El Lobo (2004)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Miguel Courtois

Writer:

Antonio Onetti (writer)

Release Date:

5 November 2004 (Spain)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

Based on a true story. In the 70's, during the last stages of Franco's dictatorship, Txema, a basque construction worker...

Awards:

2 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Eduardo Noriega	...	Txema
José Coronado	...	Ricardo
Mélanie Doutey	...	Amaia
Silvia Abascal	...	Begoña
Santiago Ramos	...	Pantxo
Patrick Bruel	...	Nelson
Jorge Sanz	...	Asier
Manuel Zarzo	...	Matías
Fernando Cayo	...	Txino
Juan Fernández	...	Comandante Palacios
Roger Pera	...	Mediometro
José Luis García Pérez	...	Mejía (as José Luis García-Pérez)
Chema Muñoz	...	Arrieta
Antonio Ferrera	...	Reto
Juan Polanco	...	Gordo

Also Known As:

Wolf (International: English title)
El Lobo (France) [fr]
Kurt (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and a brief scene of graphic sexual content.

Runtime:

125 min | Argentina:123 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival) | 134 min (extended version)

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Ireland:15A | USA:R | Spain:18 | Brazil:14 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Castelao Producciones

Goofs:

Anachronisms: On chapter 5 of the DVD, almost at minute 19 of the film, a caption says it's 1973. There's a wedding and while Amaia sings (00:20:33) we can see a cymbal in the background, whose brand is Sabian. This brand was founded in Canada in 1981.

Quotes:

Nelson: You know what's that?
José María Loygorri, 'Txema': A bullet.
Nelson: I always keep one of these... for traitors.

Movie Connections:

References Ultimo tango a Parigi (1972)

Soundtrack:

Samba Pa Ti

Our very own political thriller

Although political thrillers are habitual in American cinema, Spanish cinema has been less inclined to translate our past and present conflicts into film. The conflict with Basque separatist group ETA has been depicted a bunch of times in the last few decades, but very seldom as acutely as Miguel Courtois does with "El Lobo".

Based on the true story of a Basque man who managed to reach ETA's highest leaders undercover, the film presents a poignant vision of the Basque conflict which is neither black nor white. This has so many shades and gray areas that the viewer has no other option than to give it second thoughts.

Eduardo Noriega has proved himself as a worthy leading man in the past, and his Basque accent here is more than acceptable. The supporting cast benefits from a few great actors playing bit parts (Roger Pera, Saturnino García...) but many of the important supporting characters are clichéd or underwritten (what can Silvia Abascal do with her character?).

The writing is brave and raises important questions, which is a point in favor. However, they could have avoided a few stereotypes with some advise from just anyone familiar with the Basque Country. In any case, this is a worthy film and worth watching if only for the value of the questions it raises.