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.

---

Plot Keywords:

doctor | village | soldier | orphan | mountain | 

---

Genres:

Adventure | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violent images

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.

---

Quotes

[Why the "Men with Guns" killed the people.]
Blind Woman: Because they had guns, and we didn't.

---

Connections

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

---

Soundtracks

Copla De La Muerte
Performed by Susana Baca
Courtesy of Del Fuego Y Del Agua

User Reviews

A real shame no one saw it

Men with Guns is one of the finest films of the genre. It has legs- really stays with you, for years. The priest's story alone is brilliant filmmaking. I've been a great fan of John Sayles' work for many years, but I think this is both his most original and generally best work. The shame is that no one seems to have seen this film. I saw it 3X in theatres and there were never more than 5 people in the audience. MWG doesn't appeal to the short- attention-spaned sex-and-violence cravers. The history of 30 years of terrible civil war as close as Guatemala is something our children remain ignorant about. This incredible film puts that war into unique perspective. Sayles didn't seem to care if too many people saw it or not- subtitles alone guarantee a fringe audience confined to a few art houses. The film is not perfect- editing could be a little better; but what a story! The opening and closing scenes really work for me. I hope everyone reading these comments will go out and rent Men with Guns ASAP. Sayles at his best.

Details

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)

Gross USA:

$910,773

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$910,773

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)