No habrá paz para los malvados

I was just partially prepared for this gritty thriller, so I am warning you in time to get ready for it to maximize your enjoyment. This is another gut-buster coming to us from sunny Spain, in case you missed it the first one is Mientras Duermes, and this just goes to show you that no matter what Hollywood decides to do to cinema, there will be always other countries to step up. This vibrant noir movie is just too cool, and the reason for that is Santos Trinidad masterfully played by José Coronado. While the American take on your average alcoholic, corrupt and dangerous detective set the standards, Jose took it to another level with his believable acting, right appearance and that crazy look in his eyes is the thing that completes the whole image. These are the guys that you don't wanna see or have anything to do in real life, but secretly fantasize about being them or hanging out with them.

The director did not hold back, and once again we can enjoy in this glass of whiskey that is not watered down or with ice. The taste that this movie leaves is that one of bitterness of life, wrong choices and the those moments of perfect clarity where you can actually feel alive and meaningful. Just beautiful.... And gripping, from the beginning to the end, this movie will hold your attention and let it go just for brief moments that are to be used to light up another cigar or pour another shot of whiskey (well, I guess any alcohol will do). One more thing I found very interesting and that is that upon viewing this movie Sylvester Stallone immediately bought the rights and expressed desire to make an American version (with him in the lead role, no doubt)

Using the actual events of 2004 Madrid train bombings, No Rest for the Wicked further develops this story, from the eyes of one Santos Trinidad. Santos Trinidad is a bad man, a police detective who likes to drink, gamble, misuse his authority and all the fun things that we would do, if, of course, life was a video game. He comes alive at night and as an alcoholic vampire prowls the streets and strip clubs looking for trouble, life and death. One of those visits, will prove to be a very important one as he accidentally stumbles on something much, much bigger than the usual sleaze that you would expect in a nightclub. Not to reveal too much (again, but what can I do when the movie is that good...), I will leave you with this, enjoy this phenomenal movie...

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A highly recommended film that fills more than expectations. A film that grabs you from start to finish. It is one of the best noir cinema that has been made in Spain, the kind of film that proves that a small story can be much more meaningful than a larger one. Jose Coronado is superb, cold, wild and credible. The cinematography is stark and bare, with only the soundtrack adding some effect. From an artistic standpoint, there were some plot elements and character developments I didn't think were totally needed. They do however drive the story, which seemed to be their purpose, so I can accept them. Nothing to laugh at. Heartfelt and riveting from the first frame to the last.

There is no man more dangerous than a man with facial hair and a shotgun , this is a lesson American learned in the 1970s thanks to Charles Bronson and Enrique Urbizu clearly never forgot and as he demonstrates it in ¨No Peace For The Wicked¨ (No Habra Paz Para Los Malvados) . It deals with a burned-out cop named Santos Trinidad becomes involved a triple murder but there is a witness that manages to getaway . Meantime, Judge Chacon (the singer Helena Miguel in his second acting) helped by Comisario Leiva (Juanjo Artero) are investigating the murders, but what seems to be a case of killing spree , actually is something far more dangerous . Santos attempts to eliminate clues but in the process , he uncovers an Islamist cell scheming diabolic plans .

The comeback of one of the most gripping Spanish film noir directors after an eight year absence . Urbizu is the director of No Peace For The Wicked (No Habra Paz Para Los Malvados), an upcoming 'tough cop with big gun' movie coming out of Spain . From start to finish action-packed , fast-paced ,thrills , emotion and suspense is continuous . It is one of the best noir film that have been realized in Spain, is a thriller that keeps you interested and expecting . José Coronado, Rodolfo Sancho, and Helena Miquel star in the sort of story we've seen many times before - a police inspector is part of a shootout that leaves three people dead and the suspect on the run, thereby casting suspicion on himself - but one that is always fun when executed with style and Urbizu certainly seems to have that. Jose Coronado is simply awesome , he steals the show as a veteran and violent police with dark secrets , furthermore a good support cast as Rodolfo Sancho, son of recently deceased Sancho Gracia and Pedro Mari Sanchez , an actor working from his childhood as well as Juanjo Artero of ¨Verano Azul¨. The motion picture was professionally directed by Enrique Urbizu . He is an expert on Thriller as proved in ¨Todo Por la Pasta¨, ¨Caja 507¨ and on comedy such as ¨Cuernos Mujer¨, ¨Como Ser Infeliz¨ and ¨Tu Novia esta Loca¨.

No Rest for the Wicked gained various winners for the 2012 Goya Awards , as the 26th Annual Goya Awards , presented by the Academia De las Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas De España (Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences), is "Spain's main national film awards, considered by many in Spain, and internationally, to be the Spanish equivalent of the American Academy Awards ; it won : Director Enrique Urbizu ,Original Screenplay for Enrique Urbizu and Michel Gaztambide, and Adapted Screenplay . Rating : Good , a highly recommended picture , worthwhile seeing .

The bare-bones premise is interesting: a drunk is having a bad night and kills some people in a seedy bar but one witness manages to escape. The rest of the movie involves the killer going after the guy and the police trying to figure out who committed the original crime on scant clues.

But that's not really the film you're watching, because it has plot complications stacked upon backstory stacked upon character introductions stacked on plot complications. It's a police thriller, it's a mafia movie, it's about international intrigue.

In short, this is a meter-high club sandwich of a plot, with the writer trying to cram as many action movie plots into one two-hour film as possible. If you lose your concentration for more than a few minutes you'll get lost and you'll have to start all over again.

That puts a damper on the impact of this work.

Many have praised Coronado's portrayal as the film's lead antihero (Santos), but I wonder how much of that comes down to just casting and costume. The guy just looks like a sleazebag in his black clothes and oily long hair. I'm not quite sure he's the next Anton Chighur who would have made the character believable even with normal clothes and a comic haircut.

For me, the standout performance was the portrayal of the female investigating judge, who came off as both stern and mysterious.

Competently directed and the story was fresh, but the it would have been more interesting had it not been so labirynthine.

Honourable Mentions: Torrente: El Brazo Tonto de la Ley (1998). Let's face it, Santos might be tough and determined, but he's also dumb (yeah, going into bars late at night with a gun and getting extremely drunk when you know you're prone to murderous outburts is dumb), moody, corrupt, and of disheveled appearance, much like Torrente.

It starts with a bloody crime scene that apparently has no motive and no meaning. And then for almost two hours we are watching somebody walking and walking and crawling on the screen. Half an hour into the movie you beg for it to end. Absolutely preposterous and pointless film. If you skip it, you lose nothing but save two hours of your life.