Usurpateur

A very thorough character study on the subject of choice and responsibility and undoubtedly an acting test for Mortnensen.

A man whose marriage is on the rocks is visited by his terminally ill twin brother who request that he kills him and once the request is granted the surviving brother decides to take his place and his life, especially when the now deceased twin has revealed where he kept his stash of cash.

With his wife in the city convinced he is dead, a new life starts for him but in doing so he is unaware that the deceased twin was in serious trouble, thus finding himself seriously exposed.

One of the more unusual stories, with a ring of originality to it, with the concepts of option and accountability strongly attached on the plot. Mortensen is brilliant and utterly convincing as a man who evades one life of complication to land onto another one.

Although largely below the radar, this is one of the better films of 2013.

I wasn't expecting much out of this film because of the user ratings. But oh boy I was wrong! I still do not understand those that rated the movie so low. Viggo Mortensen does an amazing job- the movie is mesmerizing and grim. The shots are amazing; excellent photography and attention to the detail. The story line is also very original. The setting in the delta region of Argentina adds to the "mystic" aspect of the story and it's the perfect setting for such a film- making you feel almost uncomfortable at times. I really enjoyed watching it. Yes, it's slow paced, but I think it is on purpose, since it adds tension to and suspense at the same time. Very enjoyable if you like good cinema.

I'm ashamed of this movie cause I'm from this country. This movie is really bad. I feel sorry for Viggo cause he is an excellent actor. I only put 6 'cause of him

As big Viggo fans, we desperately wanted to love the movie. And it has a lot going for it: a flawless production (rarely a given in Argentine films) which is perfect on atmosphere, beautiful camera work in every single frame, and impressive acting all around. I strongly disagree with Buenos Aires Herald critic Julio Nakamurakare's statement that Viggo Mortensen is "light years away from his sterling performances…." He should give it another viewing and look harder. Viggo Mortensen is actually playing three characters, Pedro the lowlife from the Tigre Delta, his twin brother Agustin, a prestigious pediatrician and – Agustin pretending to be Pedro. He pulls off a fabulous job, offering an array of subtle nuances which give each character its own distinctive shading. Soledad Villamil (of The Secret in Their Eyes fame) is wonderful as Agustin's wife Claudia, but her character kind of falls to the wayside much too soon. Daniel Fanego is predictably great as the bad guy and Sofia Gala Castiglione is the big surprise as the tough gal from the swamps. These are the good points in this story (and the reason why I give it 7 points) that starts out as a thriller (a murder in the Delta), continues as an intimate character study (a man's midlife crises – maybe, though that's open to interpretation), then slides into an off-and-on suspenseful tale of swapped identities, botched plans, some more character study and a rather far-fetched slapped-on love story, all of it sustained by some brilliant scenes and brought down by many mediocre ones. Unfortunately, all this does not come to a satisfying end. Instead, we came down with a thud at the end, confused, irritated and full of questions about loose ends. This movie is not Dogma or Nouvelle Vague or some indie experiment, it is classical story-telling, but for that there is just not enough on motive and background. So sorry, Ana Piterbarg! Luckily you will have the chance to get it right next time. And the time after. Hopefully. Anyway, judging from the post-show ladies room comments, people do love the movie! And yes, Viggo rocks!

A nice brooding noir kind of mystery thriller. Pretty original and effective in the Spanish language, though it probably would work very well somewhere in the marshy backlands of America. It's just a nice tight story.

A couple of small time crooks with a common past make the mistake of doing their "bussiness" within their one very tightknit community. This goes wrong and turns pretty volatile as this outback, marshland community is used to dishing out it's own justice among it's inhabitants. Agustin steps into his brothers shoes and a world that is far more scary and anxious then the one he has desperately tried to flee.

A great film with some beautiful photography and nice mounting tension, but as i mentioned, it could have played out almost anywhere. When I watched it I (obviously) thought it was Spanish, I found out after that it's Argentinian. This doesn't really show anywhere. It's in fact a pretty small film, as small as it's tightknit community.

Nice, but weird, to see Viggo Mortensen in this role. He plays it perfectly but it's still slightly distracting to me. Supporting cast is good too, particularly "Baby" and 'best' friend "Adrian". The only role that didn't really impress was the wife "Claudia". It was either her acting or the maybe less believable role she has to play, just not entirely convincing.

All in all a good low key, slowburning thriller. Bit of mystery, bit of tension and a bit of yearning. Remade, with some gunfights and explosions, this would probably turn into a "Homefront" type of movie, so let's just leave it as it is. 7/10