Amours chiennes

Three stories of life in Mexico, all loosely linked by one core element, dogs.

What a powerful and shocking movie this is, Amores perros is one of those films that truly lives with you.

I can't admit to seeing a huge amount of Mexican films, but I've certainly seen Mexico, Mexico City in particular as the setting for many crime documentaries, it is clearly one busy, but very dangerous City.

Intensely thought provoking and engrossing in equal measure, this film hits hard, full of violence, and I don't know what this says about me, but the violence between people was standard fair, the violence involving the dogs was hard to watch.

Unsettling in so many ways, people making bad choices, which of course have consequences, it really does show humanity at its worst.

My limited Spanish wasn't good enough to understand most, but I didn't mind the subtitles at all, sometimes it was a little hard to read them as the movie had several fast paced scenes.

Emilio Echevarría puts in a terrific performance, but the whole cast are hard to fault.

8/10.

This Mexican movie was surprisingly good. I confess the sin of prejudice concerning Mexican cinema, this being maybe the second Mexican film I have ever seen, but here my sins are punished. This is the work of a director of big talent. Hopefully, he will not be spoiled by the success.

Three different stories in today's Mexico mix with very few common elements. The characters belong to different social categories, and nothing connects them at first sight, excepting the feeling of un-happiness, and - yes - dogs. Dogs play an important role in all three stories. One more warning - there is a lot of cruelty including dog fights - this film is certainly not for sensitive animal lovers.

Directing is excellent, the stories are human and complex and despite their melodramatic or sometimes tragic outcome, they still leave you with a shade of hope - maybe because the humanity that the author uses to create his characters. There are so many memorable scenes, that I would commit another sin to pick any and describe it here - just rent, or go to watch this movie in the theater - it is worth all 150 or so minutes you will spend. 9/10 on my personal scale.

Some people just won't want to sit through this film because of the overtly graphic and disturbing dog fighting scenes, which is ironic, because most people don't seem to mind the graphic violence involving the people in this film. Others simply won't watch it because of the subtitles. This is a shame, since this is by far the best film I have ever seen come out of Mexico (far better and more complex than the comparably immature "Y Tu Mama Tambien"). Here we get an intertwining tale involving dog fights, petty gangsters, a tragically injured model, a cheating husband, an abused teenage wife, and a homeless hit man. As you might expect the homeless hit man becomes the soul of the film, and the dogs serve as a link, reminding us of the violence we inflict upon each other and nature, and the fractured relationships we think beyond repair, but are actually more resilient than we could ever imagine. Brilliantly directed with a great soundtrack and a bigger heart than you might initially perceive, "Amores Perros" is a deep, thought-provoking and utterly enthralling film that you will not soon forget.

This movie is a must-to-see if you can get over the 'subtitles' fact. (I didn't have no problems with it because I understand Spanish). Personally I was really impressed by the quality, perfection, and superb acting of this Mexican movie. The movie consists of three different stories connected by one sole incident. Sometimes you will see the same scene from a different point of view. Or you'll see an out of place scene that will make sense later on. The script was exquisite, very loyal to the culture. The direction was brilliant keeping us interested from beginning to end. And the performances were excellent, so natural and real that you felt as if they were people you knew. Be aware there's extreme violence in this movie, and even though there were kids in the theater I went to, this is not a family movie. I don't recommend it for children if you are a responsible parent. This movie deserves an award.

'Amores Perros' impressed the hell out of me. Three interrelated tales of the darker side of life in contemporary Mexico City, each one as fresh and as fascinating as the last. Each of the three stories are dark, disturbing and filled with humanity. Superbly acted all round, but especially noteworthy is the standout performance by Emilio Echevarria as El Chivo, a political dissident turned hitman, and if the charismatic Gael Garcia Bernal (Octavia, the lovesick dog fighter) isn't an international star in the making I'll eat my words. This brilliant movie shows up the mediocrity of most current Hollywood "product", and to my mind ranks with a small handful of movies made this decade ('Chopper', 'The Pledge', 'The Way Of The Gun') that are truly memorable and with genuine substance. This one is a winner and essential viewing for all movie lovers. A future classic.