Maknum González

A Chilean gangster movie, of all things. MAKNUM GONZALEZ is a film that wears its heart on its sleeve. It's obviously a low budget production that suffers from the occasional technical quibble and some dodgy performances from the cast, but nonetheless it was clearly made by somebody who loves cinema and the classic gangster movies of old.

This one follows a revenge format in which the protagonist is sent to prison and emerges looking to wreak vengeance on those responsible for his being inside. Sadly, like a lot of foreign movies, MAKNUM GONZALEZ is content to emulate rather than bring much in the way of originality to the table, but it's nonetheless watchable enough thanks to the fast-paced execution.

I liked the choice of an ageing figure as the protagonist, even if he isn't a particularly likable one. There's some gratuitous nudity here, but the emphasis is on strong, crowd-pleasing violence. A couple of twists and turns keep the short running time moving smoothly along, and there are some eye-popping scenes, particularly the nude shower set-piece which seems to have been inspired by a similar moment in EASTERN PROMISES (see what I mean about it being derivative?). It's not really what I would call a great movie, but you could do worse.