El Angel (2018)

The angelic face of Carlos, a 17-year-old teenager, hides a dark facet of robberies, lies and murders.

Director:

Luis Ortega

Writers:

Luis Ortega (screenplay), Rodolfo Palacios (screenplay)

Stars:

Lorenzo Ferro, Cecilia Roth, Luis Gnecco

20 wins & 32 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lorenzo Ferro	...	Carlos
Cecilia Roth	...	Aurora
Luis Gnecco	...	Héctor
Malena Villa	...	Gemelas
Sofía Inés Torner	...	Doble Gemelas
Chino Darín	...	Ramón
Marcelo Cancemi	...	Preceptor
Mercedes Morán	...	Ana María
Daniel Fanego	...	José
Julia Perette	...	Señora Aspiradora
Sergio Enrique Seguel	...	Señor Sin Pierna
Mario Aitel	...	Dueño Casona San Isidro
Verónica Marlene Verón Yahari	...	Empleada Casa Quinta
Solange Veneziani Cardozo	...	Recepcionista Hotel
Rubén Esquivel	...	Linyera Hotel / Linyera Bar

Storyline

Carlitos is a seventeen-year-old youth with movie star swagger, blond curls and a baby face. As a young boy, he coveted other people's things, but it wasn't until his early adolescence that his true calling--to be a thief--manifested itself. When he meets Ramon at his new school, Carlitos is immediately drawn to him and starts showing off to get his attention. Together they will embark on a journey of discoveries, love and crime. Killing is just a random offshoot of the violence, which continues to escalate until Carlitos is finally apprehended. Because of his angelic appearance, the press dubs Carlitos "The Angel of Death." Showered with attention because of his beauty, he becomes an overnight celebrity. Altogether, he is believed to have committed over forty thefts and eleven homicides. Today, after more than forty-six years in jail, Carlos Robledo Puch is the longest- serving prisoner in the history of Argentina.

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Plot Keywords:

male frontal nudity | homoeroticism | mother son relationship | teenage killer | male rear nudity | 

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Taglines:

Inspirado en hechos reales. [Inspired by true events.]

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of Argentina for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category of the 91st Academy Awards in 2019.

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Goofs

Almost at the end of the film, Carlitos paid at the kiosk for a bunch of cigarettes and some sweets with a 10 Argentinian pesos bill, but that currency didn't appear until the 90s.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Carlos: Are people crazy? Does anybody consider the chance to be free? Going wherever you want; however you want. We all have a destiny. I am a natural-born thief. I don't believe in "this is yours, and this is mine".

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Connections

References Humo de Marihuana (1968)

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Soundtracks

El Extraño del Pelo Largo
Performed by La Joven Guardia

User Reviews

Watchable crime flick

"El Angel" is a consistently watchable crime thriller/case study of the real-life Argentine serial killer Carlos Puch. It is set in the seventies and feels eminently authentic. Its soundtrack, of Spanish rock songs, is also fantastic.

In this film, Puch is a habitual thief who seems incapable of remorse, or even perhaps any other emotion. He has a baby face and a head of curls and seems wide eyed and innocent. He walks through other people's homes as though they are his own; if anything, he seems more at ease there than in his own home.

A friendship leads to a local criminal who provides him with guns, and soon Carlos isn't just robbing people. He kills like a true psychopath with no emotion whatsoever, nor does he hesitate or even think about what he is doing.

His shootings seem to happen out of his control, especially in one scene that seems quite unrealistic. Carlos is apparently a crack shot the first time he has to handle a gun.

The movie includes a repulsive and unexpected shot of an old man's wrinkled, hairy scrotum hanging out of his boxer shorts. Repulsive.

Other than that, "El Angel" is a good movie. I say check it out.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [United States]

Country:

Argentina Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

9 November 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

El Angel

Filming Locations:

Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$23,348, 11 November 2018

Gross USA:

$109,608

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,604,680

Company Credits

Production Co:

El Deseo, Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales (INCAA), Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1