I did a term paper on "2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY" for sophomore college ENGLISH. Medellín, SUMAS y RESTAS, really deserves one of its own! After having lived in Colombia for 36 years and 3 close brushes with death, the only way to review it is with some brief insight into the dynamics of crime and violence here in Colombia..
....But FIRST: Let us FOCUS on the Title's Content and Context...
Most Colombians either A)Have been the victims of violence themselves or B)Have family member(s), close relative(s) and/or good friend(s) who have been victims...EVERYONE ELSE has friends, neighbors, classmates and co-workers galore who have experienced violence directly. Undoubtedly, it has ebbed from its 80's+90's peak, but it's still an everyday fact of life people have learned to live with. One factor, only dealt with rather obliquely in the film, is that violence can originate from so many different sources; organized crime, leftist guerrillas, paramilitary groups, common criminals, corrupt police officials or any 1 of the above, masquerading as 1 of the others! The kidnappers in the film identify themselves as F-2 agents (Think: DEA), but their true origin is never revealed. More often than not, this mirrors reality in Colombia. Still, for the record, at least 95% of Colombians never collaborate in any way with any of these factions! A bit uneven during its first 40 minutes, "Medellín" had me mesmerized its last hour. I'm sad to admit, this was a gritty, spot-on slice of the Dark side of Colombian life. My Compadre, CouchDog (whose review is #1--Please read it!) says,"The non-stop profanity is not translated in the English subtitles..." I concur! The reason: Movies are usually translated by people officially sanctioned/licensed by the Colombian government, so they went from "Scarface" to "Paleface". But Colombian sociopaths are known for incessant obscenity; it's unfortunate this was lost in translation. The ending minute(?) was butchered or oddly altered in some way, causing me to lower my rating from 9********* to 8********.
WARNING: Lots of naked, gyrating Colombian ladies!
Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are welcome!
....But FIRST: Let us FOCUS on the Title's Content and Context...
Most Colombians either A)Have been the victims of violence themselves or B)Have family member(s), close relative(s) and/or good friend(s) who have been victims...EVERYONE ELSE has friends, neighbors, classmates and co-workers galore who have experienced violence directly. Undoubtedly, it has ebbed from its 80's+90's peak, but it's still an everyday fact of life people have learned to live with. One factor, only dealt with rather obliquely in the film, is that violence can originate from so many different sources; organized crime, leftist guerrillas, paramilitary groups, common criminals, corrupt police officials or any 1 of the above, masquerading as 1 of the others! The kidnappers in the film identify themselves as F-2 agents (Think: DEA), but their true origin is never revealed. More often than not, this mirrors reality in Colombia. Still, for the record, at least 95% of Colombians never collaborate in any way with any of these factions! A bit uneven during its first 40 minutes, "Medellín" had me mesmerized its last hour. I'm sad to admit, this was a gritty, spot-on slice of the Dark side of Colombian life. My Compadre, CouchDog (whose review is #1--Please read it!) says,"The non-stop profanity is not translated in the English subtitles..." I concur! The reason: Movies are usually translated by people officially sanctioned/licensed by the Colombian government, so they went from "Scarface" to "Paleface". But Colombian sociopaths are known for incessant obscenity; it's unfortunate this was lost in translation. The ending minute(?) was butchered or oddly altered in some way, causing me to lower my rating from 9********* to 8********.
WARNING: Lots of naked, gyrating Colombian ladies!
Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are welcome!