Semana Santa

American star who's career is in trouble goes to Europe to appear in a multinational production of little distinction. Those were the days, the late 1960's through mid 1970's and unless your name was Clint Eastwood probably nothing much came of the experience as far as the finished film was concerned. Ah, I feel sort of nostalgic for those euro trash co productions that you just knew were really about tax shelters as well as being one last chance for the star to headline a movie and have a vacation at the viewing public's expense.

Well, ANGEL OF DEATH is just such a movie and it is only from 2002! The original, more germane, title is SEMANA SANTA which means Easter or Easter week, referring to the parades and celebrations that feature hooded monks, one of whom is suspected of being the killer.

No less than six countries are listed in the credits and though set in Spain part of it was shot in Hamburg Germany. I guess I'm talking about all this because all of that is more interesting than the movie itself.

Other than the pleasing distractions of the setting, the story is really really tired. Though based on a novel it really feels like the work of a tired American television cop show writer. Doing some research I found that I was half right, Roy Mitchell is a English television cop show writer. One symbolic killing sparks an investigation. It is hinted that there is some religious connection to the killing. Ultimately this isn't explored in any depth. Woman Cop forced on a male counterpart who doesn't respect her. She is shown to kick ass early in the film to excuse her becoming pretty much just a typical weak woman for the killer to throw around by the end. The dialogue is really flat. A character gets locked in a room by the killer and immediately pounds on the door and yells, "Open this door!" Pretty much all the dialogue is on this level of freshness and creativity. It sounds even worse because we have a bunch of thick accented Europeans speaking lamely written television dialogue while we (the audience) are to pretend they are all really Spaniards. Though when we see anything written down it is in Spanish. It's all just not very convincing.

In the midst of this is Mira Sorvino sporting a pretty good accent but looking very out of place with her blonde hair amid all the dark haired natives. Though it is explained she is half American she should have just died her hair. She pretty much plays the whole film with the same slightly worried or interested expression. There is no chemistry between her and co star Oliver Martinez and though her part isn't written to really carry the film she doesn't rise to the challenge to elevate the material. I guess in this case Mira Sorvino and Olivier Martinez were an item at the time and thought it would be fun to go to Europe and pretend to hate each other on film. She I guess comes off better since she seems like an actress giving a poor performance where he comes off as being a non actor trying to act mean and tough.

Speaking earlier of Clint Eastwood, Mira certainly is in need of Clint saving her post Oscar career the way he did for Hillary Swank.

Ciro Cappellari's location photography makes you want to go there but generates no suspense or style other than a surface gloss to the film. All the production levels are about on par with a really well produced cable movie but not really up to feature standards. The first crime scene is rather gruesome and the second killing is too but after that it's a dullish hunt for the killer structure. The revelation is something of a cheat but does nothing to revive your interest in the story by that point. Two supporting characters are sort of interesting, but so what? One of these is Alida Valli, who makes the most of what little they allow her to do here. She's at least an authentic 70's Euro character actress, having been in SUSPIRIA, LISA AND THE DEVIL, THE ANTICHRIST to name a few of her impressive credits. Mira Sorvino seems almost in awe of her during their scenes together and for good reason, Valli is actually acting! But Valli's presence, and she does have that, just reminds you how blandly directed the film is.

To increase the growing sense of inertia there are extended flashback sequences in the middle of the film set during the Spanish revolution revealing Valli's character's origins.

Asleep at the helm director, Pepe Danquart, got to love that name, directs a movie that cuts together properly but doesn't tell an exciting story. Nor is he able to get a good performance from his leading lady. Nothing is done poorly enough to become silly, other than one scene where Sorvino gets stuck to a staircase rail with a bull fighting pike through the hand and has to pretend she can't get free while fighting and stabbing occurs around her between the macho men.

Music score adds little except in some probably authentic Catholic parade scenes and source music. 5.1 mix does almost nothing with the surround channels.

ANGEL OF DEATH does little with anything. The DVD does offer trailers for a number of better movies available from MGM. Despite the Spanish setting the only alternate language is French which makes no sense given the large domestic U. S. video audience of Spanish speakers who might be interested in the film because of the setting. Oh well, perhaps this is a small mercy for them.

OK, so this isn't the greatest mystery movie to grace the screen. It did, however, have some good features that made it worth my time.

First, I lived in Andalucia for six years and have fond memories of the Semana Santa ceremonies and processions. The white robes and the pointed masks do not remind me of the Ku Klux Klan, but of centuries of tradition in Spain. Seeing that as a backdrop to the murders and the police work, led by the ever adorable Mira Sorvino, was beautiful.

Second, I love stories that weave in the evil fascists that invaded Spain. The US-backed murderers under Franco provided a credible story that explained the current murders.

Third, I was enchanted with Alida Valli in her last role as Doña Catalina. So much so that I will make it a point to see one of her earlier roles this weekend.

All in all, a good slow murder mystery with several features that made it worthwhile.

In Seville, the newcomer detective Maria Delgado (Mira Sorvino) arrives during the Holy Week and is assigned to work with detectives Quemada (Olivier Martinez) and Torillo (Féodor Atkine) in the bizarre murder of twins, killed with several bullfighter knives. Maria interviews the old lady Ms. Catalina (Alida Valli), who found the bodies, while a tourist is attacked on the streets by a masked guy with a bullfighter knife. The trio connects the cases and follows the lead to a brotherhood. The director of the brotherhood is also killed by a knife, and Maria follows her instinct and visits Ms. Catalina again in a convent. Ms. Catalina discloses her sad adolescence when Spain was in Civil War and Maria gets closer to the truth.

When I saw the names of Mira Sorvino and Alida Valli, I did not hesitate and bought this DVD. The story has a promising beginning, with a weird death and decomposed corpses that recalled me "Seven", and I was expecting a good dark movie. Unfortunately, director Pepe Danquart did not take any care in developing the characters, and his only concern seems to be a tourist travel through the beautiful Seville in the "Semana Santa". Therefore, the motives of each character are very confused, leading the movie to a terrible conclusion. Mira Sorvino seems to be upset most of the time, and the DVD distributed in Brazil is awfully dubbed in English. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Anjo da Morte" ("Angel of the Death")

Police detective Maria Delgado (Mira Sorvino) is transferring from first rate Madrid to the second tier Seville for unknown reason. Captain Rodriguez sends detectives, Quemada (Olivier Martinez) and Torillo, to help her acclimatize. It is the Semana Santa (original title) and the processions create traffic jams. Someone in a red hooded costume from the Brotherhood of Christ is attacking people. Two decomposing bodies are found in carefully posed positions. The police trio investigates. It soon leads to the Brotherhood and the dark Spanish recent history.

First, it's strange to watch Mira Sorvino's dubbing. It doesn't help that her acting is so flat in this movie. It looks like those old kung fu movies. This is a police drama thriller. The first half is fine although they could use a couple of red herrings. Around the midpoint, the movie runs out of steam. The old lady is doing a lot of expositions to move the story along. She does it a couple of times. They lose Torillo which is a shame. I like the chemistry of the trio. When they boil the group down to the two hot actors, the serious feel starts slipping away.

The only thing special about this film may be the very human everyday interactions between the characters in this film. An important scene might have a little glance or aside that only tells of the place and the people but have no real impact on the story. Mia Sorvino along with the other actors and even the walk-on extras just feel real and utterly regular in the skins that they occupy on screen. 99% of movies do not succeed as well as this one when it comes to that pervasive "REALITY" feeling.

Yes the pacing could have been better. Yes you might be lost if you don't pay attention to each plot revelation. Yes you might not be surprised at all by how the story turns out. But this is a beautiful film in its grounded feeling, the acting, and the little things outside of the main focus which give life to the world and its characters.

Not original at all but great acting and good direction makes for a hidden gem in my opinion.

-Karl