Jogo do Destino

I was deceived by this psychological drama thriller, and certainly not crime, beware. Not action - or so few - scenes, and predictable, cheesy plot, with a great lack of tension, and poignant moments that could have been put into this movie. But, I repeat, the basic plot is pretty interesting, this cross of fates, two men's fates, could have been better if the screenwrite or director had been more involved. At least that's my opinion, but from a Spanish or even American film, I am not that surprised. I am sure that a British film maker would have done much better, or maybe a French. That's all folks.

The setup in the beginning is really just as I expected from what I saw in the trailer. Not to mention a lifetime, even a single day can get turned upside down by the intrusion of the bad guys. The writers and directors truly captured the male lead's unfortunate day in a way that keeps the audience both nervous and rooting for him. It really suits my taste, and I often thought to myself, "What the heck, this is so messed up!" But the plot takes a sharp turn, and we also get a glimpse of the discussions in society about organ donation and the eye-for-an-eye kind of revenge. All in all, it's worth checking out at the movie theater.

Fatum (2023) boasts a good cast with Luis Tosar, Álex García, Elena Anaya. Follows compulsive gambler Sergio (Luís Tosar) and his wife threatens to leave him. Despite his promise to stop gambling, he went "one last time" to his usual bookmaker accompanied by his children to make up for it. After receiving a tip-off returns to the betting house trying to recover all the money he has lost , but a robber bursts into the place with a gun and a gunshot will change his life forever. Meanwhile, a police shooter (Álex Garcia) fires his precision weapon against the criminal who is threatening to kill the kidnapped people. ¡A cop is forced to choose between the badge he wears and the son he loves... no contest !. ¡Time is running out !. His son needs a donor to live. ¡ The clock is ticking. The only match is a vicious killer. Now all Pablo has to do is shoot him. Desperate times call for. . .

A thriller with intrigue, noisy action, suspenseful and plot twists. ¨Fatum¨ is a Spanish film co-written and directed by Juan Galiñanes. The initial idea is rather nice; there's a violent robbery, the police are quickly on the scene and the customers are held hostage. The filmmaker has obviously sought to go further than the classic situation of the hold-up with hostages by juxtaposing a second situation based on the notion of responsibility and attachment. The idea seems good but, in practice, its exploitation makes the whole thing fall back into classic patterns that we have the impression of having seen a thousand times, especially in a film as ¨Desperate Measures¨ (1998) by Barber Schroeder with Michael Keaton, Andy Garcia, of which this ¨fatum¨ appears to be an almost remake. We can also reproach this story for being highly improbable. But there's action enough, in fact the entire hospital becomes a battleground, in which a game of cat and mouse takes place between the two main protagonists of the plot and in which a criminal results to be the son's only hope for survival. Cast is pretty good. Luis Tosar is terrific , as usual, as an addicted to betting who becomes involved in a kidnap with fateful consequences. Álex Garcia plays efficiently the deranged father who has to choose between fulfilling the line of duty or saving his son. And Elena Anaya is the police-in-command that gives quick orders to avoid greater evils, though she has a secondary role.

In spite of the known and already seen premise, Juan Galiñanes has nevertheless managed to install a tension that does not weaken, even if the outcome is too predictable. The motion picture was professionally directed by Juan Galiñanes, though with no originality, because this twisted situation we have already seen on other films. Juan Galiñanes is a craftsman who previously was director assistant in animated films, such as: ¨El Espíritu del bosque¨ , ¨El Sueño La noche De San Juan¨ and directing ¨Noche ¿de Paz? Holy Night!¨ (2011) that won various awards and nominations , such as Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain, 2015 Nominado CEC Award Best Animated Film: Juan Galiñanes and Goya Awards 2016 Best Animation Film. And this¨Fatum¨ (2023) is his first live action film. Rating: 6/10. Acceptable and passable. The pic will appeal to Luis Tosar and Elena Anaya fans.

No pun intended - the French made some really good thrillers, but Spanish cinema is more than able to do the same (or even better - depending on your outlook on it I'd say). Really great acting to a tight script does help a lot. What would you do is one of the questions we get asked? And it is not an easy one to answer ... life isn't fair ... well we kind of knew that anyway, right? That was more of a rhetorical question.

Motivation of the bad guy might be something that would have been a nice touch, but I reckon it would have humanized the villain and have taken too much focus away from the main issues ... destiny, fate ... and coincidences ... so many things that add up. Anyone who likes thrillers will like this ... or the inevitable remake that will surely come sooner than later ...