The Pelayos

This little film from Spain written by Piti Español and director/writer Eduard Cortés is currently in the On Demand section on television and hopefully Amazon will offer the version of the DVD that can be played on USA/Canada soon. Known also as WINNING STREAK it is a true story and the film is an exhilarating heist movie that tells the true story of a family who discovered the way to legally win at roulette. They were known as THE PELAYOS and they won hundreds of thousands of dollars at casinos around the world with an infallible method based on the roulette wheel's imperfection, their lifestyle is about to become better than their wildest dreams, as they set out to break the banks at casinos around the world.

Gonzalo Pelayo (Lluís Homar) is old but has a dream – to break the bank of casinos and become famous. He comes up with a way to chose number to win at the roulette wheel and convinces his son Iván (Daniel Brühl – is there a language this German actor has not mastered?) to gather a 'family' to bring off his dream. Iván gathers fishmonger Balón (Vicente Romero) and his strange cousins Marcos (Oriol Villa) and Alfredo (Miguel Ángel Silvestre) and together they manage to decipher a legal way to win. Thanks to their simple—, and more importantly, legal— method, the Pelayos were able to win hundreds of thousands of dollars at roulette tables around the world. They broke the banks at casinos across five continents; Amsterdam, Las Vegas, Australia, Paris, Madrid, Macao. Their incredible achievements became legendary, and not only in the casino world. As well as breaking the bank, their legend broke through borders, and they were soon famous the world over. THE PELAYOS is a film full of adventure which shows how ingenuity can transform 'insignificant' people into people capable of bringing down powerful companies. It is a film about lust for life, about taking on the world when you're 20 years old. It's the story of a group of people who find a more fun and exciting way to earn a living than they ever thought possible. They have their goal within their reach and surmounting the challenge will allow them.

There are love interests - Iván is a singer and falls for another singer Shui (Hui Chi Chiu) who also happens to his father's mistress, Alfredo falls for a croupier whom endangers because she works for the casino's manager, etc – and conflicts with the authorities but by and large this is a fast paced feisty entertainment with a bouncy cast to carry it off.

Grady Harp