Castigo maligno

I saw this movie yesterday and I was not impressed.

The story is okay but not great; something about serial killers, bible and sex is a well-known cocktail. I know from other movies that the actors are more than capable but here they are just wasted. The screenplay and/or editing is simply killing the story. Too often, the necessary link from one scene to the next is just missing. For instance: you have our heroes sitting in the planning room at the police station, looking at a million pictures of the slaughtered girls and getting more and more desperate. One even throws his hands in the air and almost start crying. In the next shot, they are out driving, and the man from before is now completely calm and composed.

I can't recommend this movie to anyone as a thriller, but if you're into beautiful female attributes then there are at least two shots in this movie that you're gonna like and like a lot. 'Nuff said !

Off-beat, yet winning, this is low-budget film-making at its most imaginative.

Clearly burdened by genre plot -- plus a need that I won't quibble with to add a certain amount of nudity -- this is a triumph of style over budget. The actors -- especially Nick Mancuso and Cheryl Pollak -- are terrific. And hats off for including the late, great Soul star Solomon Burke! Extra points given for the unexpected use of great R&B and Gospel.

Why this film isn't more appreciated is a mystery to me. It has a great look, an excellent sense of place, a distinctive mood and feel, and flies by at great speed.

Obviously working with serious budget constraints -- not to mention what seems to have been a mandate to include a measure of nudity -- this film approaches "film noir" in a very European way.

The storyline of an outsider with a past working outside the law to find a serial killer is clearly a metaphor for a kind of "outsider" film-making. The result is troubling yet striking, with a visual sense and an editing design that breath fresh life into low-budget cinema.

As to the performances, Nick Mancuso and Cheryl Pollak lead a strong cast. And whoever thought of using Solomon Burke deserves a pat on the back. Which leads to the music, which is awesome!