El beso de Judas

I caught this film on a lark, never having heard of it, and not knowing what to expect. It is a very well done plot twister, reminiscent of "Body Heat," and with a great cast of unknown young people, backed up by more established stars like Emma Thompson, Alan Ricker, and Hal Holbrooke. You're never really sure about what is happening until the end.

And it got it in France ! Why not in the rest of the world while the studios keep churning out expensive post-Grisham trash (Will anyone remember him as a fine writer, and not the most betrayed-by-the-screen author this side of Stephen King ?) this one has it all. Okay, the situations are not always original, has minor plot holes and it has a tendency to be too clever some (brief) times for its own sake, but it actually delivers and is obviously a work of love. I'd be curious to know what the budget was. AND. for once, this is not a cheap Tarantino copy ! (Well, film noir didn't started with Tarantino, you know.) Will it once again be saved by Europe, like John Dahl's movies were, so Mr Guttierez can make another one like this ? If you ever read this, Mr Guttierez, thank you and se

Thirty pieces of silver and a kiss for luck. This one was another totally unexpected gem. Usually, I'm not even a suspense/thriller fan. This satisfying 100 minutes has more twists than a boardwalk pretzel. It has titillating erotic romance, reminiscent of "Body Heat" in more ways than one; it has cops and crime; political intrigue and just a dash of daytime soap. It has just the right touch of gritty violence that any professional "by-the-numbers" crime job must employ. Emma Thompson, (FBI AIC), delivers her role with grace and humor and gets my vote for best fake southern accent by a Limey. Alan Rickman, (local cop), who always seems to steal the show, is excellent but not overbearing. They work well as a pair. Lots of plot misdirection that never gets out of control and gets coherently reconnected at film's end. And who is this awesome woman, Carla Gugino? I want her to bear my children. Carla, if you're out there, let's do lunch.

@Lary9

What I really like about this movie is that the kidnapers generally show some intelligence...a rare thing in films. They don't have many of the film clichés that plague this types of films--they don't openly fight showing little or no cohesion, a rift isn't created in which the hostage can exploit to get away, and they don't fall for the "stall them and tell them it takes more time" ploys. The only two discernable "stupid criminal" clichés I noticed was opening up the case and gawking at the money in the gateway car and stopping the car to get another cell phone battery from the trunk...but there are other reasons for that. I also like the way Rickman's and Thompson's characters play off each other...it's fun to watch.

First off, this film is effective all the way through. There are so many good actors in this film it's hard to know where to begin. The four kidnappers work well together on screen. The best part of the movie for me would have to be when Coco is talking about the time her and Junior had met, trapped in a meat freezer. A song by "The Cure" is playing that has "just like a dream" in the chorus, don't know the actual name, but it is very romantic. When Junior is giving her oral sex while she is holding herself up in the air by a meat hook, it is so romantic. She says "I can't even look at a steak now without getting wet". On to Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson who as two law enforcement employees, have some innocent romantic moments of their own. Hal Holbrook gives a good performance as the revenge minded senator. Anyway, this movie has a lot going for it. I am surprised with so many good actors this movie doesn't have a bigger following. I am a big Carla Gugino fan, and she is hot is this one, even though maybe only a nanosecond of her fabulous breasts. Enjoy 6/10