Men with Guns (1997)

Humberto Fuentes is a wealthy doctor whose wife has recently died. In spite of the advice of his children, he takes a trip to visit his former students who now work in impoverished villages... See full summary »

Director:

John Sayles

Writer:

John Sayles

Stars:

Federico Luppi, Damián Delgado, Dan Rivera González

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Federico Luppi	...	Dr. Fuentes
Damián Delgado	...	Soldier - Domingo
Dan Rivera González	...	Boy - Conejo
Tania Cruz	...	Mute Girl - Graciela
Damián Alcázar	...	Priest - Padre Portillo
Mandy Patinkin	...	Andrew
Kathryn Grody	...	Harriet
Iguandili López	...	Mother
Nandi Luna Ramírez	...	Daughter
Rafael de Quevedo	...	General
Carmen Madrid	...	Angela
Esteban Soberanes	...	Raúl
Alejandro Springall	...	Carlos
Maricruz Nájera	...	Rich Lady
Jacqueline Voltaire	...	Rich Lady (as Jacqueline Walters Voltaire)

Storyline

Humberto Fuentes is a wealthy doctor whose wife has recently died. In spite of the advice of his children, he takes a trip to visit his former students who now work in impoverished villages. His trip soon becomes a quest, politically awakening him when he finds out that one of his students was killed by the army.

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | village | soldier | orphan | mountain | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violent images

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Classics

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

Spanish Italian English Nahuatl Maya Tzotzil Kuna

Release Date:

27 March 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hombres armados

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,132, 8 March 1998, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$742,032, 26 April 1998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anarchist's Convention Films, Clear Blue Sky Productions, Independent Film Channel (IFC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Sayles wrote his first draft in Spanish, the second in English and then polished it back into Spanish for his third draft.

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Quotes

Dr. Fuentes: You know, you can never save a life. You can make it longer or better, but you can't save it. In the end, everyone dies.

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Connections

Featured in The 56th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1999)

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Soundtracks

Xtabay
Written by Les Baxter
Performed by Yma Sumac
Courtesy of The Right Stuff
By Arrangement with EMI-Capitol Records

User Reviews

Magical, spiritual, understated, beautiful, horrific

Dreamlike, mythological, multilayered and almost mystical on the one hand, and on the other hand, vividly conveying the reality of Guatemala in the 1980s (which is what the film's story is mostly based on, though it draws in part from the present-day situation in Mexico's southernmost state of Chiapas, where it was mostly filmed; I think that the Indian language we were hearing was Tzotzil Maya). This film is as understated as its blunt, simple title (by the way, all violence happens offscreen). And yet it is so multilayered that I am still trying to absorb its many levels. It is a "road movie," and it is a profound spiritual odyssey for the main character; it is a suspenseful and unpredictable thriller full of unexpected twists, and it is mythic... in fact, we gradually come to realize that the entire story is being told, like a traditional myth, by a Mayan mother to her little girl. A beautiful example of the Latin American "magical realism" style. This film gets an unhesitating score of 10 from me... in fact, I think I may consider this film among my lifetime top ten movies.