*Premise spoilers.*
Although Diego Luna’s role in this film is really small, I’m still glad I saw it. It’s an interesting movie with a fun, creative premise.
Gabriel is a documentarian working on a film about crime in Mexico City, particularly muggings and robberies. It’s a subject that he already has personal experience with, but his latest encounter is the last straw. His ex loaned him her van while their daughter was staying at his place, and the van was stolen. Gabriel is sick of the police and politicians doing nothing to improve the situation, so he teams up with Sofia, an aspiring actress/life insurance rep, to give the crooks a taste of their own medicine.
I enjoyed this movie a lot. It’s a little playful in its genre, mixing drama and comedy with a fun helping of action. It’s often triumphant when our heroes get one over on the baddies, suspenseful when they’re in a tight spot, and amusing when they’re improvising their way through complications on a heist. Gabriel’s 13-year-old daughter Valentina is entertaining, and I like the old-soul dynamic she brings to her relationship with my dad.
On the downside, it’s not surprising that a film from over 20 years ago has some issues with sexism and homophobia. There’s a scene where “f****t” is used multiple times in short succession (at least, that’s the word the subtitles use,) and I really hate the exchange, “No, I don’t want to make love”—“I do.” As a character, Sofia is repeatedly sexualized by those around her, who frequently try to maneuver her into a honey trap role. However, I appreciate that one scene where a character suggests using her feminine wiles to their advantage is immediately followed by her posing as a nun for an undercover operation. And when she does play the honey pot, I like seeing her clearly trying to stall, baiting the trap but doing everything she can to avoid having to go through with it.
Demián Bircher is effective as Gabriel, a frustrated everyman who’s ready to take the fight to the bad guys. Apart from the sexist angles, I like his dynamic with Cecilia Suárez’s Sofia—there’s definitely a will-they-won’t-they element, but they’re also just a strong duo, working together creativity to take back some power from the gangs who are making them feel afraid. And Luis Felipe Tovar is amusingly over-the-top as Comandante “Elvis” Quijano, a preening police officer who struts into the crime scenes without doing much of anything about it.
Like I said, Luna’s part is pretty small. He plays Esteban, a teenager(?) who’s part of Gabriel’s film crew and later takes part in the heists against the gangs. Luna does fine with the role, which basically requires him to be cheeky and horny. He’s the one whose vetoed suggestion leads to Sofia showing up in the nun costume—when Esteban says he has an idea to get inside the crooks’ stash house, Sofia urges Gabriel, ““Let him talk!”, but his pitch boils down to, “You run naked through the streets….” Smash cut to Sofia dressed as a nun!
Again, I’m not sure how old he’s supposed to be, which is concerning. Esteban is working on Gabriel’s film, suggesting late teens at the youngest, but he’s also mildly flirty with Valentina (who, again, is only 13.) Luna would’ve been like 20 or 21 when he filmed this. If they hadn’t included the Valentina moments, I wouldn’t have minded the rest.
Recommend?
In General – On the whole, I think I probably would, with a caveat about the grosser content.
Diego Luna – Not necessarily. He does a nice enough job, but there isn’t much to it.
Warnings
Violence, sexual content, language (including homophobic slurs,) drinking/smoking, and thematic elements (including dismissive treatment of consent.)
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