malo-6

Under the relentless glare of L.A. men and women dance their thirst for money and sex. The film begins rather conventionally in terms of plot, the characters appear undistinguished from many in other cop films and suspense is weak. But things build slow and sure with one of the best uses of atmosphere in a Hollywood film, the visuals being as much part of the story as the action. In fact, the theme becomes clear through a background of oil refineries, bridges, factories and palm trees that fully reflect the real city: Ugly, industrial, diverse, and isolating. The perfunctory relationships add to a feeling of paranoia, of a lost compass in the middle of toil, greed, and the pursuit of art and abundance. A lot has been said about the car chase, and deservedly since it is the best ever filmed, far surpassing classics such as "Bullit," "Driver," and "The French Connection."

Ultimately, however, the car chase is not what keeps the mind uneasy as one walks out, but the disturbing feeling of a whole city, its landscape, its people, the feeling of the city that invented film noir.

Hesitantly I went to this movie after reading an interesting review on a local freebie. As I expected we were about 10 people watching this film at peak time (Friday night) in a major art-films theater. It didn't matter because this is perhaps one of the best films I have seen this year. This a fully realized piece with extraordinary performances, excellent photography, superb set design/atmosphere, music, certainly the work of a great director. The story of two people who get together in a dead end relationship becomes fascinating the longer one watches them walk the road towards its logical conclusion. I personally didn't care about their "motivations" or their "backgrounds" as I have ceased to expect any logic from life. I took each second the way it came, each surprising turn, each new wrinkle in an apparently plotless movie. The ending is absolutely perfect as anyone will interpret it the way he/she wants. For me it brought up the power of memories/dreams/fantasies that don't let go, where pale and boring reality can't compete, even if one is aware that a fantasy is a fantasy. This film is much better than anything that has come out of Sundance and could have had a good shot at Cannes.

A must see if you like Bergman films: I was a thoroughly depressed individual when I walked out, and very happy to be one.