Cero y van 4 (2004)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Directors:

Carlos Carrera
Alejandro Gamboa

Writer:

Antonio Armonia (writer)

Release Date:

4 March 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Comedy

Plot:

Four stories... one city. A dark comedy about crime in the big city: EL TORZON - two friends are smoking grass in their car...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Restaurant | Money | Church | Diabetes

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Guillermo Iván	...	Alvaro ("El Torzón")
Juan Pablo Medina	...	Alfonso ("El Torzón")
René Campero	...	Amado Navarrete ("El Torzón")
José Manuel Poncelis	...	Taxista ("El Torzón")
Juan Claudio Retes	...	Carlos ("El Torzón")
Juan Ángel Esparza	...	Chalo ("El Torzón")
Gina Vilchis	...	Ana ("El Torzón")
Fernando Becerril	...	Luis, Papá de Alvaro ("El Torzón")
Judith Arciniega	...	Mamá de Alvaro ("El Torzón")
Julio Casado	...	Pollo ("El Torzón")
Raquel Morell	...	Teresa ("Vida Express)
Elizabeth Valdez	...	Hija ("Vida Express)
Alexis Ayala	...	Jorge Villalobos ("Vida Express)
Patricia Muñoz	...	Grace ("Vida Express)
Josue del Campo	...	Chofer ("Vida Express)

Also Known As:

Cero y van cuatro (Mexico) (DVD title)
Zero and Carry the 4 (Australia) (subtitle)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, pervasive language, sexuality/nudity and drug use.

Runtime:

Mexico:92 min

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Mexico:C | USA:R

Company:

Videocine S.A. de C.V.

The awful truth

There are people claiming this is another "bad language" ultra violence Mexican movie. They are right, but more than that this film is a call to create awareness of what we have become. The awful truth hurts, or bores when you already have accepted the paradigm of living the third world as the only possible goal. One of the most important things of "Cero y van cuatro" is the open invitation to profound reflexion over our current identity. Is that what we all are? Is that all that we want to be? I am abroad and I realized how spoiled is the Mexican society when the Tlahuac Incident came to light. I still cannot understand viewers witnessing a mass broadcasted murder. I nearly puked when I saw some of the images. It was not Irak or Rwanda, just a tiny village near Mexico City when rampage was carried out with the indulgence of media and government. The recreation of a similar situation in this film shocked me deeply. The other stories were good portraying other situations of corruption, dishonesty, betrayal and violence, but I consider "Tamales de Chivo" the best one.

The movie is deeper than some "cabrón" and "pendejo" screams. Those are meaningless compared with the actions of the people. With a few exceptions they are all perfect examples of human rubbish. Just like in real life honesty is becoming more the exception than the rule in our country. Moreover, honesty is only rewarded miraculously.