La secte sans nom

Claudia Gifford receives a call from the police to tell her they found the body of her six-year-old daughter Angela. Her body was brutalized and she seems to have been chosen for sacrifice by a cult they call "The Nameless". But five years later Claudia receives a telephone call from supposedly her dead daughter and that she needs her mum's help. So with the help of an ex-cop, she investigates more into this mystery and because of it, dire and disturbing consequences occur.

Effectively tense, alienating and involving is what comes to my mind when I describe the Spanish film "The Nameless". The film's stark lighting, slick detail and gloomy awe just had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. It does have a little amount of ghastly violence and some explicit visuals and material that aren't for the faint hearted. Though, that's not what got on my nerves but more the use of dull and lifeless colour tones that pull you into cold-hearted paradise, tension builds subtly with eerie quietness, the chilling sound effects just put you on the edge with also a beautifully faint score that drowns you with emotion and that definitely puts you into a false state of mind. Mostly it was piano backing, which sorrow and pain develops from the notes potently. The depressing state of it sucks the life right out of you!

For me the plot is one of its few weaknesses, as at times situations that occurred just didn't add up and it does get a bit schematic. The first half builds on the story and suspense, but in my eyes the second half is where the plot (not suspense) became patchy and kind of faulted by the way side. The theories (about the cult) that are thrown up are indeed absorbing and the whole set-up kept me glued to proceedings as the plot is basically just glazed over without any real substance to back it, but at least it moves in a fairly snappy pace. This was due to tight editing that's swiftly unnerving and also fluid camera shots. The performances are reasonably bland, but hey this is such sombre film so you kind of accept it. Anyhow, these cardboard characters are haunted and scarred by ghosts of loved ones that fill their memories. The stylish film-making for me really added to the moody atmosphere. Evoking a sense of doom and coldness with its brood shadows filling every corner of the set and they seem to have something evil lurking within them that just eats away at you. Some scenes I was just waiting for something bad to happen, as you can just tell, but even so it still kind of gets to you. Even a humming sound would nag away at me, though I don't know if I was hearing things or that it was from the film? Towards the end you get a usual twist that didn't surprise me much, but the second one to end it was something that left me rather blank, just like the plot pretty much did. You can also see plenty of influences from other films with its story, visuals and atmosphere.

Overall, a neatly made psychological thriller that builds tremendously on atmosphere, thrills and mystery.

Rented this film with no expectations at all. For the largest part of the film I did not regret one second to have rented it. Well, perhaps because it was too scary... The way it is filmed and the music along with it makes it a very good thriller. This is a perfect example I believe of the difference between an American film and a European film. And in this case I definitely prefer the latter. The grim atmosphere and the constant pressure keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole movie. But unfortunately, all good things come to an end and in Los sin nombre, this is before the end of the film. I can't spoil anything of course, but I personally was very disappointed with the end of this film. It left me with an unsatisfied feeling.

One who did not see the movie may be surprise by all the contrasting comments ranging from "LAME" to "EXCELLENT". But there is a simple answer to this: There are 2 types o movie-goers: those who let themselves go and get involved in the story, and those who stay in a safe shell of rationality and judge from the outside. So, this movie lives on atmosphere and the mood it is able to arouse, and in this it works greatly, it really scares. But to a cold-minded analisys, it reveals flaws in the plot. Anyway, I think that RATIONAL-AT-ALL-COSTS people should simply give up with horror movies: their inner cords just can't be reached... For all the other ones, you should watch this movie, becasue it is a scary movie that really scares, and features excellent acting and direction. The only right criticism regards the ending. I suppose that they could have done better, not necessarily changing WHAT happens, but possibly HOW it is described. But it is still a decent final, and the movie is a well worth experience.

You're walking through an amusement park. All the rides around you look wonderfully scary and thrilling; they taunt you as you pass them, they promise something different, something new, at journey's end.

The final ride is a fiberglass pony in front of the supermarket.

That's the "Los Sin Nombre" experience. You, the viewer, watch as the protagonist follows clues to find her daughter -- a girl supposedly tortured and killed but now, 5 years later, apparently living. With the help of the detective who handled the original case, she stumbles from clue to clue and into...uh...well, it gets hazy. A cult dedicated to "synthesizing the ultimate evil" through "the final atrocity" and "mastering pain", because "evil is a key". A good idea crops up hither and yon, and gets you waiting, waiting for The Big Finish.

After some disturbing imagery, a whole lot of "Oh, yeah?" clues, some confusion as to why this guy named Toni is following Mom around, the overuse of the "choppily-edited-video-is-creepy!" effect and the introduction of a character whom we're asked to care about and then gets whacked, the final reveal arrives...and then...uh...the movie ends.

But the final reveal is so totally mundane in relation to the rest of the film as to feel as let-down, a waste of energy spent in caring how it will end.

This film is all style -- all tired, overdone style. Oooh, look, everything's bleak and cold-looking! Oooh, look, choppily-edited nightmare imagery! Oooh, look, clues on a videotape! Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Yeah, I know, I said the same thing.

"The Nameless". It's in Spanish. There's some icky stuff and some fodder for your "Call of Cthulhu" game. Your call.

Bring some coins for that pony.

Well, after reading all the good reviews; some of which coming from reviewers that I often agree with, I was really looking forward to seeing The Nameless. After having sat down and watched it, however, I'm really disappointed. The film is not really 'bad', but it's not very good either and that's a shame considering that the film clearly so much wanted to be a great thriller. The plot is not very original, though that isn't the film's main problem. Many recycled plots have sprung great movies; the main problem here is that the plot moves too slowly and it's never interesting enough to remain thrilling for the duration. The film does have a few nice ideas, though. The Nameless starts with an editor named Claudia, who goes to identify the mutilated body of her dead daughter. The body has had every trace of its identity removed and can only be identified by a bracelet and the fact that one leg was slightly shorter than the other. Five years later, however, Claudia receives a call...from her daughter, who is begging her mother to save her.

Director Jaume Balagueró, who later went on to make the even more disappointing horror thriller 'Darkness' does manage to create a nice atmosphere for the film. Everything looks slightly grey, which makes it depressing and in turn serves the film well. I would guess that the film's main influence was David Fincher's hit 'Seven' as the two are very similar in tone. The film was made in Spain, and that is also disappointing. Spain, along with Italy, made some of the very best thrillers in the seventies, but the recent output of this genre from both countries has been disappointing - the Italian 'Occhi Di Cristallo' is another example of this. The recent films have lost what made them great previously, presumably because they're attempting to copy recent American films. The plot sort of drones on for the first eighty minutes as the dull characters uncover various facts and clues, and finally the film becomes interesting in the last ten minutes - though by this time, of course, it's already too late. The film was based on a good idea and it does have a few nice moments; but overall I would have to rate this as not much more than an interesting failure.