the_dipsta Reviews

El nino (2014)

Action-Thriller in the Gibraltar stretch

[8/10 · 3 September 2014]

This is the sort of film that gets me excited about the level of talent that is present in Spain. El Niño is a Cops and Robbers (well, Cops and Drug Mules!) movie in inimitable Spanish style. It revolves around a couple of small town hoods, El Niño (Jesus Castro) and his pal El Compi (Jesus Carroza) who want to get into the drug smuggling business in the Gibraltar stretch.

One boat ride across this stretch is all they need to smuggle their drugs into Europe from Africa. Of course, they have obstacles in the shape of Jesus (Luis Tosar) and Eva (Barbara Lennie), two cops who are trying to crack down the drug smuggling business as they chase El Inglés (Ian McShane) a Englishman who's a Gibraltar kingpin in this business, and who will cross paths with the young hoods.

The tale carries a steady pace, with some exciting and some I-don't-know-how-they-shot-it action scenes that are truly thrilling. It still has the usual tropes of a love story blooming amidst the chaos, a disgruntled cop who can't find his crook. But the film also restrains itself when necessary and has a formal beauty that matches its grand storyline.

It's truly ambitious cinema and well worth the price of admission.

Combustion (2013)

A Stylish car-race thrill-ride a la Española!

[8/10 · 28 April 2013]

Now the easy thing to do is to say that Combustión is a Spanish copy of 'the fast and the furious' (as opposed to what some others wrote, it's closer to the first 'furious' than the rest). But it goes above and beyond a high-concept car race film (which eventually became formula) and adds a thriller element which really gives it an unexpected energy.

The film revolves around a thieving couple, Navas and Ari, who fool rich men into Ari into their home, while her boyfriend comes in to steal from them. They eventually come across Mikel, who works at a Jewellery store. As they begin their elaborate plan on this target, they realize that Mikel is a man with a past. A past that will be useful for Navas and Ari. Thus begins a thrill-ride, riddled with thievery, adrenaline-rushing action and thumping electronic music, all adding to the protagonists' lives spiraling into madness.

The three leads, Álex González, Alberto Ammann and Adriana Ugarte are more than capable at creating a chemistry, it's as simple as falling into each other's beds (not a disservice, just a trope of the action/car movie!). What makes their relationships much more believable is the predicaments they get themselves and each other into. So much so that their livelihoods become intertwined even when one of the three is not on-screen. It's a thrilling power-play that at times had me confused at who was playing who!

I enjoyed that, because beyond giving the audience an exciting race-car thrill-ride, Director Daniel Calparsoro managed to add enough twists to make the audience relate to and revile the lead characters at the same time. Now, this aspect of the film is what pushes it above a standard angry- young-men-driving-while-women-raise-the-illegal-race-car-flag up and down (though looking very attractive while doing so!) into a film worth paying attention to.

For guys and girls (i'm sure girls like cars as much as men do, and if not, the characters' interplay is also very exciting to watch).

I wish this film came out on a different weekend from Iron Man 3, it would've gotten a good audience.

I must be the only guy thinking i'd rather see Iron Man 3 a week AFTER it's release, and give this homegrown Spanish action movie a shot (after all I am Spanish and in Barcelona). Well worth the price of admission.