It’s been years since I saw the David Lynch film WILD AT HEART. So long that I’ve actually forgotten much of the film other than I thought it was typical Lynch which means strange. So when I heard another director had taken a crack at one of the characters from that movie I wondered why I’d never heard of it before. Using the same character but a different book by the same author, director Alex de la Iglesia has come up with something uniquely all its own, a movie that you have to allow time to open up before judging.
Rosie Perez stars as the title character, a violent free spirit who does what she wants at all times. Having just gone to Mexico to scatter the ashes of her dead sister she’s looking for a way back across the border to America. She meets Romeo Dolorosa (Javier Bardem), a self-proclaimed Santeria shaman, con man and thief who has just robbed a bank in order to pay his debt to loan shark Catalina.
Romeo is in the midst of his latest criminal endeavor, transporting fetuses across the border to a cosmetic company that plans to use them in their moisturizing cream. But before heading north he performs a Santeria ceremony to a group of well paying customers seeking healing. Once finished Perdita suggest that they kidnap a gringo to kill for his next ceremony.
The couple kidnap an American couple that they proceed to torment. But in the midst of this a former partner of Romeo that he swindled arrives with plenty of heavily armed men to seek revenge. Escaping with their lives while taking out most of the attackers, Perdita and Romeo drag along the kidnapped couple and head for the pickup of the truckload of fetuses. Unfortunately the pickup is interrupted by DEA agent Woody Dumas (James Gandolfini), an agent bound and determined to take down Romeo.
Perdita and Romeo along with their captives escape arrest and take the truck, heading for the delivery point in Vegas. Along the way Romeo learns that Catalina has raided his grandmother’s house since the payment he was waiting for has yet to arrive. Now a new motivation for revenge has risen.
I could go on describing more and more acts of carnage and carnality but it has to be seen to be believed. The movie was everything I expected and more. As I said I wasn’t a fan of WILD AT HEART and when this movie began I wasn’t a fan either. I felt that I wasn’t seeing anything worthwhile at first. And then it began to grow on me. The story unfolds slowly, introducing the characters who are so far off the charts as to not even be on them. And as it progressed I found them both irritating and interesting at the same time. These are not characters you are supposed to love but they will hold your interest.
Iglesia does a wonderful job with all things here. The combination of story, characters and quality production make the movie one that isn’t painful to watch as some movies are due to lack of ability on the part of the director. Instead here he coaxes out performances by both leads that are among the best they’ve ever offered. In addition to that he is able to handle the jumps in genres that this film involves from action to sensuality to horror to comedy. All combine with his deft hand to make an interesting film.
Severin has done a wonderful job with the release of this film as well. To begin with it’s being offered in a 4k scan of the film and looks magnificent. But they’ve included some interesting extras as well. These include “On the Border” an interview with director Iglesia, “Writing Perdita Durango” an interview with author Barry Gifford, “Dancing with the Devil” an appraisal of the movie by film scholar Dr. Rebekah McKendry, “Narcosatanicos: Perdita Durango and the Matamoros Cult” and interview with Abraham Castillo Flores and “Cauldron of Blood” author Jim Schutze, “Canciones de Amor Maldto: The Music of PERDITA DURANGO” an interview with composer Simon Boswell, “Shooting Perdita Durango” and interview with the director of photography Flavio Labiano and the trailer for the film. That’s plenty for a film that many may never have heard of.
The movie is a bit strange and contains plenty of bloodshed
but it’s one of the most interesting things I’ve seen in quite some time. If
you’ve never heard of it and enjoy something off the beaten path then by all
means this is one you should pick up and give a watch.
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