El Niño

This is the sort of film that gets me excited about the level of talent that is present in Spain. El Niño is a Cops and Robbers (well, Cops and Drug Mules!) movie in inimitable Spanish style. It revolves around a couple of small town hoods, El Niño (Jesus Castro) and his pal El Compi (Jesus Carroza) who want to get into the drug smuggling business in the Gibraltar stretch.

One boat ride across this stretch is all they need to smuggle their drugs into Europe from Africa. Of course, they have obstacles in the shape of Jesus (Luis Tosar) and Eva (Barbara Lennie), two cops who are trying to crack down the drug smuggling business as they chase El Inglés (Ian McShane) a Englishman who's a Gibraltar kingpin in this business, and who will cross paths with the young hoods.

The tale carries a steady pace, with some exciting and some I-don't-know-how-they-shot-it action scenes that are truly thrilling. It still has the usual tropes of a love story blooming amidst the chaos, a disgruntled cop who can't find his crook. But the film also restrains itself when necessary and has a formal beauty that matches its grand storyline.

It's truly ambitious cinema and well worth the price of admission.

EL NINO is a flawed Spanish thriller from expert director Daniel Monzon (THE KOVAK BOX) who creates a stylish and fine-looking movie saddled with, unfortunately, a somewhat meandering and overlong plot. The narrative clocks in at around two hours and fifteen minutes in length, but at least forty-five minutes of that running time could readily have been excised in order to make a better paced, more exciting film.

The setting is Gibraltar, which looks exceptionally beautiful thanks to the cinematography, and the subject is the drug smuggling route to Morocco and back. There's a tableau of characters, the best of whom are the investigating drug agents led by Luis Tosar (SLEEP TIGHT), but the bad news is that they're off-screen for long stretches of time, leaving the film in the hands of a less experienced cast. Instead we follow youthful drug smuggler Nino and his attempts to make a fortune from the trade.

The problem the film has is that Nino just isn't a very interesting character and the guy playing him is a bit wooden. He's very self-centred and out for what he can get, and the actor just doesn't have the charisma to make him likable at all. A romantic sub-plot between him and a Moroccan girl is almost unwatchable, it's so dull. Monzon does shoot a handful of chase scenes typically involving boats and helicopters which are expertly done, so it's a shame he couldn't focus more on the thrills rather than the padding; if he'd done so then EL NINO was shaping up to be a minor classic of its genre. As it stands, it's just average.

El Nino lives in La Linea just outside the Rock of Gibraltar; he earns a meagre living repairing other peoples' luxury boats. One night his best mate Compi talks him into doing something to earn a bit of extra cash and he introduces him to Halil. Hali's uncle, Rashid, is a big time drug smuggler and he uses the short route across the straits of Gibraltar to get the drugs across from Africa. El Nino and co are soon put to work dodging the cops on the dangerous run.

We also have the police in the shape of duo Jesus and Alma who have been after these guys for two years. They have been focusing on El Ingles (Ian McShane) who operates on UK territory from the Rock and is outside their jurisdiction. But the drug guys have more cash than is decent and are allegedly bribing the cops to get the job done - badly. We also have the affairs of the heart that are at the centre of the main protagonist's lives and more than a fair dose of action. This is not high octane but it is full of thrills and at a run time that exceeds two hours it is impressive that I was kept hooked until the very end.

This is from director Daniel Monzon who also brought us 'Cell 211' which was rather good too. If he keeps up the quality with films like this then I think he will have a very bright future. In Spanish with some English and with good sub titles - this is one for those who like a bit of action but also a good helping of well construed plot to accompany the thrills.

A nice Spanish thriller/action film featuring a fine cast , interesting screenplay and thrilling story ; dealing with a small-time trafficker working in the Gibraltar Straits . Studio Canal Plus and Fox released 'El Niño' punched Biggest Spanish Bow of 2014 , it had multiple box office winds its favor . Being based on real events , in fact these problems in the Strait of Gibraltar actually happen , as there abounds dope dealers , smugglers , drug lords , who carry out a dirty and dark work into a powerful machinery . As it is set in the Gibraltar Straits, which moves 500 tons of drugs a year between Morocco , Gibraltar and Spain . El Niño (Jesus Castro) is a young boy who lives in La Línea de la Concepción , close to Rock of Gibraltar , repairing and testing motorboats . After a night of party with his friend El Compi (Carroza) , they meet Halil(Saed Chatiby), a young Moroccan who has an uncle , Rachid (Moussa Maaskri), an important drug baron . Convinced by El Compi and helped by Halil , El Niño accepts to be a drug mule , crossing it from África to Spain in a motorboat but being pursued by the police helicopter . In the opposite side of the law is Jesús (Luis Tosar) , a two-fisted cop , his suspicious chief Vicente (Sergi López) and being supported by his colleagues Eva (Barbara Lennie) and Sergio (Eduard Fernandez) , all of them looking for El Inglés (Ian McShane) , a notorious drug dealer who operates in the Rock of Gibraltar . Meanwhile , El Niño falls in love for Muslim Amina (Mariam Bachir) , Halil's sister .

This exciting film packs noisy action , thrills , emotion , drama , car as well as motorboat chases , helicopter nocturnal pursuits and good pace . This is one of the most ambitious action thrillers ever from Spain , with spectacular action scenes concerning a small-time Moroccan drug runner speed boats across the Straits . Lavishly produced and intelligently written by Jorge Guerricaechevarría , Alex De La Iglesia's ordinary ; 'El Niño' marks a new hit for Telecinco Cinema and Fox , getting a big success , as it punched the best opening frame for any Spanish film this year , with a €2.9 million ($3.81 million) first weekend . The film was one of the most anticipated in a year where Spanish cinema should beat box office records . This intriguing flick concerns about two alternating stories that end up being the same along with inter-crossed roles filled with internal conflicts and ambitions . Very good acting by Luis Tosar as a veteran police officer and pretty well a young newcomer , Jesus Castro , in his film debut . Although overlong , it lasts more than two hours and some , the picture is very well realized , it has splendid action scenes with expert stunts and similarly to a USA production but without C.G.I .

Adequate and atmospheric musical score by Roque Baños (Fragiles , Machinist , Sexy beast , 800 bullets). The soundtrack is enjoyable , fits perfectly with the action scenes , and including Andalucia and Morocco sounds . Appropriate cinematography by Carlos Gusi (Torrente , Box 507) who photographs wonderfully the exteriors and interiors , being shot on location in Almeria , Tarifa , Gibraltar , Ceuta and Tangier , Morocco . The motion picture was well directed by Daniel Monzon , a former cinema reviewer , he undertakes a skill and agreeable filmmaking with some spectacular images such as the motorboat and helicopter scenes . Daniel Monzón was offered financing if he shot the movie in English but he refused because the story didn't make sense in English . He previously directed sword and witchery/fantasy (Heart of warrior) , suspense (The Kovak box), and wrote the thriller titled ¨Desvio a Paraiso¨ ; his greatest hit was the prison movie , ¨Celda 211¨ with Luis Tosar . Fox-distributed Telecinco Cinema production "El Niño," part of Studiocanal's Toronto slate , it has punched the best opening frame for any Spanish film this year . Along with fellow thriller "La Isla Minima" by Alberto Rodríguez , result to be two of the best recent works in Spanish cinema . Rating : Better than average . Indispensable and essential to see on the big screen . Well worth watching . The yarn will appeal to action enthusiasts and thriller genre fans .

It's good, but it's LONG. Niño and compi (jesús castro and jesús carroza) are talked into running drugs between gibraltar and spain. They have gotten away with it so far, but with the big bucks they are raking in, they don't want to stop. Throw in a girlfiend that doesn't want any part of what they are doing, and you've got a movie. Interesting discussion of the strategies used by drug runners. My one complaint is that when the coppers in the choppers are shooting, the guys in the boat never seem to zig zag... even a novice should be taking evasive moves. We know it always comes crashing down eventually for drug running, but how and where will it happen ? It's all well done... the acting, the story. There's some violence, but we never actually see it happen. Really good film! Directed by daniel monzón.