Crimen ferpecto (2004)

Director:

Álex de la Iglesia

Writers:

Jorge Guerricaechevarría (writer)
Álex de la Iglesia (writer)

Release Date:

22 October 2004 (Spain)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Plot:

Rafael is the best salesman in the biggest department store of Madrid. He is a fascinating man; all his colleagues fell in love for him...

Plot Keywords:

Salesman | Man Woman Relationship | Sex At Work | Shrew | Elevator Shaft

Awards:

2 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Crimen perfecto (Italy) (DVD title)
El Crimen Perfecto (The Perfect Crime) (USA)
Ferpect Crime (International: English title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

Spain | Italy

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Brazil:14 | USA:Unrated | Australia:MA | Spain:18 | Argentina:13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Chile:14 | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Company:

Sogecine S.A.

Trivia:

In a 2005 interview, director Alex de la Iglesia said that the name of the movie "Crimen Perfecto" ("Perfect Crime") is an homage to Dial M for Murder (1954), which in Spain it's known as "Crimen Perfecto" ("Perfect Crime"). Also, when Rafael bought the movies to plan the crime, "Dial M for murder" is one of them

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: 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!

Quotes:

Rafael: Ours is not a Sunday afternoon quickie. It's murder!

Movie Connections:

References Beautiful Joe (2000)

Soundtrack:

Suite en La mineur

A wickedly funny and original black comedy/thriller

I saw this film at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival. I knew I was going to enjoy this film from the moment a large rumpled man in a Misfits t-shirt lumbered onto the stage to introduce himself. "Hola, amigos. The person who is supposed to introduce me is not here. I am here but she is not here. She is in the bathroom." Director Álex de la Iglesia had us laughing even before the first frame of his film. While admitting that Ferpect Crime was just about the worst title for a film ever, he told us that this film was about a man who was so obsessed with living a perfect life that it was bound to cause problems. It's no surprise to learn that the director has a degree in philosophy.

Rafael works as a salesman in the ladies' wear section of an upscale department store. He's very popular at work, especially with the ladies, and he's very very good at his job. So good, in fact, that he considers himself a lock for the position of floor manager. But after losing the promotion to his hated rival Don Antonio, things take a turn for the worse and pretty soon Rafael has a dead body on his hands. His only help comes from the one woman he hasn't already bedded, the unattractive Lourdes. Before long, Lourdes has Rafael wrapped around her finger and his life is far from the model of perfection he has always pursued. As the plot thickens, the comedy becomes much darker and the film almost turns into a thriller. There is also a strong element of satire, making this much more substantial than the laughs would indicate. The conclusion ("lesson" seems too strong a word here) is that it's only after we give up our unrealistic expectations of living a perfect life that we can really begin to live at all. But if that's too heavy for you, then go just to see the scene where Rafael goes to meet Lourdes' parents. This film makes me want to see every other film by this warm and wickedly funny director.

(9/10)