Baton Rouge (1988) User Reviews (2)

So-so Spanish Noir film with a trío the famous and notorious protagonists : Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, Victoria Abril

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 12 October 2020]

A Noir film with a lot of twists and turns , though it eventually results to be quite a few confuse. Concerning a young gigolo , Antonio: Antonio Banderas who seduces the mature Isabel with dark purports : Carmen Maura , she is a rich woman and lives separated her hubby: Francisco Guijar . When Isabel has sinister nightmares at night , to resolve it and being convinced by Antonio , both of whom go to consult a therapist , Ana: Victoria Abril . Then , things go wrong when a twisted scheme takes place with fateful consequences .

This is a thriller with elements of Film Noir including suspense , Femme Fatale , complex intrigue , strong sexual scenes , plot twists , crosses and double-crosses . The screenplay relies heavily in excessive turns with no much sense , full of surprising red herrings and unpredectible outcome . Although mediocre at times, it turns out to be acceptable thanks to the great cast combining with thriilng scenes and implausible results . Passable interpretations from a known starring trío. Newcomer Antonio Banderas in one of his first appearances as main star playing a young swindler who cares his mute brother and promises him to get better their lives by going Baton Rouge , Louisiana, however he gets tangled in his own wiles . Carmen Maura is acceptable as the wealthy woman in distress who is blackmailed and Victoria Abril as the fake psychiatrist who schemes an elaborate plan to blackmail and to take money . Along with a fine support cast with plenty of familiar faces as Angel De Andrés López, Laura Cepeda , Pedro Díaz del Corrral , Francisco Guijar , Alberto Fernández and Eduardo Calvo .

It contains an atmospheric musical score by early deceased Bernardo Bonezzi who composed soundtracks for Pedro Almodovar films . As well as brilliant and colorful cinematography by Angel Luis Fernández. The motion picture was professional but regularly written and directed by Rafael Monleon. He is a good craftsman directing as TV series as Motivos Personales , Pepe Carvalho , Raquel busca su sitio, Colegio Mayor , Eurocorps , Huella del crimen , as well as cinema : Tretas de mujer, El Niño Invisible , Mirada Liquida , Cuestion de Suerte , among others . Rating : 5.5/10 , average but acceptable and passable .

Smoldering looks do not make a competent film noir

[Guy Grand · 16 January 2002]

Antonio Banderas was young then (mid-1980s) and he was just perfecting his smoldering STARE. He's groping breasts. He's jamming fingers in women's mouths. He's sticking other things in other places. He's the swaggering Latin star that set Madonna's and Melanie Griffith's hearts a thumpin'. But there's nothing in this movie that suggests his character is anything but surface (albeit, a constantly fornicating surface). There's hardly a character that remotely resembles a human being here. The three main characters that dance about undressed with plots and doublecrosses in their heads are there to just serve a storyline. They are not believable people.

The butch Carmen Maura is a puppy dog rich woman who hooks Banderas at a service station and never lets go. Victoria Abril as the pseudo-psychologist who helps Maura with her rape-filled nightmares is as convincing as CarrotTop acting as Napoleon. This is the kind of film where plot motivations seemingly come out of nowhere, yet the characters seem to find it perfectly natural to suddenly scheme to kill another person. There is no breath or logical unfolding to scenes, therefore, the whole piece feels contrived. What twists do occur can be seen for miles, for days, for light-years away.

The title is derived from Banderas' mute brother's (who's been silent since his mom died - why? - we're never told) desire to take a trip from South America (the film's locale) to the famed city in Louisiana. Why does the mute kid want to go there? Your guess is as good as any. It's another one of those cute "foreign" kind of things typical of international films that are there for atmosphere and not much sense. There's no sense in your visiting this Baton Rouge anytime soon. My rating * out of ****.