El Cartel de los Sapos (Η ταινία)

Δύο αντικρουόμενες κριτικές Αμερικάνων για τη ταινία:

Παράθεση :

Last week, I had the chance to attend a screening for Colombia’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards, The Snitch Cartel (‘El Cartel de los Sapos’). Based on the novel by Andres Lopez, the main character of the film aka the “snitch,” the film explores the drug wars and Cartels in Colombia during the 90′s.
As the movie starts we meet Martin Gonzalez nicknames “Fresita” (Manolo Cardona) who gets into drug trafficking business in the most dangerous drug cartel in Colombia “The North Valley Cartel.” We soon realize one of his primary motivation is making enough money to win the love of his childhood neighbor Sofia (Juana Acosta).
Along with his best friend Pepe Cadena (Diego Cadavid), who is the younger bother of one of the biggest drug lord, Don Oscar Cadena (Fernando Solórzano), they get deeper and deeper into the trafficking. But Martin soon realizes that he might have gotten too far in when a change in power and betrayal hit home.
The Snitch Cartel is a realistic examination of the drug wars that impacted Colombia in the 90′s and even if you’re unfamiliar with its history (I was), you’ll still find yourself captivated by the film. Its focus on realism makes it compelling to watch and knowing that this isn’t another fictitious drug movie but instead a film based on real events is almost chilling. Actually, it made me realize how accurate a lot of other drug movies are to reality when I always thought some of it might be exaggerated. Yep, it’s that bad.
The love story between Martin and Sofia does have a few cliche moments, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that instead of falling into the stereotypical “gangster girlfriend,” Sofia ends up taking another route, which was quite refreshing.
But what really brings The Snitch Cartel to the next level are the performances. Lead Manolo Cardona is definitely the shining star of the film and I hope we’ll get to see him in more films in the US soon because he really is fantastic. And as I mentioned he’s not the only one. From Juana Acosta, Diego Cadavid, Fernando Solórzano, Tom Sizemore, who stars as D.E.A Agent Sam Mathews, and the rest of the cast, they all contribute to bringing the film to life. In fact, I would probably run the other way if I met some of the actors portraying the Cartel guys, that’s how scary they are.
Even though the movie is called The Snitch Cartel, I should first warn you that the snitch part is only a small part of the movie and only really comes into play towards the end. If I hadn’t been continually looking forward to when the snitching was actually going to happen, I might have been able to focus more on the story and enjoyed the film even more. But please note that I said “even more” because I did enjoy the film and I just want to make sure you go in with the right expectations of what the story is.
I would definitely recommend The Snitch Cartel for anyone who enjoys crime dramas with drug-dealing themes. I always enjoy discovering foreign films and seeing their take on stories we have seen too many times in US movies and The Snitch Cartel is a welcome addition to my “library.”
You can watch the trailer for the film below along with more photos. However, please be aware that the trailer does give away quite a lot of the story, so if you do not want to be spoiled, I would skip it and just go watch the movie.

Παράθεση :

The Snitch Cartel film review

Colombia’s foreign language Oscar entry is lively but doesn’t offer nearly enough fresh variations on the ‘Scarface’ formula.
Colombia’s submission in this year’s foreign language Oscar race, The Snitch Cartel, is a genre piece about the drug wars of the 1990s. It’s a lively if overly familiar melodrama that doesn’t stand much of a chance against weightier foreign entries. But it’s also having a brief theatrical run here. Audiences won’t be bored, nor will they be inspired.

The film is adapted from a longer TV miniseries. The compression involved in creating a two-hour feature is obvious and not always very graceful. The film jumps back and forth in time and hopscotches over North and South America as it follows a young man, Martin (Manolo Cardona), who rises to a top position in the Colombian cartel before being forced to become an informer for the DEA. Martin and his best friend, Pepe (Diego Cadavid), find crime to be their only way out of poverty. Martin also hopes that his newfound status may win him the love of Sofia (Juana Acosta), the upper class woman who has obsessed him since they both were children.

To incorporate a lot of information about the various Colombian cartels during a 15-year period, the film relies heavily on voice-over narration, along with printed titles and newsreel footage to sketch the real events of the period. The narrative progresses in fits and starts as well as lumps of exposition, but it’s edited with flair to keep tension building. The physical production is impressive, with vibrant scenes filmed in Cali and Bogota as well as Mexico City, New York, and Miami. Bursts of violence alternate with steamy sex scenes to keep audiences alert.

The attractive actors also help to make the movie watchable. Cardona has a smoldering presence, and Cadavid is properly menacing as his corrupt pal. Tom Sizemore has an effective cameo as an American DEA agent, and the great Mexican actor Pedro Armendariz Jr., who died after completing the film, adds texture to the role of a deadly Mexican drug lord. On the other hand,Adriana Barraza (an Oscar nominee for Babel) is wasted as the hero’s solicitous grandmother.

The filmmakers have suggested that the love story gives the movie heart, but this is actually the weakest part of the film. Acosta is attractive enough, but the film never convinces us that this feisty, sensible woman would be swept along in Martin’s life of crime. And there are awfully contrived moments that blemish this romance. In one climactic scene, Sofia travels from Colombia to America in search of Martin, and she happens to arrive at a remote New York garage just in time to witness a gun battle that reveals Martin’s true nature. She bolts in fury, and to the film’s credit, there is no joyful reconciliation of the lovers at the end.

Some of the film’s acerbic touches are welcome, but Snitch doesn’t offer nearly enough fresh variations on the Scarface formula.