Having waited for this release an eternity, I was desperately clinging onto the slim chance that it may have been a worthwhile wait, especially given that in most cases, the wait is better than the end product.
Not in this case however.
El Paramo (The Squad) is a highly polished, very well produced, dark thriller from a country who in my experience aren't noted for successful movie exports.
It puts many mega budget blockbusters to shame, filmed with such care and attention, that from the first scene until the last, I was hooked.
No hammy acting or poor scripting dialogue in this - everything was way above and beyond anything I've seen for a long time, and belies the country of origin and also the relatively smallish budget. All actors delivered their lines with ease, their emotions throughout heightening the tension that the writer and director were aiming for, and the locations used were suitably spooky and dark.
It's a difficult movie to classify - some will say horror, others thriller - to me this was more a psychological thriller more than anything else - a lot of unseen tension based on unseen forces.
Going down that route is a very difficult skill to master as a writer and a director - keeping the audience glued to the screen whilst not showing anything of horror is a talent that abounds in the movie - to successfully manage to portray a story of the breakdown of a regimented society in a short space of time,whilst running with an underlying hint of the paranormal worked perfectly.
It's a shame this won't get the release it deserves, however, I'd really like to see more from the writers and director as they've got a supreme talent that deserves more recognition.
Top notch 8/10
Not in this case however.
El Paramo (The Squad) is a highly polished, very well produced, dark thriller from a country who in my experience aren't noted for successful movie exports.
It puts many mega budget blockbusters to shame, filmed with such care and attention, that from the first scene until the last, I was hooked.
No hammy acting or poor scripting dialogue in this - everything was way above and beyond anything I've seen for a long time, and belies the country of origin and also the relatively smallish budget. All actors delivered their lines with ease, their emotions throughout heightening the tension that the writer and director were aiming for, and the locations used were suitably spooky and dark.
It's a difficult movie to classify - some will say horror, others thriller - to me this was more a psychological thriller more than anything else - a lot of unseen tension based on unseen forces.
Going down that route is a very difficult skill to master as a writer and a director - keeping the audience glued to the screen whilst not showing anything of horror is a talent that abounds in the movie - to successfully manage to portray a story of the breakdown of a regimented society in a short space of time,whilst running with an underlying hint of the paranormal worked perfectly.
It's a shame this won't get the release it deserves, however, I'd really like to see more from the writers and director as they've got a supreme talent that deserves more recognition.
Top notch 8/10