La colère d'un homme patient

The human drama is powerful and poignant, as bereaved José (Antonio de la Torre) roams around a shady Madrid neighbourhood looking to avenge his wife and father. First-time director Raúl Arévalo is a good storyteller and is well helped by solid performances from de la Torre, Luis Callejo, Ruth Diaz and Manolo Solo, but the film hasn't got any moral insights or redemption to offer. It's too preoccupied with its own mission. The story is a runaway train destined to crash, and so when it crashes ... it simply crashes. The English title is The Fury of a Patient Man, which largely describes the plot.

Considering how much better contemporary Spanish thrillers can be than their Hollywood alternatives, this is already a must see. The director does a great job in his debut, building palpable tension in scene after scene, as from the moment the story begins you will feel something is wrong, until the tension finally explodes in the most unlikely place.

Apart from the authentic atmosphere, which portrays contemporary urban & rural Spain well, there are some great performances here, supported by a great script. Callejo & Ruth Diaz disappear into their characters, and my only pet peeve is with the main character, Arevalo's stand in, Antonio de la Torre. Although he is usually a great actor, here he lacks expression. Although it is obvious the character needs to be understated, there should be more subtle work then, such as facial expressions or movements, in order for the character not to come off as "boring".

The moral of the story is very gray, and there are no heroes here, which leaves you thinking about the movie far after the credits have rolled

Liked: -the tension (especially the gym scene) -unexpected humor -the "buddy comedy" part -direction -location

Disliked: -the leads performance -some of the character motivation

8.5

Better than i expected. This is a good crime drama movie. Not much action, shootings, killings, this is more of a drama than anything else. But still, it's intense and gripping at times, especially during the second half. Also clever and realistic, characters are well written, actors are great. It's a serious movie, kinda bleak and sad. I empathised with those characters.

It requires your attention at first, it's not difficult to follow but it's not that easy either. Slow to start, but as i said, second half is intense, and it gets more intense as it progress. Strong ending even though it's a bit abrupt.

There are so many good things to talk about in this movie. First of all, it starts out very strong and grabs you right off the bat. Then I really liked the occasional behind the shoulder camera work which gives an intimate and unnerving feeling but it's not overly done where it becomes exhausting. The look and feel of the movie fits so well to the locations and overall intention. I loved the progresiveness of the film which tells the main character's story and purpose in two very different halves. Every character is very carefully designed and has a meaningful and interesting presence.

It's the revenge story of a quiet but determined guy.

The single most important thing distinguishing a good thriller from a bad one, is the screenplay. It has to be simple but effective, with lots of suspense and without any unnecessary subplots.

'Tarde para la Ira' is a great thriller, because the writer, who is also the director, has stuck to this basic rule. The story of a man who waits for years to take revenge, is very effective. And the carefully planned way he finally gets even with his adversaries, keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last moment.

Also, this film is very good in creating the right atmosphere. There's nothing polished or glamorous about the people in this film. They are as rough as the working class neighbourhoods in Madrid, where the film is set.

The great thing is that the film doesn't need many action scenes. There is one great scene, the very first one, shot from the viewpoint of a driver, who is trying to escape from the police after a robbery. This is a crucial scene, but why it is so important becomes clear only later in the film. There are a few violent scenes, but they are filmed in a very matter-of-fact style.

This film seems to be a perfect candidate for an American remake. It doesn't take much effort to change the setting from Madrid to Chicago, Los Angeles or Miami. On the other hand, I doubt if an American director can do as good a job as Raúl Arévalo.