Jeder gegen jeden

I liked the first half. Acting, cinematography, tension...etc. Then, around the half point, the movie becomes filled with too many characters and dialogue, and totally lost the rhythm.

What a pity...

I found this movie by accident at my local theatre. it wasn't even reviewed in the ny times. luis tosar is his usual manly self, aided by Rodrigo de la serna in this, you've seen it all before bank heist film. it's still fun, it's in Valencia, spain and it moves along quickly. in addition to robbing the bank and its safe deposit boxes, Rodrigo is looking in box 314 for something which could implicate high up politicos in the Spanish government. complications ensue. nothing seems to go as planned. luis and rodrigo have great chemistry. the cinematography is sharp. compared to most of the mediocre movies released by Hollywood this summer this is a refreshing treat.

Sometimes things do not go according to plan. In movies more often then not. Now if you're about to commit a crime, then movies may be one of the venues where there is a chance of you succeeding. Then again, because it's all scripted, you don't actually achieved anything. Well anything else than entertain your audience right? Which is not an easy thing to do. But this movie also tries to go one more step and add an additional note to the mix.

Maybe that is not your thing and you want just a heist movie. But hopefully you'll enjoy it, even with its flaws. It's nicely acted and while not perfect, it does achieve to keep your suspense high enough until the end of the movie. The action scenes are good too

In Spain, there is the belief that corruption is an everyday occurrence (not only there, of course). "Cien años de perdón" uses this as the MacGuffin in a heist movie that starts OK but ends making no sense and with too many stupid twists.

Six thieves get into a bank in Valencia, in the East of Spain, and take 30 people as hostages. Pretty soon we discover that money or jewels are not the reason behind the heist, but a hard-drive with information about some high-ranking politicians. The police, the politicians, the thieves, the director of the bank... all their interests will intertwine while the tensions rise.

The idea is simple, and it could have been a good action/mystery movie. However, the plot twists are risible, the pace too slow and shaky, and the direction lifeless, wasting a good bunch of actors along the way, like the always reliable Luis Tosar. The characters keep lying to each other for no reason, but not only so, they keep taking silly decisions based on whims, and the moments that the plot uses to raise the tension are poor and make for the typical: turn-the-car-around! situations.

A disappointment.

I went to the cinema to watch this movie as soon as I knew that Luis Tosar was in it, since he is hands down the best Spanish actor these days. My expectations were not too high about the movie itself, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a good thriller with a hint of comedy. Actually, the acting in this film is so good that the comedy moments fit naturally, without being too artificial nor relying on corny jokes. The actors are so natural and the script is so well written, that in some scenes you just need to laugh out loud.

About the actors, Luis Tosar is great as always, but Rodrigo De la Serna is absolutely superb. He nails every scene he's in. I hope to see much more of him in the near future, since for me, both actors are the main reason why I liked this film so much. It is so easy to empathize with these two bank robbers. Joaquin Furriel also stands out, giving a brilliant performance. The rest of the cast was very good in general, with the only exception of the female lead. In my opinion, her acting was mediocre at best; I would have loved to see Marian Alvarez doing her part instead. But that is basically the only flaw in the casting, in my opinion.

As to the plot, I found it very solid (I was not specifically looking for plot holes; there might be some, but they go unnoticed). The movie is thrilling, and it's entertaining.

Will I watch this movie again? Absolutely.