El tigre de Santa Julia

One of the numerous legends that exist in Mexico is 'The Tiger of Santa Julia'. This was a man that lived in a town called Santa Julia, a town that would later become part of the enormous Mexico City by the second half of the 20th century. Tired of army and police corruption, "El Tigre" took justice into his own hands. However the most popular fact known about him is the way he got caught. Confusion and popular gossip mixed the real facts surrounding this person with fantasy, and thus "El Tigre" became a living legend.

Director Alejandro Gamboa tried to capture exactly this in this movie. He tells his version of the real story behind Jose de Jesus Negrete, El tigre de Santa Julia. More than half of the movie looks fake, with many live colors, exagerated blue skies filled with the whitest clouds and an overdone narration of the story. Although Gamboa said in a radio interview that this was done intentionally, the result is not that visually pleasant.

Aside from that, the movie is a lot of fun to watch. The comedy is well paced and is mixed up with robberies, sex and vengeance. The performances are sufficiently good for the movie to work.

"El Tigre de Santa Julia" is not by far the best mexican movie ever, but it's fun and sometimes that's what movies are all about.

Director's Gamboa is responsible for the teen saga La primera noche (The first night), La segunda noche, and the light comedy Educación sexual en breves lecciones (Sexual education in short lessons). And all this films have one thing in common: they feature mostly TV starlets; this means they can't hardly act, beyond soap opera's performances. Well then, apparently with El tigre de Santa Julia Gamboa tried to turn on a wilder side maybe in sake for his filmography. He didn't make it.

I know this movie is supposed to be only a fun one, based on a character that grew on México's mind as a legend because of the way he was caught. But, it seems that the whole story is only waiting for that event to happen, and constructed a lame screenplay on it's way for it. In result, we have a film with no climax, and not capable to create in us any root of interest for the people involved. Besides, the story is not that close to what some researchers have disclosed about the myth of the guy who became an outlaw. But that's not the worst part, it´s about bad acting and a pretentious narrative that describes mainly the brave (or shoul I say macho?) and horny side of the character. One more thing is that Gamboa once said that the aesthetics in the film are intentional in order to make it look like a comic book. Bad choice. The computer manipulated skies and open fields looks silly and aged, rather than extracted from a comics atmosphere; and I sure have seen good works on this subject -just take as an example The unbreakable, or Dobermann. In resume, El tigre de Santa Julia doesn't deliver what it promises; there ain't no action, no humor and even less climax. Of any kind.

Sure there´s been recently a fuss over mexican cinema, and even though there are some excellent films like Amores perros or Y tu mamá también, this one has nothing to do side to side with them. So don´t get fooled by the propaganda, and be aware if this boring kitty hits your town.

Most of the time, Mexicans watch movies about American heroes, like The Patriot, but almost never we watch Mexican heroes. El Tigre de Santa Julia (The Tiger of Santa Julia) is a Mexican heroes. History happens to beginnings of 20th century. This movie tell us the history about a Man who was born in a small town in Mexico at 1880, He was left by his father when his mother died, 20 years later, he got to Santa Julia, another small town near to Mexico city, he went to find a better life, with few money and helped for her aunt, he join the Mexican army, but he discovered that they wasn't fighting against another army, they fought against people, people who disagree the government, an antidemocratic government. He refuse the army and star a band, like Robin Hood, they rob rich people to gave them to the poor people. All the other members of his band was female, because they were more loyal, and brave. This is a good movie, is funny, has action, and let us know about a Mexican heroes that many of us don't know.

With the sudden eruption of great Mexican films in the last few years, we are now being cheated upon thinking all Mexican films are worthy of a good review. This film, is not at all entertaining. With poor acting from most of the cast, a weak plot obviously drawn from Robin Hood, this movie proves to moviegoers that marketing can go much farther than the quality of a product. This movie starts off with the birth of Tigre, not wanted by his father who accuses his mother that the child isn't his, is tossed out of the window. With no idea how he grew up we see him arriving to his aunt's, a prostitute, house where he was sent to live. A very stupid conversation over a bottle of tequila convinces him of joining the army, where his best friend is killed in battle by his own captain. After defending a woman and killing the man who was beating her, a local journalist takes it upon his own to publish the story, with his own literary add-ons, and even invents Tigre's basis for his future in crime. Tigre accepting just to get revenge on the man who killed his friend who is now the police captain. He forms a posse o beautiful woman with whom he starts to steal from the rich to give to the poor. This is basically the whole story. Stupid situations, stupid problems with stupid solutions. Steer clear from this mexican movie and just wait to see what Alfonso Cuaron or Alejandro Gonzalez has in store for us in the future. One good tip is to stay away from films where most of the cast belongs to Mexican soap operas and unjustifiable nudity just to try to cash in at the box office.

Despite the critics, this movie is made for entertaining, had a lot of theatre resources, since the acting, from the indoor scenarios, and the ilumination, this story doesn't need to be historically accurate sonce this is a movie not a documentary, and every actor put a lot effort on his character, doesn't need to be a easy trigger movie since this is not an action movie at all, is more like comedy and yes withing the mexican audience recieve a fond welcome, a lot of people delight this movie.

If you are very critic and spect a movie with high standards thisis not for you au contraire if you are some looking for something entertaining easy to digest this is for you due to the plot is not complicate at all