Cine noir in the purest style with nothing innovative in either the story or how it is played out on the screen. Apart from being filmed in Madrid and mostly at night, there is no way of differentiating this film from any other product made in the USA. The story is as unoriginal as a stale pizza. During a late night radio programme with telephone call-ins, a sinister type announces he is about to kill a girl. Through more telephone calls leaving `clues' as to what he is going to do next, the film slithers murkily to its predictable end. It has no clout. It is rather like so many other regurgitated cinema or made for TV productions of this ilk.
Lydia Bosch hammers out her dialogues in flat toneless onslaughts and sounds as false as a $33 bill; Beatrice Dalle is somewhat better as she struggles with her tones of urgency so as to lend some kind of character and personality to the proceedings; Juanjo Puigcorbé seems so stereotyped as to not be real, and the appearance of Bud Spencer did nothing to enhance any of the other three main actors, mostly because none of them were cast for this film but miscast for this film. However, if you are a glutton for these kinds of thrillers, you will bear with it and not get very excited about anything; even the music will leave you wondering what it was trying to do.
No, if you want to see a really good Spanish thriller I suggest you try `99.9' (qv) which is far superior in all aspects.
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