El reino

This movie is brutal. From second one, it grips you in its story line about politics and corruption, with a tight and breathless script and amazing acting (de la Torre has an intensity that transpires from the screen, and here gives us again a bravura performance) and doesn't let go till the last very last frame. It may be *just another movie about corrupt politicians and their love of money and power, but it is so magnificently done, so beautifully shot, and so angry, that you won't be able to take your eyes from the screen. Watch it.

This movie builds up until it explodes and lets you breathe again. Prepare to make some diving exercices because if you want to chill out this is not your movie. The portrayal of corruption is put on a very disturbing note and feels constantly hunting you. It reminds me of the best build up tension scenes along with for example Sicario (Denis Villeneuve) . Very well directed and very well acted , this shows what a talent Sorogoyen and Antonio de la Torre are. Probably my favorite movie of 2018 and my favorite spanish movie as of today along with Volver.

I could barely understand the convoluted plot and there are some absolutely senseless and pointless parts of it towards the end. Really confusing storyline as though they couldn't think what to put in next to shock.

Having said that, the acting and locations is of a good order so it's not a total waste. If you can fathom the point of the scene in the petrol station I'd be glad to know !!

This is without a doubt the best Spanish movie I have seen in years (and I'm Spanish). It depicts the politician corruption in an excellent way. For me, the script was really really good, the directing was 100% on point and the performances were amazing. There is an actor called Luis Zahera who I didn't even know and it gives the most credible performance in the movie (as Cabrera). He is soooooooo good. The scene at the balcony should grant him all the awards he can get in his category this year. You cannot go better than that. Impossible. Definitely a must-watch film. Go to the theater and support the crew. This is as cinema at its best.

''El Reino'' is a political thriller from Spain, directed by the talented Rodrigo Sorogoyen who also gave us the brilliant ''Que Dios nos perdone'', one of the best European thrillers of the decade. In this movie though he doesn't achieve the top level of his previous work. The film's protagonist, Manuel, -an exceptional performance once again by Antonio de la Torre- strives in order to stay alive in the country's political scene after being accused for a major scandal involving embezzlement and money laundering. The frenetic tempo of the first 45 minutes confused me and made me lost count of the names and ranks of the various characters which were introduced, but after Manuel's indictment the movie starts to feel more comprehensible and the story more concise. The editing is super-fast and even the soundtrack adds to the movie's rapid pace. We follow Mauel, who is present in nearly every single scene of the movie, witnessing his attempts to save himself as well as to extract revenge from the people who think that deceived him and made him a scapegoat. The last ten minutes, Manuel's tv interview, conclude the film in the best possible way with the journalist's final question remaining hanging for the viewer to think and dwell on. The picture of the Spanish political life in ''El Reino'' is not a flattering one as the high-ranking politicians are depicted as cruel, profiteering gangsters who enjoy luxurious lives at the expense of Spanish people who prefer to ignore the country's totally unreliable political system as they have to deal with the problems in their everyday lives which are caused by the nation's governments. There are points in the movie that offer food for thought and many viewers, especially those who live in Europe's southern countries, will recognize many of the depicted blemishes as their own. I would definitely give the movie a higher rating if it were not for the confusion of the first half which has a rather bewildering effect to the viewer because of the reasons I stated above. Overall, I believe that ''El Reino'' is a film worthy of recommendation despite its flaws, and it will appeal most to the fans of Spanish crime/thriller films as well as to those who enjoy political thrillers.