Oro : La Cité perdue

I frankly don't understand the bad reviews concerning this action adventure film. This is for me a very good, gritty, taut movie, with plenty of action and riveting scenes, good characters depiction and symphony. This is not light hearted but rather gloomy, and desperate. You still can compare this one to Carlos Saura's ELDORADO and Werner Herzog's AGUIRRE; you can compare but that's all, the two latest movies are a bit - or even more - better than this one. Let's be fair. Anyway, this movie is worth watching, definitely, especially if you are fond of Spanish adventures in Amazonia forest in lust for gold. There were not so many of them.

I don't understand how the best Spanish actors can act so badly . The worst performance in their careers.

May be people who gave really low ratings wanted a typical Hollywood movie??

The movie keep me entertained all the time, the settings, environment, actors, costumes and story are all very high quality.

A really great realistic explorer & adventure movie, feels like you are there in the jungle with them.

9/10

The actors well,i'm not good at remembering them from other spanish movies,but they do a very good job.I enjoy the movie very much,10 stars from my point of view.

Do not ask for another " aguirre der Zorn Gottes" (1972),Werner Herzog's masterwork will probably remain unsurpassed as far the subject is concernd .

But it does not mean that "oro" is a dud ; it certainly has qualities :the first one is the absence of real hero : who are the villains? Who are the good guys ?We are spared the traditional love story between the Dona and a chivalrous member of the trek : the woman is coveted by everyone and her virtue is put to the test all along the saga (dig the line: "he won't console anyone now!");in this green hell, the real enemies are the members themselves ,much more than the Indians who are most of the time invisible or their compatriots hot on their heels ; all these men are beyond any moral :where is good? In the priest 's words ,a naive man who wants to evangelize "those natives in the Devil's clutches " ? In the way the soldiers choose to die (the garrote being infamous) ?

Most likely in the old man's wisdom:he chose to marry an Indian girl who gave him children and he's settled in a small village where he waits for death ,not caring anymore for this gold that makes men kill each other with God on their side ; one should note that gore is kept to relatively economical levels (the caimans ,the snake, the slittings)

The atmosphere is stifling and nightmarish ,but the script leaves a lot to be desired and the characters are nor developed enough.