain) (29 October 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sogecine, Planet Pictures, Digital +

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Visa d'exploitation en France : #111798

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Goofs

The inspector pulls Don Antonio's bridgework out of the hot furnace on a shovel, picks it off the shovel with tweezers, and drops it into a plastic bag. It should have melted the bag!

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Quotes

Rafael: That would slowly became a game with only one rule: If I don't do whatever she says, then she'll call to the police.

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Crazy Credits

Initial credits are written on different papers which are sometimes on the wrong order and then rearrange (Fernando Tejero initially appears as Fernando Rojete; see Dick Van Dyke credit in 'Mary Poppins'). The title initially appears as Crimen Perfecto, and then rearranges to Crimen Ferpecto.

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Connections

References Seabiscuit (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Pomp and Circumstance"
Composed by Edward Elgar (as Sir Edward Elgar)

User Reviews

Striving for the "Perfect Life"

Rafael Gonzalez (Guillermo Toledo), is a salesman in the ladies section of a fashionable department store in Madrid who has it all: good looks, a sharp wardrobe, and a confident, brash manner that allows him to get his way with women and in the workplace.

Rafael has clear goals, too, the most important of which is to lead a "perfect life," and little patience for anybody who settles for less. Such a proud man, of course, is perfectly set up to take a fall and Rafael plunges very far indeed in this hilarious black comedy by Spanish director Alexis de la Iglesia.

Rafael's slide begins when a hated rival, Don Antonio (Luis Varlea), wins a coveted promotion. An argument follows and Don Antonio ends up dead. Rafael's role in the accident goes undetected by the police only because Lourdes (Monica Cevera), an unattractive coworker he has long ignored, helps dispose of the corpse.

Lourdes assistance comes with a price. She has long carried a torch for Rafael and uses the threat of police exposure to get her own "perfect life." She insists Rafael become her lover, meet her parents, and marry her. In short, Rafael is about to be trapped in the kind of dull, mediocre existence he has always mocked.

Watching Rafael try to escape from the world Lourdes plans for him – raising children in a badly decorated suburban apartment filled with clown paintings and spending evenings collecting ugly miniatures -- provides lots of laughter and entertainment and plenty of insights into contemporary Spain. In the end, each character gets what they want – but as usually happens in life itself – there is a clear winner and loser. Highly recommended.

9/10