The Ferpect Crime (2004)

El Crimen Ferpecto was viewed at the 2006 Valladolid film Festival in Spain. Director: Alex de la Iglesia. Stars Guillermo Toledo and Monica Cervera. A sidesplitter about a skirt chaser who works as a salesman in the women's wear section of an upscale department store and is bucking for the job of floor manager. Rafael is not only the best salesman in the biggest department store in Madrid but an irresistible lady's man whose female colleagues cannot get enough of. His philosophy of life is live it to the hilt and get laid as much as possible. But he is an ambitious go getter as well and aspires to be the new head of sales on his floor. However, to do so he has to beat out Don Antonio a surly veteran top salesman who has much more seniority. The competition between them gets more and more acrid until Rafael accidentally kills Don Antonio in a scuffle inside a changing booth. Lourdes, the ugliest woman in the store, the only witness to the event, volunteers to help Rafael hide the corpse. After much bungling they manage to dispose of the body in the store incinerator. He's now in the clear except for Lourdes who is in love with him and threatens to expose him unless he marries her. No buts and ifs about it!To save his skin he goes through with a most unwelcome wedding but now he has to figure out a way to get rid of her ... another "perfect crime"? -- as ghastly visions of Don Antonio with a knife protruding from his green head come back to haunt him regularly -- Because of the bungling all around the director purposely misspells the Perfecto (perfect) of the title so it becomes "Ferpecto" -- and the Perfect Crime becomes most imperfect.-A super hilarious black comedy from start to finish with plenty of subliminal social commentary embedded in the madness and deliciously sly rib-tickling work by actor Guillermo Toledo. One of the funniest films I have ever seen and Toledo's Rafael is one for the all-time comic record books. In any case a perfect madcap comedy with a side splitter every other minute. All supporting roles uniformly brilliant, notably Monica Cervera as the unwanted blackmailing bride. A black comedic masterpiece. Ten stars and no complaints.

Well some plans aren't that simple. But then again, if they were, you wouldn't have a movie, now would you? So this black comedy revolves around a man who's used to be on top (quite literally sometimes) and they show him in that way. A man who starts up on top, can fall down very hard ...Of course that is what happens here. And there lies one of it's faults maybe (in my eyes). While it was/is very fast paced in the beginning with many great jokes keep coming at you at an unbelievable pace, it feels like it stops after a certain point. The jokes come very slow after that and you're rooting for this anti-hero. At least I did root for him ... Watch it if you like your jokes to be as black as the night!

Alex de la Iglesia is one of the most daring Spanish directors working today. Right from the start we must confess we don't particularly care for his style in his previous films. With the exception of "La Ciudadela" and this savagely funny comedy, "Ferpect Crime", the others don't measure up to the quality of these two. The director must be forgiven for the excesses of the past. In a way, this film shows a lot of control, something his previous work didn't have.The result is one of the funniest movies that came from Spain recently. We didn't get a chance to see it in its commercial run, since it didn't last too long in local theaters. The story is a modern fable about what lengths human beings go in order to succeed. Never mind that in order to attain one's goal involves murdering your enemy.Rafael, a personable salesman at Yeyo's department store, has a rivalry going with Don Antonio, who is also assigned to the same floor. Both men hope their sales will make their superiors value the best and make him floor manager. When Antonio wins, because he discovers an irregularity on Rafael's sales receipts, the losing candidate vows to avenge being humiliated by the other man.Rafa, who is a ladies' man, doesn't have a clue about to what extent will Leonor go to claim him for herself. Leonor is a rather homely woman who is the epitome of efficiency. She has witnessed Rafa's sexual involvement with some of the other sales women and she happens to be at the right place, at the right time when Don Antonio suffers a fatal stroke. Leonor will stop at nothing, and Rafael must pull away from this woman who wants to own him at all costs. When he does, little does he know what a genius Leonor turns out to be on her own.The best thing in the film are Guillermo Toledo and Monica Cervera. As Rafael and Leonor, these actors make a wonderful team under the director's guidance. Ms. Cervera reminds us of another actress with a peculiar look in the Spanish cinema, Rosy DePalma, another excellent comedienne. Mr. Toledo and Ms. Cervera are worth the price of the DVD as they are fantastic in the film.Alex de la Iglesia should stay in this course when directing other film.

This film is about the tragedy of an elegant man, Rafael, played by Guillermo Toledo. The most seductive and ambitious salesperson of a large department store who loves beautiful women, elegant clothes, and select environments. He considers himself blessed. He is convinced that one day his triumph shall be absolute. Rafael possesses a very distinct talent, he was born to sell. It is in his blood. That is why he works in a big department store. He has turned the ladies' section into his domain. The perfume girls are crazy for him.Rafael also has a definite goal in life. He aspires to become the new floor manager. His main rival for the position is Don Antonio Fraguas (Luis Varela), the veteran responsible for the gentlemen's section. Due to fatalities of fate, Don Antonio accidentally dies after a heated argument with Rafael. The sole witness of the crime is Lourdes (Monica Cervera), a very ugly, insignificant, and obsessive co-worker. Aware of the unusual situation, Lourdes begins to blackmail Rafael. She first obliges him to become her lover, then, her slave, and finally, her husband. Rafeal becomes exasperated to see his highly refined milieu degenerate to a vulgar-hell. In the verge of madness, he plots to end with Lourdes once and for all. This time Rafael, cannot commit a mistake. The motion picture is in the Spanish language with English sub-titles which are brief and very easy to read, even if they were not present, the acting speaks for itself in a universal language that crosses all boundaries. Respectfully yours, Sarge Booker of Tujunga, California