El alquimista impaciente (2002) User Reviews

No patience would be enough.

[FlauerPauer · 5/10 · 24 October 2003]

This was supposed to be a "thriller", so at least, anyone would expect a minimum atmosphere, a crime, a (or a couple of) suspect, Well... don't expect, if you're going to watch "El alquimista impaciente", you will have to get your expectations lower, much lower...

The story plot has a good beginning: Two cops have to investigate a strange crime in a small town. A man was found dead, in dark circumstances. He's married, 2 kids, no problems, no enemies. no apparent mobile. Two "federal" agents -from the Spanish "Guardia Civil"-are in charge of the investigation.

Ok, first 25 minutes are fine, let's say. But then, everything in the story becomes twisted and disjointed ... No matter how much attention you would pay on clues, characters' statements or how imaginative you would be. You wouldn't ever guess why this crime was committed, or why in such a way, or why did characters appear, or when movie's title does comes from, or why did you get 'til the end of the movie. Worst for me, is that I not only couldn't guess that all, I couldn't ever understand it!

This is a slow-paced, totally unclear "policial" film. I was disappointed such an actor like Miguel Angel Sola (one of my favorites) was completely wasted on a "two-or-three-spoken-lines" character. Cast makes its best, but the story is badly narrated. I love crime stories, and like Spanish cinema industry, but "El alquimista impaciente" is not definitely a good movie. You better save your time and money. Any classical King's Arthur film makes of Merlin a much intriguing and thrilling alchemist.

I think it was money that changed him, as gold changed the impatient alchemists.

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 12 July 2009]

An engineer, Trinidad Soler (Joaquín Barrueco), at a nuclear power plant is found dead for no apparent reason. Two experts from the Guardia Civil (Ingrid Rubio & Roberto Enríquez) are brought in to find out why.

The obvious story is that he just mixed cocaine, alcohol and tranquilizers and his heart gave out while he was with a pro, who took off afterwards. However, obvious would end the mystery at less than 30 minutes, and wouldn't make a good episode of Law and order.

But the pro turns up dead after the case is closed and they find enough to reopen it. It seems that Soler and his wife made a lot more money than they declared on their taxes.

The more they dug, the more confusing it got. But they put it all together in a nice package at the end.

Rubio & Enríquez were excellent partners, and it would be good to see them together again.

The impatient alchemist

[jotix100 · 4/10 · 21 July 2009]

An uninspired Spanish film by director Patricia Ferreira, based on a text by Lorenzo Silva, is an enigma, to say the least. The director, who also helped in the screen treatment, does not bring anything to make the story at least watchable. The problem is with the screenplay that relies too much on the text, resulting in a rigid picture that goes nowhere. The film suffers that malady that afflicts a lot of well intentioned pictures from Spain, a script that does not deliver the promise it showed at the start.

The cast, without the exception of Miguel Angel Sola, is just plain boring. Films of this genre need at least a small amount of action to keep the viewer with the story. It does not help the characters are one dimensional. This is a tale that rings false from the start. Ingrid Rubio, who has done some good movies, is totally wasted here.

At one point in the film, the detectives try to get into a cool club in Malaga and the bouncers just take a look at Ruben to realize his clothes come from a large supermarket because no one coming to the place will be caught dead dressed like him.