El reino (2018) Reviews

• A public descent into hell

  FrenchEddieFelson2019-04-18

  I went to see this wonderful movie with a minimum of information, as usual: a Spanish movie directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, with Antonio de la Torre. Nothing more. De facto, with a very positive a priori. During the first minutes, the atmosphere is a Dolce vita full of show-offs, with yachts, rolex, penthouses, prawns orgies and tutti quanti, in a universe of corrupt politicians. A scandal burgeons and one of them will immediately be designed for a sacrifice, in order to preserve the party and the government. Thus, in this extemporary exercise of musical chairs, the victim is Manuel López-Vidal, the main protagonist interpreted by Antonio de la Torre. The movie is quickly and suddenly transformed into a descent into the abyss, or rather a breathless race against the clock until an ultimate and terrific confrontation that might easily be considered as a merciless fight between the two last gladiators still standing within a Roman arena, with a combativeness boosted to the extreme, for the delight of a bloodthirsty audience. The film deals with corruption through the eyes of a man for whom one feels almost empathy, despite the absence of sympathy. Thus, if this film addresses corruption without really judging it, the focus is primarily on the ability to survive, like manifold other movies, in fundamentally different contexts: Ayka (Sergei Dvortsevoy, 2018), Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, 2013), The road (John Hillcoat, 2009), 28 days later (Danny Boyle, 2002), Deliverance (John Boorman, 1972), ... Thus, with El reino / The Realm, we may see what a corrupt politicien is ready to do to save his own skin. No matter what! As a conclusion, despite a few idle times, this movie is excellent.

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• Great script, brilliant directing and some really outstanding performances

  dani-localisation2018-10-01

  This is without a doubt the best Spanish movie I have seen in years (and I'm Spanish). It depicts the politician corruption in an excellent way. For me, the script was really really good, the directing was 100% on point and the performances were amazing. There is an actor called Luis Zahera who I didn't even know and it gives the most credible performance in the movie (as Cabrera). He is soooooooo good. The scene at the balcony should grant him all the awards he can get in his category this year. You cannot go better than that. Impossible. Definitely a must-watch film. Go to the theater and support the crew. This is as cinema at its best.

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• Interesting, though a bit uneven.

  lizardjims2019-01-21

  ''El Reino'' is a political thriller from Spain, directed by the talented Rodrigo Sorogoyen who also gave us the brilliant ''Que Dios nos perdone'', one of the best European thrillers of the decade. In this movie though he doesn't achieve the top level of his previous work. The film's protagonist, Manuel, -an exceptional performance once again by Antonio de la Torre- strives in order to stay alive in the country's political scene after being accused for a major scandal involving embezzlement and money laundering. The frenetic tempo of the first 45 minutes confused me and made me lost count of the names and ranks of the various characters which were introduced, but after Manuel's indictment the movie starts to feel more comprehensible and the story more concise. The editing is super-fast and even the soundtrack adds to the movie's rapid pace. We follow Mauel, who is present in nearly every single scene of the movie, witnessing his attempts to save himself as well as to extract revenge from the people who think that deceived him and made him a scapegoat. The last ten minutes, Manuel's tv interview, conclude the film in the best possible way with the journalist's final question remaining hanging for the viewer to think and dwell on. The picture of the Spanish political life in ''El Reino'' is not a flattering one as the high-ranking politicians are depicted as cruel, profiteering gangsters who enjoy luxurious lives at the expense of Spanish people who prefer to ignore the country's totally unreliable political system as they have to deal with the problems in their everyday lives which are caused by the nation's governments. There are points in the movie that offer food for thought and many viewers, especially those who live in Europe's southern countries, will recognize many of the depicted blemishes as their own. I would definitely give the movie a higher rating if it were not for the confusion of the first half which has a rather bewildering effect to the viewer because of the reasons I stated above. Overall, I believe that ''El Reino'' is a film worthy of recommendation despite its flaws, and it will appeal most to the fans of Spanish crime/thriller films as well as to those who enjoy political thrillers.

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• A necessary and sad truth that must be told

  jctoledano2018-11-12

  Saw this at Recent Spanish Cinema Miami '18 and it was a pleasant surprise. Even though I did not expect a great film and I found it impossible to relate to a protagonist who is a corrupt politician, the pace changes slowly but steadily as it takes you to a well-achieved climax - the last half hour has to be among the best I've seen lately. The film portrays the political corruption of Spain in an impeccable and sadly all too truthful way, while at the same time masterfully avoiding ideologies or similarities with concrete people (surely to avoid lawsuits too). It is never specified whether the political party depicted is right or left wing. What is made clear though, is that this applies to any (or most) politicians in power ('power corrupts'). It is groundbreaking for a Spanish film to show how this high-spheres corruption works, as citizens are mocked and abused by politicians. I wish many people will see this film so as to promote greater transparency in Spanish politics.

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• The Best Spanish Political Movie

  Hawbash_Movie2019-01-05

  This is the best Spanish political movie i've ever seen , The Story , The Casts , The Cinematography , The Direction , The Great Antonio De La Torre , All of them , was PHENOMENOUS