Piñero

The film Piñero is poetry in itself. The film's music - the songs, the beat of the tunes, the score - is very much an integral character in the telling of the life and times of Miguel Piñero. It is really energetic in spite of the grim aspects of Piñero's life. Writer-director Leon Ichaso put together a structured montage of Piñero's biographic snapshots with his works: plays, TV dramas, poetry readings, intermingled with signs of the times of 60s, 70s news clips: Nixon stepping out of Air Force One, Reagan dodging his assassination attempt on his life, image of Ayatollah and political crowds.

A brief lifetime of 41 years (Piñero was born December 1946, died June 1988) delivered in a most artistic, poetic, and musical way with the right mix and pacing - almost too fast as Piñero himself disappeared as life ends. Yet it was probably a full life in spite of it all: had a tenacious nurturing single mother, streetwise boyhood with abuse experiences, drug addictions, a heavy smoker, a thief in and out of prison life, and a poet, playwright, actor, co-founder of the Nuyorican Poet's Café with dear friend Miguel Algarín. The film goes back and forwards between life on the streets, scenes in a prison, scenes on a stage, and poetry exchange on rooftops, to Piñero alone and with strangers (what would happen if he did get a kidney transplant?) To him, life is a stage, a play, a poem and very much vice versa.

Bravo to writer-director Leon Ichaso! Technically behind the scenes: film editor David Tedeschi - the exquisite seamless Black and White scenes immediately followed by color scenes and continuously in and out of color and B/W - it's amazing! Along with the selection of lively Latin songs and the film score by Kip Hanrahan, Claudio Chea's cinematography, no doubt, adds to this ensemble piece of work. The talented group of actors (with Giancarlo Esposito as Miguel Algarin, Talisa Soto as Sugar, Rita Moreno as Miguel's mother, Mandy Patinkin as Joe Papp) complement Benjamin Bratt's brilliant portrayal of Miguel Piñero - heart-warming in spite of the dark shades of Piñero's life. It's great to be able to see Bratt in a role that he can truly stretch and show his soulful acting.

I thoroughly appreciate the film in all its fullness - wholeness. Somehow reminds me of Clint Eastwood's "Bird" 1988 (also a brilliant portrayal by Forest Whitaker as Charlie Parker, with a memorable heart-wrenching performance from Diane Venora as Chan, Parker's wife), a hard medicine (not easy to swallow) film of a Jazz genius, also short-lived (born 1920, died 1955); 160 mins. long but worth seeing.

PINERO (2001) *** Benjamin Bratt, Giancarlo Esposito, Mandy Patinkin, Talisa Soto, Michael Wright, Rita Moreno, Robert Klein, Fisher Stevens (cameo). Bratt shines as fiery Puerto Rican poet/artist/addict Miguel Pinero, whose stints behind bars led to a second life as a gadfly controversial Beat poet who became the underground artiste scene's cause celebre until his untimely yet doomed death at the age of forty to cirrhosis of the liver. (Dir: Leon Ichaso)

As well acted as Pinero is I think their is a serious flaw in the film as we really do not find out why Pinero is so self destructive and cannot hold a job. We see in flashbacks that he was abused but thats only scratching the surface. Who was this guy? We really don't find out but Benjamin Bratt is excellent. A career changing performance. Also, I've always liked Michael Wright. He's been typecast to death and has done a lot of junk but I've never been disappointed by any performance he's given and he's good in this film as usual.

Benjamin Bratt shows great courage playing Puerto Rican poet Miguel Piñero with all the dark aspects of his character but managed to convince me with his brighter side as well. The movie is itself a piece of art, almost a poem, following the life of Piñero at New York's Lower East Side during the seventies and eighties. Piñero's poetry and writing made him famous - his plays were commercially successful and he wrote and acted for "Miami Vice" - and was essential for the rise of the "Nuyorican" culture. The cast is fabulous all the way, especially Giancarlo Esposito and Rita Moreno come across as tremendously warm hearted best friend and mother who won't give up on Miguel despite his difficult personality and way of life. The film was entirely shot in digital video, giving it a street style appearance and a great touch of reality. The time structure is challenging and the use of both black&white and color make it a visual treat. A MUST SEE and my favorite for next year's best actor academy award.

Pinero definitely makes it to my top five movies of the year 2001. It's one of the best movies I have seen. I completely dived into the story of this multifaceted artist who lived his live with drugs and poems, success and the streets of the Lower East Side.

Benjamin Bratt gives an astonishing performance - far off the "nice" characters he used to play. I completely bought into him being Pinero. I did not for one second think about him as Benjamin Bratt - he is Pinero with all his might.