The Fury of a Patient Man (2016) User Reviews

Spanish Ruin

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 16 June 2017]

As in Blue Ruin. If you've seen that, you know what I mean by that. If not let me break it down. If you've seen the trailer you know what this is about. A man seeking revenge to those who have done wrong by him (his loved ones to be more truthful). And while this is down and dirty, it also is very real. It does not shy away from violence, but it does not stylize it either.

It does not cherish in it, it will not make you feel happy or excited, it just does. And this stuff is not for everyone. If you want your thriller to be more entertaining, than you should look elsewhere. If you like slow cooking and moving thrillers, that are more about character and their journey, this is the one to seek out ... it takes you places

Very effective Spanish thriller

[rubenm · 7/10 · 22 May 2017]

The single most important thing distinguishing a good thriller from a bad one, is the screenplay. It has to be simple but effective, with lots of suspense and without any unnecessary subplots.

'Tarde para la Ira' is a great thriller, because the writer, who is also the director, has stuck to this basic rule. The story of a man who waits for years to take revenge, is very effective. And the carefully planned way he finally gets even with his adversaries, keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last moment.

Also, this film is very good in creating the right atmosphere. There's nothing polished or glamorous about the people in this film. They are as rough as the working class neighbourhoods in Madrid, where the film is set.

The great thing is that the film doesn't need many action scenes. There is one great scene, the very first one, shot from the viewpoint of a driver, who is trying to escape from the police after a robbery. This is a crucial scene, but why it is so important becomes clear only later in the film. There are a few violent scenes, but they are filmed in a very matter-of-fact style.

This film seems to be a perfect candidate for an American remake. It doesn't take much effort to change the setting from Madrid to Chicago, Los Angeles or Miami. On the other hand, I doubt if an American director can do as good a job as Raúl Arévalo.

Very good thriller vengeance with portentous performances from Antonio De La Torre and Luis Callejo

[ma-cortes · 8/10 · 14 October 2016]

José (Antonio De La Torre) falls in love for Ana (Ruth Diaz) , Juanjo's (Raul Jimenez) sister-in-law , who works as a waiter in the bar of his brother . But the tranquility finishes when Curro (Luis Calleja) , Juanjo's brother, is freed from prison after various years in jail by a robbery to a luxurious jewelry where the salesman ended in a permanent coma and the saleslady was killed by one of the thieves . A merciless avenger José quietly plans to find and exact revenge against the thieves and his emotional loneliness and isolation to be led to tragic consequences . After a strong discussion between Curro and Ana , José moves Ana and her little son to his cottage to keep them away from Curro . As the avenger José has only one thirst : blind fury and bloody revenge . As the extremely violent José seeks vendetta in order to discover the identity of the rest of a criminal bunch (Manolo Solo , Font García) , as taking the law into his own hands against them . While the anger grows within him José executes a relentless revenge , acting as judge , jury and executioner against those responsible of the deaths his beloved beings . At the beginning he kidnaps Curro . As Curro and José start traveling by some towns looking for the Curro's colleagues in crime . As Curro makes common cause with José , knowing that if anyone stops it , he probably ends being another victim more of the violent homicidal instincts of José . At the end takes place an astounding tragedy and surprising final .

This is an exciting , though downbeat , revenge/thriller in which there is action , violence , a triangular love story , interesting characters and surprising twists . The violence could be deemed excessive , especially when it occurs some grisly killings . The plot is plain and simple , a strange man seeks avenge , at whatever cost , against the nasty robbers who ransacked and killed his loving beings . Very good acting by Antonio De La Torre as a silent and circumspect man who loses his sweetheart during a vicious robbery at a jewelry store , seeking revenge for the salesman and the saleslady dead at the robbing . Sensational Luis Calleja as a delinquent who is freed from the jail after eight years by a robbery . Support cast is pretty well , such as : Raúl Jiménez , Font García , Pilar Gómez and Alicia Rubio . Special mention for Manolo Solo , he steals the secondary show as a peculiar ex-delinquent as well as his previous role as judge Ruz in ¨B¨ . Nice and evocative production design , as we see some slums or "barrios" from Madrid outskirts and some fine locations . The director creates a sort of Spanish Neo-Realism by tackling the Spanish streets , being rightly portrayed the city of Madrid , in the so-called popular Barrios . His style is pretty much urban and realistic as well in the atmosphere as in the fresh dialog . Filmmaker Raúl Arévalo shows the environment of these ¨barrios" , toughness and cold existence along with some nice scenes . Evocative and dark cinematography by Arnau Valls Colomer , being filmed on Madrid locations . Thrilling and resounding musical score by Vanessa Garde and Lucio Godoy .

"The Fury of a Patient Man" or ¨Tarde Para La Ira¨ was compellingly written/directed by Raúl Arévalo at his film debut , realizing in a realistic as well as moving style . It got a a big hit in Venice Film Festival 2016 and it Won : Venice Horizons Award to Best Actress : Ruth Díaz and being Nominated Venice Horizons Award Best Film : Raúl Arévalo . Actor/writer/filmmaker Raúl Arévalo was born (1979) in Madrid , where is set ¨Tarde Para La Ira¨. Arevalo began working in cinema in the early 2000s as a secondary actor and filming some shorts and writing screenplays . He is a great actor , known for La Isla Mínima (2014) , También La Lluvia (2010) and for TV series as Con Culo Al Aire (2012) , El Tiempo Entre Costuras (2013) , Velvet (2015) , La Embajada (2016) . And fetish actor to Daniel Sánchez Arévalo , including prestigious films as Primos , Azuloscurocasinegro , Gordos and La Gran Famila Española .

Beware the fury of a patient man.

[Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki · 7/10 · 10 May 2017]

Opening jewelry store robbery, leads to one dead, and another in a coma, and the perpetrator in police custody. He is sent to prison for eight years as a result, and our antihero, Jose, spends those years slowly plotting and planning to avenge the death in the attack, the fire of revenge burning slowly, and while simultaneously becoming detached from those around him as a result. 

We don't just see a copy of a Travis Bickle-type character here, we see more of the slow descent into violence and madness, and the circumstances which caused it. We know why, we just don't know how, exactly, his revenge will take shape.

Recommended, as it is well written and acted, but marred slightly by poor hand-held cinematography (except for an impressive car rollover after the robbery, shot from inside the vehicle in a single take) and uneven pacing.

Spanish Rage

[tenshi_ippikiookami · 7/10 · 23 July 2017]

"Tarde para la ira" is a highly entertaining thriller, with great performances, a very interesting story-line, and good direction that, however, ends up falling short of greatness.

The story starts with a failed robbery. The driver ends up trying to run away by himself and getting caught. Time jump and we meet Jose, a shy and insecure looking man who seems to be in love with Ana, stalking her at every corner. Poor us, who don't know that Jose is brewing his revenge, boiling his rage little by little.

The movie starts blindsiding the viewer, but pretty soon we understand what the director is trying to do. And lo and behold, Raúl Arévalo delivers. Our Jose, an astonishingly good Antonio de la Torre, surprises us at every corner. And the moment when he gets to be face to face with the first of the people he has been searching is just impressive. Raúl Arévalo directs the set up with a mastery that belies this being his first directing job. And Antonio de la Torre will make the viewer wince in pain one moment and laugh anxiously the next.

But this is just a simple moment of a movie that knows perfectly its purpose and is not afraid of it. Sadly, it ends up being a little bit less than the sum of its parts, in part because of an uneven tone and a running time that could be a little bit shorter. If not, this would probably be a masterpiece.

Amazing...

[Thanos_Alfie · 6/10 · 3 December 2021]

"The Fury of a Patient Man" is a Drama - Thriller movie in which we watch a man meeting a hard-working single mother and keeping a lot of secrets regarding his identity and the reason behind his approach.

I liked this movie very much because it had an interesting plot, consisted of plenty of mystery and some plot twists that made it even more interesting. The direction which was made by Raúl Arévalo was very good and he created a feeling of fear since it had plenty of suspense and his approach was unpredictable. The interpretation of Antonio de la Torre who played as Jose was simply outstanding and he made the difference on this movie. Some other interpretations that need to be mentioned were Ruth Díaz's who played as Ana and Luis Callejo's who played as Curro. Finally, I have to say that "The Fury of a Patient Man" is a nice, interesting movie and I recommend everyone to watch it.

When we talk about revenge, anybody is capable.

[Reno-Rangan · 7/10 · 24 April 2017]

It won four Goya Awards, the Spanish Academy Awards, including for the best film of the year. This is the directional debut for the actor of another same award winning film 'Marshland'. It is a revenge flick, but not your typical one. Probably one of the best I have seen, because of the uniqueness. There's nothing special in the film making, its just the screenplay how everything was developed keeping viewers and their guessing game in mind. So that means it does not have breathtaking twists and turns, but being simple and delivering the crucial parts with effectively makes it a perfect on its kind.

An interesting title, all the way the film stand for it. Looks knowing synopsis before the watch is a spoiler, but it's fine, because of similarity of the basic plot with other films. The presentation and the actors made all the difference here. The pre hype did not hold back the mid or the final acts, particularly for having such kind of characters in the lead. In fact, you will be surprised for how things going to turn out with merciless. And still you might feel it to carry on.

The film opened with a failed jewelry shop robbery. Not entirely a failed attempt, only in the later parts much detail about it revealed. One of the members who went to prison returns after serving 7 years. But his girlfriend is in confusion over another man in her life. Now these two men come face to face and while the truth comes out for their real confrontation. Following, the men hunt begins with us giving out all the necessary explanation. Then it concludes by revealing who ends where and what are the tasks accomplished.

"I've got nothing to lose now. And I'll do what it takes get you to tell me."

Even the 90 minutes looks very long due to the slow narration. But its not a boring film, well, not for me. Mainly because of not wasting time proceeding in the unrequired direction. The initial developments looked like a bit drag, only because you won't get the film plot straight away. So the film takes its time, as well as give time you to hop in. Once the purpose of the story commence, the entire scenario changes. Especially in those crucial scenes where bloods are shed, and the film peaks. Because of those parts created with perfect atmosphere the film shines. Might not be morally, but entertainment wise, what the audience wants.

I was not expecting much from the film. I went for it without any interest, not even know how it faired in the domestic market and the awards it got, but in the end, I found it a better film in its kind from the recent time. What it lacked was the emotional appeal. Of course the whole focus was on the dark side of the film characters, except a little romance in the beginning. If the due was given to the sentiments, I think it would have been even better and attracted many more viewers.

The story was from one perspective. Not disclosing from the other side, except a brief visual to connect the events, is to avoid cliché. That was finely done job. Regarding the main characters, particularly the two men, you will see the changes like a flipped coin comparing them in the opening and the end. Overall a great first attempt for the director, paid off well after waiting for all these years to make it. The actors as well very impressive, I mean everybody, even the small roles. I think it better suits viewing for adults and matured teenagers. I don't know it is a remakeable product, but you should not miss this original. From runtime to performances, screen presentation and pace, it's in favour of those who are less patient in slow narration. Recommended!

7/10

A bleak yet tense thriller

[benxrichardson · 7/10 · 17 July 2021]

The concept of this film is brilliant. He loved someone so dearly that he dedicated a significant portion of his life to seek their revenge.

Every moment of this film seemed agonisingly thought out and reconsidered. It was clearly someone's passion and we are all better off because of it.

Tense Revenge Story

[ivans536 · 9/10 · 14 February 2019]

Considering how much better contemporary Spanish thrillers can be than their Hollywood alternatives, this is already a must see. The director does a great job in his debut, building palpable tension in scene after scene, as from the moment the story begins you will feel something is wrong, until the tension finally explodes in the most unlikely place.

Apart from the authentic atmosphere, which portrays contemporary urban & rural Spain well, there are some great performances here, supported by a great script. Callejo & Ruth Diaz disappear into their characters, and my only pet peeve is with the main character, Arevalo's stand in, Antonio de la Torre. Although he is usually a great actor, here he lacks expression. Although it is obvious the character needs to be understated, there should be more subtle work then, such as facial expressions or movements, in order for the character not to come off as "boring".

The moral of the story is very gray, and there are no heroes here, which leaves you thinking about the movie far after the credits have rolled

Liked: -the tension (especially the gym scene) -unexpected humor -the "buddy comedy" part -direction -location

Disliked: -the leads performance -some of the character motivation

8.5

Nice Spanish thriller

[connectwiththeinnerself · 7/10 · 9 May 2021]

I liked it, even if I usually don't watch Spanish movies because I kinda hate the subs, well..

Well crafted - recommended.

A very carefully crafted film

[saraccan · 8/10 · 7 September 2018]

There are so many good things to talk about in this movie. First of all, it starts out very strong and grabs you right off the bat. Then I really liked the occasional behind the shoulder camera work which gives an intimate and unnerving feeling but it's not overly done where it becomes exhausting. The look and feel of the movie fits so well to the locations and overall intention. I loved the progresiveness of the film which tells the main character's story and purpose in two very different halves. Every character is very carefully designed and has a meaningful and interesting presence.

It's the revenge story of a quiet but determined guy.

Meehhhh - there are better revenge movies

[ggcarbone · 6/10 · 28 November 2020]

This movie is more a kind of 1 episode of a generic mexican telenovela converted into a full movie, the plot is basic, I would have made this movie not too obvious and keeping a bit more the mistery of the character, the production is poor and the acting so so, I give it a decent 6 stars. But there are many better revenge movies by the way, such as The Punisher.

Missing sparkles

[dierregi · 5/10 · 18 April 2021]

I am all in favour of realistic thrillers and plausible revenge stories not involving cardboard cut characters and excessive violence. This is that sort of story, but carries the concept of "realistic" a bit too far.

The settings are realistic enough and quite shabby, in suburban Madrid where bartender Ana is waiting for the release of Curro, her criminal husband, jailed for eight years for a botched robbery that left one dead and one in a coma.

Enter silent Josè who seems a much better person than Curro. He befriends Ana's brother, who owns the squalid bar where both siblings work and then insinuates himself into Ana's life.

When Curro is released, trouble starts. First at home, where Ana is not too happy to welcome Curro and then with Josè, who has im mind bloody revenge, being the dead woman beaten to a pulp his fiancee and the man in a come his father.

The plot is compelling and enriched by a twist but unfortunately the Josè character - on which all the plot revolves - is of the catatonic type. "Silent" is not enough to describe him. Josè seems incapable of stringing together a sentence, he just stares at people- and not even in a meaningful way - and proceeds without much discipline with his revengeful quest.

It's hard to sympathise with a schizoid character, even if one can understand his pain, but it also impossible to sympathise with any other character despite their squalid and sadly realistic mediocres lives. The open ending also does not help.

so much violence.

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 16 December 2021]

Madrid. When curro, the driver for a gang of thieves, is sent to jail, his wife ana (ruth diaz ) works as a bartender to put food on the table. Jose ( antonio de la torre) is one of her regular customers. When curro is released from prison, he can tell right off that things aren't the same with ana. They both have blazing tempers. So jose invites her to stay at his house out in the country. But they know there's going to be a showdown if curro catches up with them. Curro is always hitting someone... first ana, then jose. And it seems that jose has another reason for taking ana away from curro. Will he help jose to get ana back? So much violence. We see the video of the robbery, that also gets pretty violent. But it explains why jose is hanging around. Directed by raul arevalo. His first film direction. It's good, if you can stand all that violence. It won a bunch of film festival awards.

Fairly powerful drama/thriller set in Madrid

[fredrikgunerius · 6/10 · 11 August 2023]

The human drama is powerful and poignant, as bereaved José (Antonio de la Torre) roams around a shady Madrid neighbourhood looking to avenge his wife and father. First-time director Raúl Arévalo is a good storyteller and is well helped by solid performances from de la Torre, Luis Callejo, Ruth Diaz and Manolo Solo, but the film hasn't got any moral insights or redemption to offer. It's too preoccupied with its own mission. The story is a runaway train destined to crash, and so when it crashes ... it simply crashes. The English title is The Fury of a Patient Man, which largely describes the plot.

IMPRESSIVE

[albertval-69560 · 9/10 · 20 June 2021]

The viewer totally relates with Jose's fury and his all-consuming desire to avenge the death of his fiancée and comatose father. His outlook and mien changed markedly when her fiancée dies gazing at him with tears rolling down her cheek.

He was able to carry out his plan only after the driver of the getaway car is released from prison 8 years later. Jose's secret plan is simple and he carries it out methodically and without remorse. It's so secret that even Ana, Curro's girlfriend, was clueless about it.

The film is simply a story of revenge. But what's so different is how the director treats it. It feels as if you're there beside Jose as he goes about his bloody business knowing fully that there's no turning back for him.

Great acting from the main characters. Antonio Dela Torre inhabits his role totally. And you emphatize with Curro who's become helpless although initially the viewer might have thought he's fearless.

And there's this twist in the end that you didn't see coming. Clever touch from the writer.

It's a splendid watch from a talented director.

revenge is a dish best served cold

[myotherpetisdog · 10/10 · 25 June 2019]

Kept me on the edge. Tense and well acted. I love Spanish cinema, hardly ever disappoints. Recommend to watch.

Free Advice to the Director: Don't Show People Thinking

[leftbanker-1 · 5/10 · 18 February 2017]

There were many, many shots of people standing around contemplating something or other. What a waste of time.

First on the positive side. Why, why, why the hell can't Hollywood directors make movies that look…not look, that are this real? I often feel that the more money available to the production the less interesting the final product. This movie obviously shot everything on location and my question is this: why wouldn't you choose to shot almost everything on location? Why build a set for a bar when you can just use a real bar? Or a real apartment? Even the people look real and not a bunch of air-brushed super-models.

We begin in the middle of some sort of crime but we aren't let in on any details. One of the crew gets caught by the police. Not much in the way of action or exposition in this firs scene and we are left wanting a lot more, at least I was. From here it goes immediately uphill and the pacing is so bad in this that I want to go out and make a sandwich without hitting the pause button. 25 minutes into the film and something approaching a plot and story is revealed.

Things get messy really quickly after this slow opening. And then the director slams on the brakes again.

This film had a lot of good points but in the end the highly improbably premise and a wildly oscillating pace just killed it off. There was scene after scene of people just doing nothing: watching TV, driving, taking a bath, taking a shower, etc. Why show these when they don't advance the story? Much of the film was just two guys asking around for some other guy.

José is after the guys in Curro's crew who killed his gal in a botched robbery. Curro discovers what José is up to and beats the living crap out of him which José takes without raising a finger. Now we are expected to believe that José can manipulate Curro because he kidnapped his wife. I just didn't buy that part at all. Then they traveled around like some sort of buddy road trip movie. And Curro leads José to his old friends so that he can kill them? Most of the time José just stares stupidly at his intended victims without talking which was also really boring.

A sweet PAYBACK movie

[tandc-53810 · 9/10 · 21 July 2019]

This Spanish film won awards and deserved them. Thus thriller has it all. Watch it.

Determinated to take revenge

[hrbrt-736-141103 · 8/10 · 19 June 2017]

A good story, great actors perfect filmed scenes make The fury of a patient man a very oppressive movie. The story is told in the first 30 minutes of the movie. A lot of story lines pass by, I compared it a little bit wit the outstanding Italian mafia movie Suburra.

After 30 minutes things start falling together, opposites turn into mates, because of the common goals they both have. The unpredictable patient man is determined by the things that happened in the past to take revenge. Taking risk is also part of the deal and sometimes silence is golden and....being a good "salesman" can save lives.

Hidden agenda's make women believe that man and wife life in an ideal world. Anxiety, opens doors but is not a guarantee for a better life! The truth of an ideal world: between pigs and chicken.

Tarde para la Ira, after seeing this movie I spoke to some people in the wonderful Concordia movie house in Enschede to 2 young people and I told them that this movie had the same quality as seen in La Isla Minima...not knowing, that one of the actors directed this great movie.

Highly overrated art-house revenge porn

[brendan-821-654855 · 3/10 · 1 July 2017]

I enjoy good cinema, and I watched this film based on the many reviews claiming that it was an amazing directorial debut that offered excellence in filmmaking.

Having sat through the entire movie, I can't but wonder if the title was actually a satirical attempt at foreshadowing - and that the patient man full of fury is actually meant to be us, the moviegoers who sat through this entire film only to walk away disappointed.

This is a very clever piece of cinematic smoke and mirrors - a film that makes you feel like you've watched something clever and well crafted, but then when you stop and think about it for more than 2 minutes you realise that it actually wasn't that good.

The opening sequence was the best part of the entire film (thus the 3 stars) - it really is something to behold - and all the technical aspects of the film are good (acting, cinematography, etc.) but from the amazing opening sequence, the movie just descends into tropes, incomplete character development, a plot 'twist' that was stripped of all the impact it could have had and thus wasn't actually a twist because they revealed it much too early in the film (and then tried to have another bite at the cherry in the final act,) and a movie whose central themes remained woefully under explored.

The end result was a movie that left me angry, because there just seemed to be no real point at all of what unfolded on screen.

This could have been something amazing, but the character and story development is sacrificed for technically proficient shot selection and execution.

It just felt like there was no point to this movie as the major themes that were begging to be explored (the futility of revenge, violence begetting violence, the woman trapped in a destructive relationship, the broken criminal desperately seeking redemption) remain largely untouched or incomplete.

thanks

[llcasel · 8/10 · 22 December 2020]

This is one of the best thrillers i seen in a longtime. spanish production, good job !

Strong, spare revenge thriller

[CaptainPiquart · 9/10 · 11 February 2021]

Compelling performances and excellent direction by Raúl Arévalo. There is an unhurried economy in this piece that reaches back to some of the great crime movies of the 1970s.

waste of time

[elifergel · 5/10 · 29 March 2019]

Absolutely disappointing, I have watched a lot of spain thriller movie before this one was the worst one!

A really powerful revenge tale

[maccas-56367 · 8/10 · 8 May 2020]

This is one of the best Spanish films I've seen!

Strong performances and a compelling storyline - it's engrossing stuff. It has a grittiness and realism that creates an utterly intense atmosphere throughout.

Divided into segments, the story itself and motives of the protagonist get drip-fed in effective ways. The cinematography is excellent and certain camera techniques place the viewer right in the heart of the action.

Each character felt fully developed. The violence is graphic and oddly satisfying. The love triangle compelling. The twists smartly delivered.

If you're a fan of vigilante or revenge tales, then you should love this!