As Luck Would Have It

Gangbusters De la Iglesia movie which defies expectations of taste and form to become extraordinarily involving.

Working from a script by a Hollywood writer, who did Stallone and Van Damme movies and mixing elements we recognize from work like NIGHT & the CITY and DEATH of a SALESMAN, we end up with something that it would be hard to imagine anyone else trying. De La Iglesia is a much better craftsman than Pedro Almodovar to whom he's frequently adversely compared. He brings a feeling of scale to what is a quite intimate subject, a blaring score, the Cartegena Roman circus setting, broad media and promotion satire and particularly a full blooded performance from Hayek, who wins over the audience in her first scene, encouraging Mota not to think of himself as a failure by saying "Look what a hot wife you have!"

As Mota finds himself life imperiled, with a steel spike in his head, the film sneaks up on the spectator till the scene between Hayek and Bang and her last gesture become unexpectedly moving.

The critical response and non response to De Iglesia's movies continues to amaze me.

Throw in another of Santo Segura's endorsement walk-ons - like GROWN UPS.