The Lion's Den (1988) User Reviews

Shockingly simple, Brutally dark

[Agent10 · 8/10 · 9 May 2002]

While Latin cinema has been lagging over the past few years, this film exemplifies the political turmoil that tends to fall into play when one regards the Third Cinema. Dark and scary, this film really took me by surprise not merely for its power, but for the fact it was one of the first foreign films that broke the stereotypes I had placed on the genre. All of the characters are realistic, and while the last scene rings loudly of The Deer Hunter, it is a fitting way to end the film.

Realistic and Cold

[Alien_Latino · 5 March 2004]

I just saw this movie and let me say that it's as realistic as it can get, in some scenes it's hard to distinguish if it's a movie or a documentary. The movie not only documents the reality of the peruvian civil war but also what exactly goes on in villages afflicted by war, the movie also depicts the racism against indian peoples in latin nations. This movie is the epitome of realism. I know this because I have been myself in the middle of a Latin American civil war and there's nothing you can subtract from this movie as being unrealistic. The "Sendero Luminoso" (Shinning Path) guerrillas were the most strange guerrilla movement in the American continent, it was refreshing to see this movie and see their modus operandi in the battlefield.

I give it an 8/10.

Great Movie

[edneuba · 11 December 2000]

This movie truly illustrates the horrors of war, and how many issues can get confused. Everyone is a victim in war, even the people who fight in it. This film shows just that through the eyes of an initially ambitious soldier. He soon finds out that things aren't as black an white as they appear to be. I was impressed by the reality of that perspective. The camera work and technical components of this film adds to its success in my eyes. The film was well done, and is on my list of favourites.