A quibble

This is a magnificent film. After some of the crappy, critically acclaimed movies I've seen lately ("Casino Royale" and "Borat" come to mind) this little gem that nobody knows about was brilliant. I've never been that fussed about watching John Leguizamo in movies, but it's hard to imagine that anyone could have taken this role any better.

But there's always a quibble. (*** SPOILERS follow ***) Vinicio plays with Mandolo. He's obviously a street-smart guy who knows how the tabloid journalists and producers will react to his story, which is his only chance of escaping jail. But even Mandolo doesn't know that Victor, the producer, will show the coverage that's overly sympathetic to Vinicio. Nobody knows that the child was killed by hitting his head on a rock, not by the truck. (Or is this just fiction masquerading as fact? Our own local tabloid TV programs specialize in that). Vinicio can't know that the crew will be delayed by the police while he's being released from jail.

So it all just seemed to be a bit too coincidental. The smirk on Vinicio's face while he watches the coverage in jail says, yes, this is what I aimed for (he was a good actor, that guy). But maybe even Vinicio got more than what he hoped for. Or maybe I'm being too harsh, and it's all just part of dramatic licence.

Anyway it doesn't particularly detract from what was a fine film. At least 8/10.