La señal (2007)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Directors:

Ricardo Darín
Martin Hodara

Writers:

Patricio Vega (Escritura adicional) and
Eduardo Mignogna (writer)

Release Date:

13 September 2007 (Argentina)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance

Plot:

During the last days of Eva Peron, a pair of low-ranking detectives are thrust into a case of corruption involving the Mafia. |

Awards:

4 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Ricardo Darín	...	Corvalán
Diego Peretti	...	Santana
Julieta Díaz	...	Gloria
Andrea Pietra	...	Perla
Vando Villamil	...	El chofer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Carlos Bardem

Also Known As:

La señal (Spain)
The Signal (Europe: English title) (festival title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Argentina | Spain

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina

Company:

Fénix

Trivia:

Writer-director Eduardo Mignogna passed away while he was planning to start production on this film with Ricardo Darín starring. To honor his memory, Darín took over the project and is making his directorial debut with it.

Avoid at all costs

One of Argentina's most expensive films is a really horrible one, where *NOTHING* works well.

The script is extremely boring and predictable, with absolutely no turns as you'd expect in the genre (film noir) it is trying to emulate.

The period reconstruction serves NO purpose to the story other than allowing a couple of characters to wear hats. They could have shot it as happening in 2007 and there would not be any difference. Peron, Eva and their politics are mentioned in passing but they play little to no role in the movie.

Darin is horribly cast as the main character. His character is often referred as "The Kid", which makes you think that the character was thought and written for someone in his early eighties, and not in his late forties. It becomes hilarious at one point when a seventeen year old calls him "kid".

Julieta Diaz, who is a mildly attractive and interesting woman, fails completely like the "femme fatal". She lacks the curves, sensuality, acting and good dialog that made, for example, Kim Bassinger's character in LA Confidential such a classic. Peretti starts really ridiculous with some of the most horrible lines in the film but it is the only of the title characters that manages to save face by the end.

The photography is competent but nothing to write home about. There's also several shots that look badly lit and like they were done on video.

The soundtrack is an extremely over the top melodic score that would fit perfectly in any soap opera and makes no sense here.

For those speaking Spanish, another oddity is that all characters speak to each other too respectfully, never calling themselves by name (but by using "usted", "señor" and their last names). This is even true with those that are clearly old friends. While there's no doubt that in older times there was much more courtesy when speaking, the diction used in this movie becomes ridiculous very quickly.

Finally, as far as the title of the movie (The Signal) goes.... everybody will be left wondering, as at no point it becomes clear what that signal is.