El lobo

This was a nice surprise. It's an interestingly shot spy thriller that clearly differentiates itself from the usual productions and avoids typical genre clichés. Eduardo Noriega managed to give the main character credibility, and his transformation from an idealistic young man to a seasoned secret service agent is believable. The story is even more interesting because it is based on real events. The creeping decay of the authoritarian regime is depicted almost incidentally through military and police leadership meetings. The film also shows the personal cost a person must pay when they choose to disguise themselves and suppress their own identity. Two scenes spoil the overall impression: in the first, Wolf unnecessarily risks being shot by revealing the true identity of an ETA member, just to prove his moral superiority (pathetic and clichéd), and the second is the final "briefing" by the head of the secret service, where he describes how terrorists and police forces need each other. However, the head of the secret service would never make such an open admission, as clever viewers will figure it out anyway. Overall impression: 90%. (18.07.2006)

The tanned lads would also love their The Baader Meinhof Complex, Bloody Sunday, Fifty Dead Men Walking, or Mesrine but it's that sense of detail and information dispensing that they lack. Judging by Wolf, I'd guess the ETA to be some bunch of dudes who have two hours of awfully big talk but can't do much more than shoot two cops and an equal number of their own members. The only major terrorist move (killing the PM) is shown to us only as an aftermath on the evening news. Plus, somehow I don't buy the incredibly fascist cops the film shows us, nor the motivations of the characters (again). The unappealing main character doesn't help either. However, I was still very much on the fence about whether the film would get four or three stars because a) I like urban guerrilla themes and b) the film handle some of the gunfights well (especially the one on the street), which are very nicely and dynamically shot and make you sit back in your chair after half an hour of doubt and feel like you're not watching a B-movie. And what I would never admit... Spanish filmmaking doesn't really move me. (06.03.2011)