Cien años de perdón

An armed robbery of a bank goes badly wrong on a rainy day in Valencia. The fallout ends up revealing high level political corruption.

This Spanish crime-thriller is one which twists its genre framework around the all too real Spanish economic recession, in which many people are still suffering. As such, it has a few political points to make while delivering a muscular crime story. It possibly is a little too dialogue heavy for its own good at times and consequently it does lose a bit of momentum as it goes forward but its overall a pretty solid bit of genre film-making with a conscience. It features an animated Rodrigo De la Serna (The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)) in the role of the lead thief, The Uruguayan.

I liked the first half. Acting, cinematography, tension...etc. Then, around the half point, the movie becomes filled with too many characters and dialogue, and totally lost the rhythm.

What a pity...

I found this movie by accident at my local theatre. it wasn't even reviewed in the ny times. luis tosar is his usual manly self, aided by Rodrigo de la serna in this, you've seen it all before bank heist film. it's still fun, it's in Valencia, spain and it moves along quickly. in addition to robbing the bank and its safe deposit boxes, Rodrigo is looking in box 314 for something which could implicate high up politicos in the Spanish government. complications ensue. nothing seems to go as planned. luis and rodrigo have great chemistry. the cinematography is sharp. compared to most of the mediocre movies released by Hollywood this summer this is a refreshing treat.

I went to the cinema to watch this movie as soon as I knew that Luis Tosar was in it, since he is hands down the best Spanish actor these days. My expectations were not too high about the movie itself, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a good thriller with a hint of comedy. Actually, the acting in this film is so good that the comedy moments fit naturally, without being too artificial nor relying on corny jokes. The actors are so natural and the script is so well written, that in some scenes you just need to laugh out loud.

About the actors, Luis Tosar is great as always, but Rodrigo De la Serna is absolutely superb. He nails every scene he's in. I hope to see much more of him in the near future, since for me, both actors are the main reason why I liked this film so much. It is so easy to empathize with these two bank robbers. Joaquin Furriel also stands out, giving a brilliant performance. The rest of the cast was very good in general, with the only exception of the female lead. In my opinion, her acting was mediocre at best; I would have loved to see Marian Alvarez doing her part instead. But that is basically the only flaw in the casting, in my opinion.

As to the plot, I found it very solid (I was not specifically looking for plot holes; there might be some, but they go unnoticed). The movie is thrilling, and it's entertaining.

Will I watch this movie again? Absolutely.

"Who steals from whom?" is the excellent question of that film, which is very good in its first half, before running out of steam.