Brazilian filmmakers have concentrated their latest efforts in developing an industry, based on European standards, to allow large scale production of national cinema, after the serious crisis in the begginning of the 1990's. Among these, the majority of veterans insist in the necessity of artworks while a younger generation suggests a more commercial-oriented production, with no loss in quality of plot, acting or artistry.
We can never frame "Bellini e a Esfinge" within the latter. There is none sin when producers ellaborate a purely commercial project (and there is even an audience call for it), but care-taking with quality is equally needed. And in this movie we have none.
The camera can't get a single neat shot. The cut impressively destroys all scenes which would look at least fine. The plot is dumb, unlikely true and obvious, what is unforgivable for a thriller. The scenery is fake. The production design is ridiculous. Even the soundtrack, which should be at least reasonable in a movie where the writer, the producers and some actors are musicians, is weak.
But what will make you furious about the complete lack of refinement in the film is the acting. There are a few real good actors (namely Malu Mader) but even they look as false as a seven-dollars banknote. The rest of the cast is just poor. Dialogues are spoken as a computer program or a robot would. Cast direction is absent. They look like they are still on their first rehearsal.
Here we have Bellini, the handsome bachelor private detective, with whom strangely all women want to sleep. And also Fátima, the nice prostitute, but ---- ssshhhh! don't trust her; she might be a suspect killer too. And there is also the beautiful charming assistent, a dedicated working girl above all suspicion, and finally the ruthless-yet-friendly Lobo, the woman (suggestedly lesbian) who takes Bellini in her office in a motherly/patron way. The investigation? Oh, yes, sure, there is one. An Armenian émigré has been murdered after hiring Lobo to find his missing mistress, but don't worry, you will even forget it by the end.
If you still can buy it all and take "Bellini e a Esfinge" for granted, then hurry to the theatre/videostore next to you and get it ---- but please don't tell your friends. Now if you still appreciate good cinema, no matter if it is art or commercial, and you don't want to have a bad feeling about Brazilian movies, then keep the adequate distance. Or, like Bela Lugosi used to say in b&w trash films: "Bevare! Bevare!". At least he was far more convincent than Bellini and his fellows.
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