Salvando al Soldado Pérez

"Saving Private Perez" is not only the funniest film of the year, but it also features the best ensemble cast. "Saving Private Perez" gets some of Mexico's finest to act. I can best describe this film as Seven Samurai directed by Stephen Chow. It's a story of these seven Mexicans trying to rescue a drug lord's brother. It was insane and funny, but it isn't a parody of American war films it's a parody of drug dealers in Mexico and action films. In fact if it wasn't for the last frame of this film....This could be my favorite film of the year. Coming into the theater I could tell that they thought no one would want to watch this film there was trash all over the floor and the projector wasn't even in. Finally they realized "oh crap there is a crowd here. We better start this soon." I was worried, but this turned out to be the best "movie experience" for me all year. I went into a theater full of Mexicans all ready to laugh. When the first scene happens with these little kids playing with a sling shot you hear a guy a row behind us say "all hard" and I bursted out in laughs. This film does have its touching moments though. The film jumps around from the past to the present so you could see the protagonist's past. You see his life wasn't the easiest. He had to sell drugs in order to get by for his family after his father's death. Saving Private Perez gets all the style points for me as well. It had the best clothes as well as the best music. TOMATOES! (9.0/10)

Spoiler free review: The film portrays some Mexican stereotypes that are usually the popular target of the news, as well as other types of folklore, in a fun way. The movie show us those so-famous-Mexican drug dealers, parodying somehow the film Saving Private Ryan; but instead, they are saving private Perez. The cultural side, the vocabulary, the customs, the music and the garments, make fun of dealers and "narcos" in Sinaloa, Mexico. The good cast of characters (which are mostly known for appearing in Mexican soap operas) assemble a good rescue team that delivers some well distributed good action and funny moments.

About "values": If you are reviewing movies, don't criticize them subjectively, be objective. It's entertainment, values are learned at home.

I saw this movie after his third week at first place in the Mexico's box office, even over all Hollywood releases. Let's not waste more time to say it: "Salvando al soldado Pérez" is a great comedy, spectacular, kitsch, strange, funny, a very different movie that the ones we are used to saw from Mexican cinema. I mean, it happens in Irak!!!! They go to Turkey, the have an adventure, there's no sign of the same loser-goes-loser cliché of so many Mexican movies, no, in "Salvando al soldado Pérez" we mexicans are heroes, are compadres and are very funny adventurers. I had a great time in the theater. I only have one doubt: where the hell is Irak? I love the answer to this that the main character gives to one of his friends in a scene of the movie, jajajajajajajaja

This movie is really surprising because it is filled with clichés to tell a totally original story. It is the story of a Mexican drug lord who takes 5 of the baddest guys he can find to go rescue his brother who is an American soldier missing in Iraq, believed to have been captured by insurgents. It is filled with stereotypes about Mexicans and drug lords yet it is such a fresh story that none of that matters. In fact it adds a lot of tongue in cheek humor to the story because it plays the story off the stereotypes. There is humanity, redemption and a lot humor in this movie and is definitely worth seeing. It is mostly in Spanish with subtitles.

There are times when the plot progresses somewhat slowly, however, this is compensated by very epic and exciting action scenes.