Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Javier Bardem | ... | Agustín Rejas | |
Juan Diego Botto | ... | Sucre | |
Laura Morante | ... | Yolanda | |
Elvira Mínguez | ... | Llosa | |
Alexandra Lencastre | ... | Sylvina Rejas | |
Oliver Cotton | ... | Merino | |
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Luís Miguel Cintra | ... | Calderón |
Javier Manrique | ... | Clorindo | |
Abel Folk | ... | Ezequiel / Durán | |
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Marie-Anne Berganza | ... | Laura |
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Lucas Rodríguez | ... | Gómez |
Xabier Elorriaga | ... | Pascual | |
Natalia Dicenta | ... | Marina | |
Wolframio Sinué | ... | Santiago | |
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Ramiro Jiménez | ... | Sergeant Pisac |
The story of Detective Agustin Rejas, a man clinging to the hope of an impossible love in an impossible world. Tracking Ezequiel, a delusional anarchist who incites the downtrodden masses to join in his brutal revolution against the fascist government in their unnamed Latin American country, Rejas finds solace in his sense of self-respect and the joy that his daughter and wife bring him. Then he meets Yolanda--his daughter's soulfully beautiful ballet teacher--a woman who sparks his long-forgotten passions and represents all that is good and all that is corrupt in their troubled country. But she, who appears to be a shelter from the storm, may in actuality be the storm's eye. Ultimately, as the revolution intensifies and the net closes around hunter and hunted alike, the dancer's truth will prove as elusive as the revolutionary's cause and the detective's peace. Written by Sujit R. Varma
A curious but not entirely unexpected idiossyncratic choice from John Malkovich for his directing debut, this adaptation of Nicholas Shakespeare's novel fictionalising the capture of the leader of the Peruvian Shining Path revolutionary movement is a more pensive, less political throwback to the European "political thrillers" of the 1970s made popular by directors such as Costa-Gavras. Malkovich, however, dislocates the film's centre from politics into personal mores, following the story of Javier Bardem, as the police detective assigned to discover the whereabouts of the mysterious terrorist leader "Ezequiel". In a superbly controlled performance, Bardem emphasizes the vulnerability of this disenchanted, seen-it-all cop thrown against his will into the frying-pan and the way he attempts to maintain his dignity and uphold the law he no longer believes in. Malkovich proves an engaging director - despite its lengthy running time (and although it could use a slight trim), the film is neither predictable nor overstays its welcome, and the actors deliver consistently good performances. One wishes Malkovich had looked for a better story to tell, but as debuts go this is a promising one.