I'm a big fan of Ricardo Darin. Now 60, he's been in films and TV since he was 3, and starting in 2000 he's become known worldwide. I've seen 10 of his films, all excellent, so I was keen to see him as the Argentine president in this one. Big mistake. It featured on the first day of the London Film Festival in the "Thrills" section: presumably a joke on the part of the programmer. I should have done my homework. The director has written 3 fine films for Pablo Trapero, but his own "The Student" was a bore. There's so much wrong with this one. It starts with a workman going to the presidential palace, and there's talk of a funding scandal, but neither strand goes anywhere. Too much time is spent on the president's unstable daughter, a tiresome distraction from the oil conference (in which Venezuela, with the world's largest oil reserves barely features.) She seems to be there because the actress is the director's partner. This is the ultimate "so what, who cares?" film. I would have walked out, but was in the middle of a 28-seat row, and didn't want to disturb so many others, so sought refuge in sleep. Maybe I missed something thrilling. Great location in the Andes, though.
Review of The Summit
