Burnt Money (2001)

Burnt Money is an exceptional film in the crime drama genre and stands quite well as director Marcelo Pineyero provides Hollywood with an example of what subtlety can bring to cinema. This film also does its best as a commentary of the internal division between the people and the corrupt government in Argentina, as showcased by the character Nando, played by Carlos Roffe. A few scenes strike out at me for recounting the director's work and it also must be said that the work of the actors that portrayed Nene, Angel and Cuervo was thoughtful and delivered with subtlety to match that of the director's nuanced vision of the world that the trio inhabits.Two scenes that immediately jump to mind are those that weave both dramatic long takes with clever use of diagetic sound to create a suspenseful dramatic scene. The two scenes are of the moment that Vivi is captured by the police and the 'relaxing' scene at the beach party with the trio. I enjoyed both of these scenes very much due to the director's courage to use a long take to add suspense. The suspense in these scenes however is not the same as the violent and gore soaked films we call 'suspense', but a more chilling and ominous sense of dread is evoked with the stillness of each scene. There is a moment that both scenes erupt with action, and the music within each scene accentuates the moment that the juxtaposition of mood occurs. Basically the manipulation of music within the scene such as the record being torn off the player just as the party erupts show that the director made disciplined use of all the tools in his arsenal to create a fully imagined atmosphere and mood.

I wasn't excepting anything special before I started to watch "Plata quemada". I just knew that it was an Argentinean movie and it has won the Goya price. Only good movies win this price. After the beginning of the movie (the underground scene) I thought that it would be another stupid gay romance. Later, step by step, the movie became more and more interesting. Great plot, excellent actors (and actress), wonderful music. As one of the IMDb users says, Eduardo Noriega's acting is similar to the River Phoenix's one. For example in "My private Idaho". Who knows if his voices were symptoms of mental defect or small epileptic fits etc.? When the movie was ending I was thinking that it was one of the best movies I had ever seen. But when appeared the information that it was based on a true story my breath was taken away. Next half an hour, I was not able to do anything, except to think about the movie. I reacted this way just when I had seen "Dancer in the dark". It is not one of the best movies I have ever seen, but the best one ever.

but something about the pacing of this film felt slow. I can't put my finger on it. I guess the director did too good of a job creating an atmosphere of boredom from waiting....and waiting....and waiting.. Even I was getting impatient! The Twins (Angel and Nene) and Cuervo rob an armored car but all goes to hell when they kill two policemen. So they run off to Uruguay to hide. Thats where most of it takes place. But thats besides the point. They do a beautiful job of portraying the relationship between two complicated men (one more complicated than the other). Nene's love for Angel is true and sincere. But when Angel pushes him away because of his own inner demons, Nene looks for solace anywhere he can. But he senses all the while that Angels mind is deteriorating. If only Angel would open up and tell him whats wrong!! Possible spoilerNene and Angel live in a tough world. It's ruthless and violent, so they are ruthless and violent with no regrets. The juxtaposition of that reality with the tenderness and warmth they gave each other was poignant. My favorite part was when Angel seemed to snap out of it in the final showdown. He was in his element, firing away gleefully at the policemen below. But then he cradles Nene and comforts him as best he can while his lover slips away. What a complex character. Did Noriega win an award for his performance? He deserves one.

After reading the reviews of this film on this site, I became interested and subsequently spent nearly two hours of my life watching it. These are hours I will never get back.I would bet that gay men would find this movie very interesting but if you are not a gay man, I'd recommend you spend your time watching something else. I kept waiting for something to happen that would grab my attention. Seeing naked or nearly naked men, particularly within the context of homosexuality, does not offend me, it just does not interest me. Also, for me, the men they were portraying (as it is based on a true story) were too stupid to be sympathetic.Not a bad film, just not very interesting.