La soga (2009)
7/10
Fine example of good story telling through film
31 May 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Manny Perez deserves kudos for his writing and the lead role; he's paid his acting dues and I find he acquits himself well as an enforcer, out for old fashion justice, in this movie. I would not dispute the movie might have had a low budget but it delivers one hell of a good story. It seems we have to go away from Hollywood to get good stories like this one. Even if your Spanish is not up to par, you can follow easily with the English subs and the movie's imagery. For the movie to manage the quality it did, speaks well of the collaborative effort needed to deliver it. Manny Perez is making his mark.

I'm not one who usually elaborates the movie storyline; exceptionally, I will. The movie is about the son of a butcher, Luisito, who listens and learns from his father, very good role model under the circumstances. He sees his father killed by a drug lord; at a young age still but smart enough to understand how despicable that was, he just about kills that drug lord's cohort soon after. That action lands him in detention where a corrupt general, observing how cold and collected the young boy is, decides to take him under his wing and make him his private enforcer. The general has the boy finish off that drug lord's cohort, in cold blood at the local infirmary.

At that point, you know the movie is going to be a serious drama, not just an action flick. The movie jumps back & forth in time from the boy's youth to present days adulthood, effective process to convey Luisito's character. He is driven by the desire to deliver justice as a sort of contract cop for the general; the general dangles the connections and power he has to help Luisito get the drug lord who killed his father. Luisito nevertheless realizes the corrupt nature of the general and no longer wants to enforce what is not much more than a business shakedown of criminals with too many assassinations for Luisito's comfort zone. Luisito turns on the general and gets the drug lord who killed his father. He redeems himself in the end.
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