User Reviews

A family feud involving honor and integrity is at the center of this intriguing film directed by Tony Gatlif. We are taken to meet Caco, a man that is being threatened by an opposing clan because his brother Mario killed one of the Caracava men, something that will not be forgotten until justice is done. Since Mario is hiding in Morocco, Caco is a marked man because he represents his brother, the assassin.

Caco, is a man who loves his nephew Diego, that suffers from cerebral palsy. Diego, who is Mario's son, enjoys women like other normal young men his own age. Caco takes care for Diego to have a discreet encounter with a beautiful prostitute, la Catalana. Caco learns how the Caracavas are vowing to avenge their dead brother by sacrificing Diego.

"Vengo" mixes the action with music, song and dance performed by some of the best flamenco interpreters of the genre. Antonio Canales does a good job in his take of Caco, the head of his clan, and the loving uncle of Diego. Orestes Villason Rodriguez, who is physically handicapped, appears as Diego, who like any other member of this clan, loves his music and women with the same passion. Antonio Dechent appears as Alejandro, Caco's right hand man.

Tony Gatlif brings all the colors of Andalucia to a film and does justice to some of that exotic music and mixes the local gypsy music with Moroccan performers that add color to the movie.

"Vengo" is a wonderfully alive feast of the flamenco music, dance, and rhythms of the contemporary Andalusia gypsies of Southern Spain built on a ominously rumbling story of a blood feud and death. Not your usual movie fare, "Vengo" divides its time equally between musical ethnic folk singing and dancing from gala festivities to impromptu "jam" sessions to funeral laments while inching the family feud story slowly forward with the kinetic tempos of flamenco rhythms everpresent. More art than entertainment, "Vengo" will appeal most to those into foreign or ethnic films with bold musical underpinnings. Those who enjoy "Vengo" might want to check out "Flamenco (de Carlos Saura)", "Assassination Tango", "Tango, no me dejes nunca", and the like. (B+)

Indeed, not a bad documentary (barely a real film, the plot is just an excuse to the connection of the different flamenco scenes). Antonio Canales is surprisingly good as Caco, and the other characters are of no relevance to the story whatsoever. Orestes, Caco's nephew with cerebral palsy, is actually Antonio Canales' nephew. Undoubtable epic flavor in this escape/flamenco journey. Good details, as the nice landscapes in Cadiz and the references to Caco's relative "exiled" in the Spanish cities of North Africa. Great and not so commercial flamenco singers, such as La Paquera(R.I.P) and La Caita. Special attention to the closing song, "Naci en Alamo".

The story is told by images and music. A real semiotic statement and another ode to the love of music by the gypsie people. The film tells you a story about a vendetta and the consequenses of it, played by real people with deep human emotions. A honest document, another masterpiece after Gadjo Dillo and Lacho Drome. I love this movie and it made me laugh and weep, also I couldn't sit still during the music scenes with authentic flamengo/gypsie music. Any musiclover should see this film to explore the roots of spanish music.

Cultural drama about a gypsy feud and plenty of Flamenco music . The flick deals with the confrontation between two groups of gypsy clans , it starts with Caco (Antonio Canales) , a head of a gypsy community who attempts to protect everyone he loves , he is very powerful in the local neighborhood . Yet he has been torn to pieces by the death of his intimate child . He constantly visits her grave, weeps silently at her photo and has transferred all his wildly protective love and attention onto his dim-witted nephew Diego (Orestes) . It seems that Diego's father, Caco's brother (Antonio Dechent) is in hiding for killing a Caravacas member , who are equally powerful in the gypsy society . To complicate matters , Caco eventually wishes to forget his past but a gypsy clan seeks vengeance against his brother . They are seeking revenge and have come to Caco for justice . When he refuses to betray his brother who is fleeing after having killed a man from the Caravacas family , they grow impatient . They then realize they are getting nowhere, they threaten to murder Diego . Caco has become involved with the violent gypsy faction that puts him at odds with his own responsibilities . Despite his pride , Caco spontaneously realizes that the cycle of murder and vendetta must be broken .

This intense drama concerns about a blend of fiction and documentary about gypsy life . From start to finish this Flamenco film contains drama , an intrigue about gypsy feud , thrills , emotion and a lot of songs . It is an interesting vision of gypsy universe through a story of rivalry among two families . This issue about gypsy family confrontation has been previously treated in other films such as ¨Los Tarantos¨(1963) by Francisco Rovira Beleta with Carmen Amaya , Sara Lezana , Antonio Gades , ¨Montoyas y Tarantos ¨(1989) by Vicente Escriba with Sancho Gracia , Cristina Hoyos , Esperanza Campuzano and ¨Gypsy¨ (2000) by Manuel Palacios with Laeitia Casta and Joaquin Cortes . ¨Vengo¨ is a thought-provoking drama that keeps you interested and expecting , including a tragic final taking on . Main cast gives nice interpretations , as a good acting by Antonio Canales as Caco , a fierce proud , handsome man who protects his physically challenged nephew and a fine performance from Antonio Dechent as his brother who is in hiding after killing a Caravaca member . Emotive musical score including dances in Derviche style and gypsy-African sounds ; with Flamenco songs splendidly sung by a extraordinary plethora of gypsy singers such as El Moro , Manuel Vega Salazar , Tomatito , Sheikh Ahmad Al Tuni , La Caita , Gritos De Guerra , among others . The cinematographer, Thierry Pouget , is great with light, using it crude and clever , creative and beautiful . The motion picture well written by David Trueba was professionally directed by Tony Gatlif . This is a good film that has achieved international knowledge and Closed the Venice Film Festival in 2000.

I think that if one has a personal understanding of the history of the circumstances which tie Andalucia and North Africa together, along with some of the cultural, social, and spiritual connections that are maintained between these two separate but connected worlds, the movie Vengo will strike you as being very symbolic.

There is a lot which is implied and will go right over your head if you are not aware of the culture and history of this region (as well as being aware of the life and struggles of Gatlif as a Gypsy man born in Algeria, caught between these two worlds). Gatlif does not spell anything out for you. He leaves it up to you to try to put the pieces together, and he knows that there are certain types of people, with a certain awareness, who will be attracted to his films.

I thought Vengo was incredibly deep with so much true emotion and so much of the subtle and misunderstood inner-struggles of the people of Andalucia being depicted through a number of overlapping stories and characters: The retarded nephew, the man whose daughter had died, the feuding Gypsy families, the exiled father of the son living in Morrocco, etc.

This movie told the tale of a people and their will to hold on to the purest ("Flamenco Puro!") sources of happiness and joy within their lives, amidst circumstances which seemed destined to tear them a part and undermine their unity.

An incredibly beautiful story with lots of information, emotion, and spirit. If you are open, this movie will touch your soul.

Tony Gatlif has made two films about European gipsy life, "Latjo Drom" and "Gadjo Dilo". If you have prejudices about this ethnic group, he doesn't do anything to make them smaller. But that's not really the important point. Not in "Vengo", which is Gatlif's best movie so far.

It takes courage to start the film with ten minutes mixture of a flamenco/arabian music performance. And where are more of it later on. The interesting thing is that the film doesn't lose any tempo from it.

This is a story about sacrifice and love inside an ethnic group. The people seems to be criminals in some way all of them, but still they are sympathetic or if not sympathetic, interesting. Gatlif knows how to tell a story and so he does here. Great acting especially by Antonio Canales and Orestes Villasan Rodriguez.

It's funny that a critic from the new york times could know so little about film. I will not say much except this is one of the most simple, most beautiful stories made into cinema; there is absolutely no artifice, no tricks, and every detail is pure and genuine. Tony uses faces Kurasawa could've killed for. You ain't seen nothing if you ain't seen this. The music, artists like Gritos de Guerra, La Caita, Sheik al Tuni, (seemingly unavailable on record, but better than anything I've heard,) seems to capture at once the joy and sorrow bound up in human life. Likewise the players, most not actors. In fact, the music is so integrated into the lives of the characters, in the end there is no division. For reviewers of respected periodicals, we would explain this is what is called thematic. So much for the standards of education in journalism. Even reviewers who really liked this movie did not fully understand this; like most really great art, it is ahead of the curve. I suppose it should be possible to find a film as beautiful as this, as simple and captivating, but none come to mind. Skip "Vengo" and your life will certainly be less rich.

`Vengo is a call, a song, a hymn to life, to love, to mourning, to blood money. A hymn to the Mediterranean spirit.' Tony Gatlif.

Well with this been said, I don't think I have very much more to add. It's everything what the director said. I never really liked musical movies, I am like most people. And I must admit that as well as me others missed out on great movies.

I have worked for a long time in a video store and I saw that many musical movies were put aside. It doesn't mean that musicals are by definition good, but it's like our system block them automatically away and we won't watch them. Why? I don't know. Because of our childhood? Does our body protest thanks to movies like Sound of music and Mary Poppins and etc.

Could be. Even Dancer in the dark didn't do well in the video store. From an instant when people heard that some people sing in it they left it behind and didn't wanted too see it although it was directed by Lars Von Trier.

But those who did see it thought it was great! Well, it is the same with this movie, those who saw it thought it was great, those who heard people sang in it, didn't even bother to turn their back and try out on something they always rejected and therefore missed something. I really liked Vengo and I enjoyed the music allot. And I didn't regret it for a second.

Rarely have I seen a document as pure as Vengo. It's style, somewhere between drama and documentary, nor it's story line have what usually makes a great movie, yet the music, the honesty of the actors, the scenery, the general atmosphere make Vengo a masterpiece of European impressionist cinematography. Vengo narrates of pride and family honour, of music that comes directly from the depths of the soul, of duende. Go see it and love it. Chances are you'll buy the soundtrack recording immediately the next day.

Great music is not enough to make a great film. If 'Vengo' was screened on some world music channel, the viewers would have objected to the useless melodrama that deprived them of some thirty minutes of great music and dance. Amazingly, if you see 'Vengo' in the theaters or on the film channel, the objection is the same. There is great music here, and this is the best part. The rest is a very skinny gypsy revenge melodrama, not complex and interesting enough to sustain a big screen movie. Some of the characters are interesting enough to provide the opportunity for good acting, but what remains in the memory after the film is mostly the music, dances, environment. I rated it 7/10. Do not rent or select it for seeing unless you are a fan of gypsy music and culture.

It's an excellent film for those that love the music. One can trace the origins of flamenco and, in particular, its links with traditional Arabic music. An authentic passionate piece of art interpreted by authentic real people. Loved every moment of it and wanted to be one of those excellent musicians or dancers.

After reading the enthusiastic comments posted so far, I feel guilty admitting I was bitterly disappointed by "Vengo." I'd enjoyed "Latcho Drom" and even went out and purchased the sound-track CD.

But "Vengo" left me cold: too much mediocre acting, far too much melodrama, and far too little flamenco for my taste.

At one point the main character characterizes the music being played as "flamenco puro!" and bangs his fist on the cafe table to underscore his fervor. I agreed with him--at that moment. But aside from that one cafe scene, I found little in the movie that seemed "puro" to me, and much that sounded "globalized" and tawdry.

I am voting only two stars on this one.

A simple story of gossip and revenge in a Spaniard little town is the core of a great flamenco/gitano musical film, where you can see the Today's best artist of this musical genre. With a non-conventional camera that catch your senses in every story moment, great narration, music-video clip quality editing and all of that is combined with the rhythm of every song. The tragedy is exposed from the beginning but director address you there until the last second of the last image. Recommended for those with passion running in their bloods.

I am not a musician myself, in fact I am a student in art history, but I really enjoyed this picture. I was amazed that such a great passion for music can be combined with the medium of movie, without weakening nor the subject, nor the medium. The music that Tony Gatlif pursues is the kind of music that really means something to me, it goes straight into the body, the mind and the soul. This is not entertainment, this is 'life' in the purest sense of the word. Thank you Tony Gatlif, for bringing this message to us.

They are right, you cannot understand this movie unless you are familiar with, even though a little, Spanish culture, their family system and their connections to Flamenco music.

Me, living in Spain for 5 years now and knowing a lot of Gypsies (Gitanos), this movie reflects them at their finest and they way Gitanos have preserved their culture.

This is a beautiful movie and if you want more insight into Spanish culture, you must watch this one and this movie has features some of the best Flamenco music and groups, which I never knew before by they way.

This movie is visually stunning; each shot is framed like a still made by a master photographer. It is among the most beautifully filmed works I've ever seen.

The wonderful music is spontaneous and part of the fabric of life (and death) of the story. This is not a "musical" like Hair or Chicago or Sound of Music. I don't mean to demean Vengo when I say it's use of music is more like that in Forrest Gump or Almost Famous where music sets the mood or anchors us in a time and place as the story flows. If you like "world music" or flaminco, you will love this movie. If you didn't when you started watching, you will by the end.

I figured out most of the story even though I don't speak much Spanish. I wonder why if my TV can put Spanish language closed-caption subtitles under English moves, why I can't get English language captions in Spanish movies...wish someone would make an English language version of this wonderful film!

Loved it. 9 out of 10 stars

For me there's nothing better than a film about the affairs of exotic people from other lands that is full of spirited music, no matter how flimsy the plot. "Vengo" is an exemplary case. It is the latest in a series of films about Romany people and their music made by Tony Gatlif. He brings impeccable credentials to the task: born in Algeria, raised in Marseille, his mother is Roma and his father a Berber. His best known film is the 1993 homage to Roma music, "Latcho Drom" (Safe Journey), which I have yet to see. "Vengo" is set in Andalusia, in southern Spain, in the city of Seville and surrounding villages. Here a rich tradition of Berber, Romany and Jewish origins has shaped the culture and given the world a distinctive music: flamenco. This film is best viewed as a flamenco concert featuring a number of different singers, instrumentalists, dancers and ensembles, most of whom are outrageously good. The musical numbers are connected by an insubstantial narrative, a loosely unfolding story of a blood feud, a dialectic of deaths, between two rural Roma families. Caco (the flamenco dancer, Antonio Canales, who doesn't get to dance at all here) is a bereaved nightclub owner and heavy boozer whose teenage daughter was killed by members of the Caravaca family. In return Caco's brother Mario killed a Caravaca man and is hiding in Morocco. The Caravacas now demand their turn for revenge and, in Mario's absence, let out word that they plan to murder Mario's son, Diego (Orestes Villason Rodriguez), a 20-something man who suffers from cerebral palsy. Caco dearly loves and dotes on Diego, his nephew, and is set into a crazed state by this news. The story moves toward a tragic sacrificial climax. The plot does serve to convey the essential truth that grounds the passion of these people: that suffering and death itself are inevitable counterpoints to love and family loyalty. This backdrop gives embodiment to the deep emotions expressed in the music. There is also a single very humorous scene featuring cells phones, perhaps the funniest bit about these obnoxious instruments in all of filmdom. The turn contributed by Rodriguez (as Diego) is impressive; it is welcome indeed to see a person with cerebral palsy act a major role, especially when the performance is built much more on humanity than on handicap. (In Spanish)

The story is told by images and music. A real semiotic statement and another ode to the love of music by the gypsie people. The film tells you a story about a vendetta and the consequenses of it, played by real people with deep human emotions. A honest document, another masterpiece after Gadjo Dillo and Lacho Drome. I love this movie and it made me laugh and weep, also I couldn't sit still during the music scenes with authentic flamengo/gypsie music. Any music lover should see this film to explore the roots of spanish music.

I watched Vengo on video as an assignment for a Spanish Class.It was slow moving and boring. If not an assignment, I'd have turned it off after the first 15 minutes. I didn't care for the music which was a major part of the film; I found it discordant and upsetting. I'm not sure if it was the language barrier, or the movie itself which made the plot confusing. I didn't catch on to the family feud until nearly the end of the film. The main character was unconvincing as a grief stricken father. I do not believe he turned his attention toward Diego (his handicapped nephew) because of his own loss.Instead I think he did it out of loyalty to his brother (Diego's father), who had avenged his daughter's death. I found the characters to be unattractive. The men, dressed mostly in black, with long tangled hair and beards repulsed me. It seemed their main occupation was having drinking parties and discussing the killings.