It's very rare that a newb filmmaker hits the mark, especially when wearing the writer, director, editor and producer hats. But Chilean filmmaker David Albala hit it out of the ballpark. This is his first full length feature film, with less than a handful of shorts and docs, and imo, he did better than films I've seen lately from seasoned filmmakers.
The cinematography, camera angles and score were outstanding. Using only a prison location for most of the setting, it was utilized and shot perfectly. The casting was excellent, with convincing performances. Even the clothes, hair and mustaches were on point with the era. The pacing was decent for the 135 min runtime, but it could've used a pick-up in some acts and/or the runtime cut down 15-20 mins.
Otherwise, an excellently assembled presentation inspired by real events. The newspaper covers during the ending credits was a great decision - you will laugh at one of them. It's a well deserved 8/10 from me. To see my review criteria and more of my 1000+ ratings and reviews, click on my username. But first, see this little Chilean gem!
