Hacia la oscuridad

This movie says it is inspired by true events, but that's as far as the interesting part goes.

I don't mind reading a movie (since this film is foreign), but being unfamiliar with the cast along with the constant and frustrating flashbacks, I had to continue to pause to finish reading something and then try to figure out who was talking, plus what character (actor) I was viewing and in what character context.

Also, with each scene of seeing the ransom money delivery guy stuck in traffic to meet the noon deadline, then another and another and ....yet another flashback ... and back to the traffic frustration. The flashbacks were too often and they were the kinds that had flash, flash, flash of this and that kind of ratatatat pictures, that my eyeballs became so weary from the strain I had to stop watching this film. It was hard enough to read the movie, but to have my eyes assaulted with flashing flashbacks was just too much. I got the idea, okay? that these were good buddies who drank together and so forth, but enough was enough. This movie lacked cohesiveness with a very limited storyline. As far as I was concerned I didn't care if the kidnap victim was rescued ... was about ready to side with the kidnappers! So, fly this Frisbee disc out the window and don't waste your time.

The Colombian Jose Gutierrez (Roberto Urbina) leaves his girlfriend in USA and travels to Colombia to visit his parents Carlos (Tony Plana) and Marta Gutierrez (Alejandra Borrero). Jose meets his former passion, Luiza (America Ferrera), and they date and go to a night-club. Then Jose is abducted and a group asks for ransom to his father, who is the manager of a bank. The insurance company does not honor the contract and Carlos seeks the help of KNRC, a company specialized in abductions and ransoms, and with the powerful drug dealer Umberto Pompeo (Fernando Solórzano). A commando seeks the kidnappers while a carrier heads to the Buena Fortuna Street to deliver the ransom money. Will Jose Gutierrez be rescued on time?

"Hacia la Oscuridad" is a film with a messy non-linear story with terrible camera work and edition. The plot has the intention to show how dangerous is the life in Colombia but neither the story nor the screenplay are good. The action of Luiza is absolutely unreasonable and incoherent giving a ridiculous twist in the plot. The car chase is awfully filmed and edited and the boring flashbacks break the tension of the lead story. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "A Um Passo da Escuridão" ("At One Step from the Darkness")

This movie follows a kidnapping in Columbia.

If you want a look at Cartagena Columbia this movie has some value but as entertainment the movie has so many problems.

First the good which is related to the bad....there is lots of effort at creative and interesting camera work: angles surprises etc which is really fun and beautiful at times but things like the ratatatat sequences of images becomes rapidly irritating and are done too much. Also I found the symbolism heavy handed or actually funny as right before the cop and his car get demolished and you see buzzards circling. All the religious imagery is excessive and kind of a turn off it lowers the intellectual bar a lot.

The acting is so so at best...lots of pretty men and an ugly lead woman.

The flashbacks are irritating and excessive disrupting the story and any kind of rapport you might feel for the characters exactly the opposite of what it is supposed to do. I laughed at the reviewer who said he expected to see a flashback of the soccer ball being manufactured. This flash back technique made the story very hard to follow. I didn't even realize it was the girlfriend who shot him I was so confused by the end of the movie. And when you can't follow you get bored fast.

This movie could have been saved by lots and lots of editing and cutting out the flashbacks as the way of telling the story.

I love Columbian movies for the scenery and the handsome actors but this one is a trial to get through.

Although insignificant compared to the above problems... the subtitles are translated with artistic license e.g. gente innocente (innocent people) becomes "people caught in the crossfire"...and every other explicative is maricon (fag) which is never translated as that but rather "stupid" "idiot" etc... Although this is an improvement.

'El Infierno' a Mexican social commentary dry comedy on this very same nightmare situation of social anarchy and killing from drug money is a far better movie. Watch it instead.

DO NOT RECOMMEND

Being a fan of "Man on Fire," I decided to check out this film produced by and starring America Ferrera ("Ugly Betty") to expose the problem of kidnapping in Columbia. She says, "The rate in Colombia is awful. More than one person a day is kidnapped there." It is not just a problem in Columbia, but in many places in the World.

Roberto Urbina (Che: Part One) as Jose is the victim, and spends his time thinking about his ex-girlfriend Luiza (America Ferrera). Of course, the film flashes back and forth from real time to the time of the kidnapping.

Jose is not too smart. He sees some thugs in a bar that earlier pulled a gun on him on the football field, and he stands there downing shot after shot. Did Luiza set him up? He sure wasn't sober enough to see it coming.

It did have a great car chase when Charlie (David Sutcliffe), the ex-FBI agent helping to deliver the ransom steals a car after getting stuck in traffic.

An interesting film on the subject, but didn't set me on fire.

"Towards Darkness" really surprised me. I had heard little about it, and bought it online because I was intrigued. It is a tension-filled thriller, that kept me guessing what was going to happen next. America Ferrara does a great job in a performance unlike any other I've seen her do. The main character also does a good job. In terms of the story, it unfolds in a complex structure, with time jumps that reveal both the past and the present. Though during a few moments it ran a little long, I felt that overall the structure really helped add to the tension. It has a lot of twists and turns, and makes you realize how many things can go wrong during a single kidnapping. It also gave a great glimpse into Columbian life. All in all, the film felt authentic and exciting. It has both English and Spanish, and a cool tone. It was brutal when it had to be, and surprisingly tender as well. I would definitely recommend it, especially if you like '24' or 'Man on Fire.'