Le crime farpait

Rafael Gonzalez (Guillermo Toledo), is a salesman in the ladies section of a fashionable department store in Madrid who has it all: good looks, a sharp wardrobe, and a confident, brash manner that allows him to get his way with women and in the workplace.

Rafael has clear goals, too, the most important of which is to lead a "perfect life," and little patience for anybody who settles for less. Such a proud man, of course, is perfectly set up to take a fall and Rafael plunges very far indeed in this hilarious black comedy by Spanish director Alexis de la Iglesia.

Rafael's slide begins when a hated rival, Don Antonio (Luis Varlea), wins a coveted promotion. An argument follows and Don Antonio ends up dead. Rafael's role in the accident goes undetected by the police only because Lourdes (Monica Cevera), an unattractive coworker he has long ignored, helps dispose of the corpse.

Lourdes assistance comes with a price. She has long carried a torch for Rafael and uses the threat of police exposure to get her own "perfect life." She insists Rafael become her lover, meet her parents, and marry her. In short, Rafael is about to be trapped in the kind of dull, mediocre existence he has always mocked.

Watching Rafael try to escape from the world Lourdes plans for him – raising children in a badly decorated suburban apartment filled with clown paintings and spending evenings collecting ugly miniatures -- provides lots of laughter and entertainment and plenty of insights into contemporary Spain. In the end, each character gets what they want – but as usually happens in life itself – there is a clear winner and loser. Highly recommended.

9/10

El Crimen Ferpecto is absurdly funny from beginning to end. Rafael Gonzalez (played by a man who looks like the Spanish Dennis Miller) is a fearless lady's man from the moment he pops on screen and reveals his philosophy on life – he goes for what he wants, and he only wants the best. That's why he doesn't mind working at an upscale department store. He's constantly surrounded by perfect things and beautiful co-workers. His perfect world comes crashing down, however, when Rafael and his boss get into a brutal fight that leaves a clothes hanger in Rafael's throat and a coat hook in the back of his boss's neck. His ugly, sex-starved, co-worker Lourdes helps him dispose of the body and cover-up the murder, and then blackmails him for all the sex, love, and affection he can give. Just when you think Rafael's life can't get any worse, it does, and every new punishment Lourdes inflicts on him is better than the one before. Pure entertainment.

Outrageous movie with odd characters , surreal imagery and twisted plot . Rafael is the best salesman in the biggest mall of Madrid called Yeyo's , a Corte Ingles-alike . He is an attractive man; all his colleagues fell in love for him . He attempts to live high-standard existence . He is definitively mean and aspires to be the new head of sales at his department store . As the ambitious playboy named Rafael ( Guillermo Toledo) and his contender (Luis Varela) are two salesmen who reach the heights of success with their jobs , but a chief-vacancy turning them into deadly enemies . However , the hate between them grows as fast, and as much, as their strong facing off and there takes place a murder . Lourdes (Monica Cordero) , the ugliest woman in the floor , unexpectedly helps Rafael to hide the corpse , but her help isn't for free . It all ends with a breathtaking and operatic duel in a downward spiral of madness . Alex De la Iglesia is an excellent Spanish director . He had much success as "Accion Mutante" , " El Dia De la Bestia" , "Perlita Durango" and ¨La Comunidad¨ , among others . De la Iglesia is back with a tragical comedy about an ambitious man pursued and blackmailed by a bad woman . Here deals with a homage to dark humor and a typical Spanish story in which there are comedy, tongue-in-cheek , humor, killings, action, drama and is pretty entertaining . It's an exaggerated drama/comedy giving the perfect tone through the entire film , you can either follow it or just wander about the ridiculousness of every single minute . Some may regard this kind of dramatic comedy dull or dumb , but the truth is its the most simple , minimalistic, rawest, and pretentious comedy you will ever watch .

This is a full-on surreal psychotronic black-comedy that blends thrills , suspense , tension as well as an intriguing script full of dark humor , drama and exciting situations . Packed with scenes of absurd nature, this story is a fantastic farce, as we follow the ridiculous careers of a pair of salesmen whose destination is dictated by a superior promotion, rather than by their own decisions , it is inter-weaved by the appearance a third character , a rogue and selfish girl . The narration is so filled with colorful characters , nutty comedy, crazy violence mixed with comedy or with surreal elements and an underlying sense of tragicomedy, and it is so excessive and plenty of surprises, one can't help but keep watching, much as it is over the top in many an occasion. The film works on various levels and is constantly reconfigured , however contains some embarrassing , contriving moments and also certain excess . Alex De La Iglesia has created a picture here that in all honesty is very difficult to categorise in terms of genre , as there's a little bit of action , quite a lot of comedy, a good deal of suspense and a host of extreme gruesomeness ; but it does not fit into any one genre very well at all, in truth this is one of the things that makes it good . Acting personnel all do excellent work in bizarre roles. But special notice needs to be made for Monica Cordero for also being quite ridiculously role throughout . Strong performance from three protagonists Guillermo Toledo , Monica Cordero and Luis Varela and excellent plethora of secondaries as Fernando Tejero , Javier Gutierrez , Rosario Pardo, Enrique Villen and a gorgeous Kika Miro . Interesting screenplay Alex De La Iglesia and Javier Guerricaechevarria who usually work united . Atmospheric and glimmer cinematography by Jose L Moreno with a good camera work . Suspenseful musical score by Roque Baños , the soundtrack flows great with the film in every way, and creates fantastic atmospheres in every moment. The motion picture is well directed by De La Iglesia . He's a cool director has got much success as ¨Accion Mutante¨ ,¨Dying of laughter¨ or ¨Muertos De Risa¨ , ¨Baby's room¨ , ¨Oxford murders¨ and ¨Balada Triste De Una Trompeta¨ and winner of several Goyas (Spanish Oscars), however his movies have not yet reached box office in USA, but he has strong followers . Nonsense, ridicule , laughters , absurdity , disturbing scenes .. and many other issues ; you can find everything in this flick . The movie is a lot of fun, especially for those who enjoy surrealist humor . This is without a doubt a thrilling and enjoyable movie to be enjoyed for dark humor buffs and Alex De Iglesia fans.

After his latest experiment with new genres (no less than a western) with "800 balas", Álex de la Iglesia goes back to his habitual black comedies and proves he is still in top form. "Crimen ferpecto" is probably his most accomplished film so far, and surely the funniest.

Looking back at his oeuvre, there are very good films ("La comunidad" is still his best) but also average ones ("Muertos de risa" had its edge, but was pointless). "Crimen ferpecto" is the deserving follow-up to "La Comunidad", after the failure of "800 balas", and keeps showing the evolution of the director/writer towards creative maturity.

Guillermo Toledo plays Rafael, de la Iglesia's best leading male character so far. He is at his best playing this womanizer in trouble, elegant, seductive and utterly charming. He is accompanied by Mónica Cervera, who will certainly break through in this film after his impressive turn as a retarded young woman in "Piedras". She plays the wicked witch of the men's department, ugly, manipulative, evil but yet a character one can sympathize with.

The high point of this comedy is certainly the part in which the couple visits the girl's family (Gracia Olayo is brilliant in a bit part as Lourdes' mother), the audience could hardly stop laughing. The rest of the footage combines lighter comedy, dark comedy, thriller and even a little share of action.

It's a shame, however, that I could not be pleased by the ending. It's difficult to find a satisfying ending when one has sympathized with both Rafael and Lourdes, who both have played the roles of "good" and "bad" in turns. Eventually both of them get what they deserve, but is life really like that? I expected an edgier ending, but still appreciated "Crimen ferpecto" as one of the best comedies of the year.

Overall rating: 8/10

Now, this movie is not going to mark the history of dark comedy cinema, but believe me it's waaay better than a whole lot of stuff that has been strewn around by USA, French and Italian makers lately. The pacing is fast, well kept though with a few ludicrously foreseeable passages; the cast is really good in painting the characters, almost all of them well performed and denoted, in landscaping the interpersonal relations and the working environment, in adding the zest of surreality which makes the good of the movie but -at the same time- avoiding the downfall into clownesque. Indeed, there is a clear directorial decision to remove this movie from the "credibility" section, to the surreal/grand-guignol/grotesque side, but the operation is successful, if you do not mind...and if you know where the "FerPecto" inversion comes from, then you'll enjoy it. The very end is indeed below the expectations that the plot built, but you won't guess it in advance.