Mexico City

Richard Shepard's fascination with the kidnapping thriller has yielded another successful twisted tale in MEXICO CITY (the other two: MERCY and OXYGEN). Combining deft genre filmmaking chops with real insight into what it means to feel truly vulnerable, in MEXICO CITY, Shepard leads the viewer down a uniquely ravaged road of intrigue, deception, heartbreak and loss. Cinematographer Sarah Cawley is equally at the top of her game, painting many moody tableaus. Editor Adam Lichtenstein ably sets Cawley's rich compositions against each other, adding heft to the story's impact. Rolfe Kent's score completes the circle by perfectly echoing Shepard's search for faith in a seemingly godless world.

Let me qualify by saying that MEXICO CITY is by no means perfect, but if a thought-provoking thriller is what you're after, then see this film.

This film will never turn up as an in-flight feature on Mexicana Airlines. It shows the gritty, often ugly reality of Mexico City. Its tale of corruption and intrigue is nothing special. But the film captures the essence of Mexico City --- crowds, bustle, poverty, pollution, crime, machismo, antiquity and always, "la mordida" --- with compelling cinematography and a hauntingly effective Spanish guitar musical background. The camera angles are brilliant. The warm tones of the colour are perfect for the subject. There are many classic closeups of Mexican faces that alone make the film worthwhile. You almost smell the "pollo con aroz." And the amount of Spanish dialogue without subtitles underlines the frustratiions of the film's unilingual main character as she searches for her brother in an alien, puzzling and hostile environment. (Whatever did happen to him by the way?) The plot isn't new. Innocent American searches for missing ( )boyfriend ( )husband ( )wife ( )son ( )daughter ( )other in corrupt foreign capital with no help from double dealing US embassy. But this one is done superbly.

I never had heard of this movie, or any of the actors(less Robert Patrick) before. It was a slow Sunday morning, and I just happened to have it on the channel showing this movie. I certainly enjoyed this movie much more than I thought I would. It was a very well acted, well-written study of the helplessness one would feel placed in the proverbial situation of a stranger in a strange land. It definitely showed Mexico City in real light, but I thing more importantly, it showed that not everyone in Mexico is corrupt, or dispassionate about helping outsiders. The character of Pedro was especially heroic. I definitely felt the level of frustration the lead character (Mitch) was feeling. Expert direction by Richard Shepard.

I almost didn't rent this one because the pre-visit to Blockbuster and the checks on IMdB indicated that this "new release" was only a 2 star offering. Now...sometimes I'm in the mood for low budget, brooding atmospherics with "indie-like" cinematography and no big stars that challenge my expectations and engage my unabated interest. Sometimes I'm in the mood for DeNiro playing Boris Badanov in Rocky & Bullwinkle (although not too often...once every year or two, maybe.) I enthusiastically recommend this sleeper. It hit me just right with its realistic mood, the gritty shots of Mexico City's underbelly, the briskly developing plot (not too knotty for head scratching but not a formula telegram either) and I love seeing totally unknown actors act their asses off in a promotionally sleepy but alert screenplay! Jorge Robles [Pedro, the taxi driver with a moral compass on point throughout] was superb. Stacy Edwards was thoroughly believable as Mitch and I cheered as she emerged from her cocoon of bereavement into an 'in-your-face-Ninja-warrior' woman who just wouldn't stay down for the count. Robert Patrick was OK but a bit wooden, as he always is in this type of G-man on a wire role, but maybe that's what G-men really act like after all. Kudos to it; it's worth the watch. (Do Not Be Deterred by the center-weighted 2 star average rating of the masses.)

@Lary9

This movie shows great insight into what Mexico City is actually like. Not necessarily the mugging and shooting, however the shots of the city are outstanding. From the town square to the mix between poverty and wealth, the camera work in the film is unsurpassable. Even down to the green volkswagen beetles, the film is precise and real. Enjoyable movie.