The Detective and the Death (1994)

An aged and powerful magnate is dying. He offers Laura, his young and beautiful mistress, a birthday gift; a sophisticated display of virtual reality in which he will "come to life" for her... See full summary »

Director:

Gonzalo Suárez (as Gonzalo Suarez)

Writers:

Gonzalo Suárez (story), Gonzalo Suárez (screenplay)

Stars:

Javier Bardem, Maria de Medeiros, Carmelo Gómez

3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Javier Bardem	...	Detective
Maria de Medeiros	...	María
Carmelo Gómez	...	Hombre Oscuro (as Carmelo Gomez)
Héctor Alterio	...	G.M. (as Hector Alterio)
Charo López	...	Duquesa (as Charo Lopez)
Mapi Galán	...	Laura (as Mapi Galan)
Francis Lorenzo	...	D. Luis
Paulina Gálvez	...	Ofelia (as Paulina Galvez)
Myriam De Maeztu	...	Rosa
Jerzy Bonczak	...	Hombre Tiburón
Miroslaw Zbrojewicz	...	Skin-Head 1
Grzegorz Emanuel	...	Skin-Head 2
Andrzej Zarnecki	...	Padre
Katarzyna Bargielowska	...	Enfermera
Ethel Szul	...	Enfermera

Storyline

An aged and powerful magnate is dying. He offers Laura, his young and beautiful mistress, a birthday gift; a sophisticated display of virtual reality in which he will "come to life" for her after his death. But Laura much prefers that her mother, the Duchess, who has taken her place in the magnate's heart and bed, dies instead.

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Plot Keywords:

male objectification | bare chested male | cmnm scene | cmnm | clothed male naked male | 

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Taglines:

La muerte nunca devuelve lo que coge. Sólo, a veces, cambia una vida por otra.

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Genres:

Thriller

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Details

Country:

Spain Poland France

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

30 September 1994 (Spain)

Also Known As:

The Detective and Death

Filming Locations:

Llanes, Asturias, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rocabruno S.A., Lolafilms, Tor Film Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Y decirte alguna estupidez, por ejemplo, te quiero (2000)

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Soundtracks

Tema del hombre tiburón
Written by Mario de Benito

User Reviews

Dark as well as weird film with very good cast , nice performances but including complex plot

This rare picture with supernatural elements deals about an old man (Hector Alterio as Death or La Muerte) who hires a detective (Javier Bardem) to find the duchess (Charo Lopez) . The detective is accompanied by a brutal killer (Carmelo Gomez) who relentlessly kills people and even a baby . Along the way the Detective meets Maria (Maria de Medeiros) , a damsel in distress , both of them track down Duquesa .

Cold and strange film with a confuse plot , twisted intrigue , thrills , fantastic events and colorful images . The film relies heavily on the relationship among Javier Bardem , Carmelo Gomez and Maria De Medeiros ; it results to be a little bit boring , including with no sense dialogs , absurd situations and embarrassing screenplay . Offbeat writing credits by Azucena Rodriguez and same filmmaker Gonzalo Suarez with plenty of ridiculous and absurd deeds , adding supernatural frames ; being based on a story by Hans Christian Andersen . Magnificent main cast and great supporting roles such as Maria de Medeiros as María , an unfortunate mummy , Carmelo Gómez as a tough murderous , Héctor Alterio as G.M. a cruel wealthy old man , Charo López as Duquesa , Mapi Galán as Laura , Francis Lorenzo as D. Luis and Paulina Gálvez as Ofelia . Brilliant cinematography by Carlos Suarez , director's brother ; being filmed on location in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland and beach scenes at the beginning shot in Llanes, Asturias, Spain , where director Suarez often shoots his movies . Thrilling and intriguing musical score by Suso Saiz , adding opera songs at the ending .

Direction by Gonzalo Suarez is mediocre ; however , he shows his skill for edition , realizing long shots with crowd who moves easily and including some action scenes . Gonzalo Suarez was born in Asturias , he is a good craftsman who has directed several films from the 60s . He excelled at bringing to life tautly written tales about strange characters facing difficult circumstances and dealing with thought-provoking , brooding stories . Throughout his career he regularly alternated hits with misses . He has stylistic trademarks , but also been criticized for his slow-moving films , though his best flicks remain exciting to watch . Among his most important pictures , mostly dramas , are the following : Oviedo Express , 1994 The detective and death , 1992 La Reina Anónima , 1991 Don Juan en Infiernos ,1988 Rowing with the wind , 1984 Epílogo ,1977 Parranda , 1977 Reina Zanahoria , 1976 Beatriz , 1975 La Regenta , 1974 La Loba y la Paloma .