Ferpect Crime (2004) User Reviews (35)

How can anyone in the universe not LOVE this film?

[rooprect · 8/10 · 22 January 2007]

It's hilarious. It's poignant. It's artistic. It's even philosophical at times. I can't imagine anyone not liking this film. "Crimen ferpecto" is a great surrealistic comedy along the lines of "Being John Malkovich", "One Night at McCools" or even the masterpiece "Brazil".

The plot begins bizarre, and from there it gets ever bizarrer. Set in a department store (the perfect metaphor for the human condition!), this film brilliantly weaves the themes of glamorous/plastic life versus the mundane/real. Trapped between worlds and desperately trying to achieve the former is our hero Rafael, a man whose entire life exists within the ladies' clothing department. Somehow he gets wrapped up in murder, blackmail and ectoplasmic visitations from lovable corpses. Yeah, I told you it gets bizarre.

But despite the zany plot, there's a very poignant & sober message that runs just below the surface. It's subtle, but it comes to fruition during the magnificent climax when we realize exactly what this whole wacky movie is about. If you've paid attention to symbolism, metaphor, allegory and all that intellectual jazz, you'll get it, and you'll see how everything fits into place. If not, fine, you'll enjoy the picture anyway because it's just plain funny. The beauty is that you can take it at your own pace. Great film. Damn near perfect. Er... ferpect.

Outstanding black comedy

[newland80 · 8/10 · 1 November 2004]

After his latest experiment with new genres (no less than a western) with "800 balas", Álex de la Iglesia goes back to his habitual black comedies and proves he is still in top form. "Crimen ferpecto" is probably his most accomplished film so far, and surely the funniest.

Looking back at his oeuvre, there are very good films ("La comunidad" is still his best) but also average ones ("Muertos de risa" had its edge, but was pointless). "Crimen ferpecto" is the deserving follow-up to "La Comunidad", after the failure of "800 balas", and keeps showing the evolution of the director/writer towards creative maturity.

Guillermo Toledo plays Rafael, de la Iglesia's best leading male character so far. He is at his best playing this womanizer in trouble, elegant, seductive and utterly charming. He is accompanied by Mónica Cervera, who will certainly break through in this film after his impressive turn as a retarded young woman in "Piedras". She plays the wicked witch of the men's department, ugly, manipulative, evil but yet a character one can sympathize with.

The high point of this comedy is certainly the part in which the couple visits the girl's family (Gracia Olayo is brilliant in a bit part as Lourdes' mother), the audience could hardly stop laughing. The rest of the footage combines lighter comedy, dark comedy, thriller and even a little share of action.

It's a shame, however, that I could not be pleased by the ending. It's difficult to find a satisfying ending when one has sympathized with both Rafael and Lourdes, who both have played the roles of "good" and "bad" in turns. Eventually both of them get what they deserve, but is life really like that? I expected an edgier ending, but still appreciated "Crimen ferpecto" as one of the best comedies of the year.

Overall rating: 8/10

Fast and funny.

[Zuluu · 8/10 · 30 March 2006]

I Just can't get enough of this. I watched this movie alone the first time, then I showed it to my flat mates. Now I'm looking forward to the next time friends visit me so I can watch this movie again with them.

The thing I liked most about this movie was the extremely smooth way of telling the story. As the movie started, I almost immediately got sucked into the story by the hypnotic, yet very funny way of displaying the plot. Not only the script or the acting, but also camera, light, sound and editing - all aspects of the movie presentation where thoughtfully placed and dozed to make up the right mix for a really well made movie.

The way of telling the story is almost a story for itself. The sequence of the scenes performs twists of its own, the way they are filmed and edited adds a whole new level, a sub plot so to speak. The scene presentation, the "image", plays an important role and I'd say it's the most grave factor that makes this movie unique.

The pace of the movie (regarding the story telling style, not the plot itself) slows down towards the end to leaves space for more roughness and suspense.

I really hope to see much more of Alex del la Iglesia in the future because what I got to see yet is always getting even better.

8 out of 10.

Fast, funny, well interpreted

[massimobrambilla · 7/10 · 15 April 2005]

Now, this movie is not going to mark the history of dark comedy cinema, but believe me it's waaay better than a whole lot of stuff that has been strewn around by USA, French and Italian makers lately. The pacing is fast, well kept though with a few ludicrously foreseeable passages; the cast is really good in painting the characters, almost all of them well performed and denoted, in landscaping the interpersonal relations and the working environment, in adding the zest of surreality which makes the good of the movie but -at the same time- avoiding the downfall into clownesque. Indeed, there is a clear directorial decision to remove this movie from the "credibility" section, to the surreal/grand-guignol/grotesque side, but the operation is successful, if you do not mind...and if you know where the "FerPecto" inversion comes from, then you'll enjoy it. The very end is indeed below the expectations that the plot built, but you won't guess it in advance.

Austin Movie Show liked this quirky treasure

[leilapostgrad · 7/10 · 25 September 2005]

El Crimen Ferpecto is absurdly funny from beginning to end. Rafael Gonzalez (played by a man who looks like the Spanish Dennis Miller) is a fearless lady's man from the moment he pops on screen and reveals his philosophy on life – he goes for what he wants, and he only wants the best. That's why he doesn't mind working at an upscale department store. He's constantly surrounded by perfect things and beautiful co-workers. His perfect world comes crashing down, however, when Rafael and his boss get into a brutal fight that leaves a clothes hanger in Rafael's throat and a coat hook in the back of his boss's neck. His ugly, sex-starved, co-worker Lourdes helps him dispose of the body and cover-up the murder, and then blackmails him for all the sex, love, and affection he can give. Just when you think Rafael's life can't get any worse, it does, and every new punishment Lourdes inflicts on him is better than the one before. Pure entertainment.

Roaring and twisted film by the king of black comedy , Alex De La Iglesia

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 29 December 2011]

Outrageous movie with odd characters , surreal imagery and twisted plot . Rafael is the best salesman in the biggest mall of Madrid called Yeyo's , a Corte Ingles-alike . He is an attractive man; all his colleagues fell in love for him . He attempts to live high-standard existence . He is definitively mean and aspires to be the new head of sales at his department store . As the ambitious playboy named Rafael ( Guillermo Toledo) and his contender (Luis Varela) are two salesmen who reach the heights of success with their jobs , but a chief-vacancy turning them into deadly enemies . However , the hate between them grows as fast, and as much, as their strong facing off and there takes place a murder . Lourdes (Monica Cordero) , the ugliest woman in the floor , unexpectedly helps Rafael to hide the corpse , but her help isn't for free . It all ends with a breathtaking and operatic duel in a downward spiral of madness . Alex De la Iglesia is an excellent Spanish director . He had much success as "Accion Mutante" , " El Dia De la Bestia" , "Perlita Durango" and ¨La Comunidad¨ , among others . De la Iglesia is back with a tragical comedy about an ambitious man pursued and blackmailed by a bad woman . Here deals with a homage to dark humor and a typical Spanish story in which there are comedy, tongue-in-cheek , humor, killings, action, drama and is pretty entertaining . It's an exaggerated drama/comedy giving the perfect tone through the entire film , you can either follow it or just wander about the ridiculousness of every single minute . Some may regard this kind of dramatic comedy dull or dumb , but the truth is its the most simple , minimalistic, rawest, and pretentious comedy you will ever watch .

This is a full-on surreal psychotronic black-comedy that blends thrills , suspense , tension as well as an intriguing script full of dark humor , drama and exciting situations . Packed with scenes of absurd nature, this story is a fantastic farce, as we follow the ridiculous careers of a pair of salesmen whose destination is dictated by a superior promotion, rather than by their own decisions , it is inter-weaved by the appearance a third character , a rogue and selfish girl . The narration is so filled with colorful characters , nutty comedy, crazy violence mixed with comedy or with surreal elements and an underlying sense of tragicomedy, and it is so excessive and plenty of surprises, one can't help but keep watching, much as it is over the top in many an occasion. The film works on various levels and is constantly reconfigured , however contains some embarrassing , contriving moments and also certain excess . Alex De La Iglesia has created a picture here that in all honesty is very difficult to categorise in terms of genre , as there's a little bit of action , quite a lot of comedy, a good deal of suspense and a host of extreme gruesomeness ; but it does not fit into any one genre very well at all, in truth this is one of the things that makes it good . Acting personnel all do excellent work in bizarre roles. But special notice needs to be made for Monica Cordero for also being quite ridiculously role throughout . Strong performance from three protagonists Guillermo Toledo , Monica Cordero and Luis Varela and excellent plethora of secondaries as Fernando Tejero , Javier Gutierrez , Rosario Pardo, Enrique Villen and a gorgeous Kika Miro . Interesting screenplay Alex De La Iglesia and Javier Guerricaechevarria who usually work united . Atmospheric and glimmer cinematography by Jose L Moreno with a good camera work . Suspenseful musical score by Roque Baños , the soundtrack flows great with the film in every way, and creates fantastic atmospheres in every moment. The motion picture is well directed by De La Iglesia . He's a cool director has got much success as ¨Accion Mutante¨ ,¨Dying of laughter¨ or ¨Muertos De Risa¨ , ¨Baby's room¨ , ¨Oxford murders¨ and ¨Balada Triste De Una Trompeta¨ and winner of several Goyas (Spanish Oscars), however his movies have not yet reached box office in USA, but he has strong followers . Nonsense, ridicule , laughters , absurdity , disturbing scenes .. and many other issues ; you can find everything in this flick . The movie is a lot of fun, especially for those who enjoy surrealist humor . This is without a doubt a thrilling and enjoyable movie to be enjoyed for dark humor buffs and Alex De Iglesia fans.

Ferpect Black Humor

[kasserine · 9/10 · 31 October 2005]

This Spanish film, Crimen Ferpecto, doesn't sound so appealing based on its fairly typical plot. Rafael, a women's department manager at a Spanish clothing store, is a womanizer concerned only with his own personal advancement and achieving what he believes to be a perfect life, is thwarted by Lourdes, a sales clerk in the same store, and a rather unattractive woman, blackmails Rafael into a relationship, after discovering a secret Rafael cannot have revealed.

However, I was pleasantly surprised at how often I laughed out loud. Crimen Ferpecto moves at a fairly quick pace with lots of entertaining situations.

First off, both Guillermo Toledo, as Rafael, and Monica Cervera, as Lourdes are convincing in their portrayals. What makes their performances enjoyable is their mutual ability to create interesting dynamics within their characters. Rafael, is, essentially a boorish lout, yet Toledo manages to make him sympathetic at times especially as his entanglement with Lourdes get more and more complicated. By the same token, Lourdes, the "ugly" sales clerk, proves, as a twist on the character type, to be just as ugly on the inside. They are constantly sparring, as Lourdes tries to rope Rafael into marriage, and he tries to remove her from his life. While amusing, the sparring, as the film reaches its climax, does get a little wearing. The first half of Crimen Ferpecto working better then the latter half.

Also, a standout is Luis Varela as Don Antonio, Rafael's rival in becoming store manager. Without giving too much away of the plot, his character gets a surreal treatment and haunts Rafael as he attempts to deal with Lourdes. I thought some of the interplay between Rafael and Don Antonio were among the best in the film.

Crimen Ferpecto is light entertainment at it's best. It offers some genuinely funny moments that are well conceived and executed. Guillermo Toledo and Monica Cervera also give stand out performances in their roles as Rafael and Lourdes with Luis Varela, as Don Antonio, backing them up admirably.

Absurdist black comedy at its blackest and funnest -- This one will kill you!

[alexdeleonfilm · 10 January 2017]

El Crimen Ferpecto was viewed at the 2006 Valladolid film Festival in Spain. Director: Alex de la Iglesia. Stars Guillermo Toledo and Monica Cervera. A sidesplitter about a skirt chaser who works as a salesman in the women's wear section of an upscale department store and is bucking for the job of floor manager. Rafael is not only the best salesman in the biggest department store in Madrid but an irresistible lady's man whose female colleagues cannot get enough of. His philosophy of life is live it to the hilt and get laid as much as possible. But he is an ambitious go getter as well and aspires to be the new head of sales on his floor. However, to do so he has to beat out Don Antonio a surly veteran top salesman who has much more seniority. The competition between them gets more and more acrid until Rafael accidentally kills Don Antonio in a scuffle inside a changing booth. Lourdes, the ugliest woman in the store, the only witness to the event, volunteers to help Rafael hide the corpse. After much bungling they manage to dispose of the body in the store incinerator. He's now in the clear except for Lourdes who is in love with him and threatens to expose him unless he marries her. No buts and ifs about it!

To save his skin he goes through with a most unwelcome wedding but now he has to figure out a way to get rid of her ... another "perfect crime"? -- as ghastly visions of Don Antonio with a knife protruding from his green head come back to haunt him regularly -- Because of the bungling all around the director purposely misspells the Perfecto (perfect) of the title so it becomes "Ferpecto" -- and the Perfect Crime becomes most imperfect.-A super hilarious black comedy from start to finish with plenty of subliminal social commentary embedded in the madness and deliciously sly rib-tickling work by actor Guillermo Toledo. One of the funniest films I have ever seen and Toledo's Rafael is one for the all-time comic record books. In any case a perfect madcap comedy with a side splitter every other minute. All supporting roles uniformly brilliant, notably Monica Cervera as the unwanted blackmailing bride. A black comedic masterpiece. Ten stars and no complaints.

A wickedly funny and original black comedy/thriller

[mcnally · 9/10 · 11 September 2004]

I saw this film at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival. I knew I was going to enjoy this film from the moment a large rumpled man in a Misfits t-shirt lumbered onto the stage to introduce himself. "Hola, amigos. The person who is supposed to introduce me is not here. I am here but she is not here. She is in the bathroom." Director Álex de la Iglesia had us laughing even before the first frame of his film. While admitting that Ferpect Crime was just about the worst title for a film ever, he told us that this film was about a man who was so obsessed with living a perfect life that it was bound to cause problems. It's no surprise to learn that the director has a degree in philosophy.

Rafael works as a salesman in the ladies' wear section of an upscale department store. He's very popular at work, especially with the ladies, and he's very very good at his job. So good, in fact, that he considers himself a lock for the position of floor manager. But after losing the promotion to his hated rival Don Antonio, things take a turn for the worse and pretty soon Rafael has a dead body on his hands. His only help comes from the one woman he hasn't already bedded, the unattractive Lourdes. Before long, Lourdes has Rafael wrapped around her finger and his life is far from the model of perfection he has always pursued. As the plot thickens, the comedy becomes much darker and the film almost turns into a thriller. There is also a strong element of satire, making this much more substantial than the laughs would indicate. The conclusion ("lesson" seems too strong a word here) is that it's only after we give up our unrealistic expectations of living a perfect life that we can really begin to live at all. But if that's too heavy for you, then go just to see the scene where Rafael goes to meet Lourdes' parents. This film makes me want to see every other film by this warm and wickedly funny director.

(9/10)

A laugh riot

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 19 September 2007]

This is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. Writer/Director Álex de la Iglesia took a simple premise and made a film that never lags in the laugh department. Although he has done well with fantasy in the past, comedy is definitely his forte.

Guillermo Toledo (The Galindez File) and Mónica Cervera were hilarious as a lothario who accidentally kills his rival for manager, and the wallflower who knows his secret and helps him cover it up, only to get rid of all the competition and blackmail him into marriage.

Iglesia's fantasy past comes into play with the victim haunting Toledo, sometimes headless, but always with a big knife in his skull.

Striving for the "Perfect Life"

[pdx3525 · 9/10 · 3 October 2005]

Rafael Gonzalez (Guillermo Toledo), is a salesman in the ladies section of a fashionable department store in Madrid who has it all: good looks, a sharp wardrobe, and a confident, brash manner that allows him to get his way with women and in the workplace.

Rafael has clear goals, too, the most important of which is to lead a "perfect life," and little patience for anybody who settles for less. Such a proud man, of course, is perfectly set up to take a fall and Rafael plunges very far indeed in this hilarious black comedy by Spanish director Alexis de la Iglesia.

Rafael's slide begins when a hated rival, Don Antonio (Luis Varlea), wins a coveted promotion. An argument follows and Don Antonio ends up dead. Rafael's role in the accident goes undetected by the police only because Lourdes (Monica Cevera), an unattractive coworker he has long ignored, helps dispose of the corpse.

Lourdes assistance comes with a price. She has long carried a torch for Rafael and uses the threat of police exposure to get her own "perfect life." She insists Rafael become her lover, meet her parents, and marry her. In short, Rafael is about to be trapped in the kind of dull, mediocre existence he has always mocked.

Watching Rafael try to escape from the world Lourdes plans for him – raising children in a badly decorated suburban apartment filled with clown paintings and spending evenings collecting ugly miniatures -- provides lots of laughter and entertainment and plenty of insights into contemporary Spain. In the end, each character gets what they want – but as usually happens in life itself – there is a clear winner and loser. Highly recommended.

9/10

A simple plan

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 18 May 2007]

Well some plans aren't that simple. But then again, if they were, you wouldn't have a movie, now would you? So this black comedy revolves around a man who's used to be on top (quite literally sometimes) and they show him in that way. A man who starts up on top, can fall down very hard ...

Of course that is what happens here. And there lies one of it's faults maybe (in my eyes). While it was/is very fast paced in the beginning with many great jokes keep coming at you at an unbelievable pace, it feels like it stops after a certain point. The jokes come very slow after that and you're rooting for this anti-hero. At least I did root for him ... Watch it if you like your jokes to be as black as the night!

quickly falls apart

[writtenbymkm-583-902097 · 3/10 · 11 June 2022]

One reviewer asks, "How can anyone not love this film?" Well, not only did I not love it, I mostly disliked it. I gave it three stars because it starts out interesting and sort of grabs you. I really wanted to see what would happen. Suddenly, it all falls apart. Suddenly, it becomes absurd. I wouldn't call this a "black comedy," I'd call it a farce, and not an enjoyable farce. I don't understand what's funny about a guy who accidentally kills someone and then spends most of the remainder of the movie being sadistically blackmailed by a woman I can only describe as a monster. It was way too long, and way too depressing.

Cute Movie/black comedy/satire

[eman007 · 7/10 · 29 September 2006]

I stumbled across this by accident and I am surprised that it didn't get wide release. Its a susbstanially funny movie and satire attacking one aspect of the "average Joe" Raphael (played by Guillermo Toledo) feels he is living the perfect life: working in an upscale department store as a handsome, well-dressed man, who haves sex with all the hot female employees (using the bed sets and the dressing rooms) while most of the other employees respect him. His only problem is a rival salesperson, who gets promoted over him. In a fit of rage, he accidentally kills him and the crime is witnessed by an mousy, unattractive sales clerk Lourdes (Monica Cervera). She vows to keep quiet, if he promises to go out with her. He agrees, but when she realizes she's got him wrapped around her finger, her demands of him increases as she forces him to do the 3 things he hates the most: marriage, settling down, and having children. As he's slowly driven insane by these developments, Raphael decides to get himself out of this rut once and for all.

The film does a great job of skewering salesmen, particularly ones based on commission and the workplace rivalries, politics, backstabbing and etc. Anyone working in or who has been in such positions would sympathize. Home life, marriage and children gets attacked too as one of the funniest moments of the movie comes where he pays Lourdes's family a visit. The best acting in my book comes from Lourdes who's transformation from the shy, meek, clerk, to dominating, conniving woman is great if not hilarious. One wonders if she had this planned all along.

But the problem I had with this one was the running length. Its a bit too long for a movie of this type, and as such, the comedy runs dry as it becomes more of a detective/character study flick, which it isn't really good at. While things end somewhat conveniently (albiet contrived), one wonders if they could've ended it much earlier with a neater ending.

All and all, a nice and somewhat clever and funny little diversion thats worth the rental/viewing.

Light, somewhat underwhelming movie

[bodomo · 6/10 · 24 September 2005]

De la Iglesia has come up with a pastiche of good ideas from pre-existing, classic movies, and stuck them together into "El crimen ferpecto". The gaudy sets and primary colors are a dead ringer for Almodovar movies, the cops with their mannerisms are pure Hitchcock, and the ending is a straight rip-off from Fellini's "8 1/2"---the only missing thing there is Nino Rota's score, although they substituted that by something equivalent.

The result is a movie that you will have a good time watching, but about which you'll forget all 2 days later.

On the positive side, it's a funny dark comedy. On the negative side, it loses *a lot* of steam in the second half, and the numerous imitations of other directors yield a disjointed end result---like expecting to get a working animal if you grab one part (even the best part) from many others and then put them together haphazardly.

not bad, but I expected more

[dcldan · 6/10 · 1 August 2006]

Rafael is a very greed man, he has born to sell and he knows he will triumph in live. He is the boss of the women's section in a shops center, but he wants to become the big boss. Whe he losses in the race for it with Don Antonio, he accidentally kills him, so Rafael becomes the director of the shops center. Everything seems to be perfect, but Lourdes, an ugly and obsessive saleswoman has seen it and starts blackmailing Rafael in order to become his wife. Mad and terrified, Rafael decides to do something to make a plan to throw away Lourdes. Everything has to be "ferpect". After doing so good films as "la comunidad" or "el dia de la bestia" I expected something more from Alex de la Iglesia. THe film is not bad, it has a great rhythm and it is not boring, creating a great and acid parody of the typical society where the only goal is to become rich. The result is not as good as expected, the film is not bad, but it could be better, manly because of the stupidness of the characters, it is clear that we are inside one of the De la Iglesia's grotesques universes, but the story is too absurd, and actors are not reliable. Both of them seem too artificial and not natural, which makes the film much worse. It is funny, but this dark comedy is not as good as I think an Alex de la Iglesia's film should be, I expected something better.

very very good comedy -- not as black as other comments imply

[todd1007 · 9/10 · 30 March 2007]

I caught this movie purely by chance on cable. Without casting too many aspersions on other user comments, there is a slightly different dynamic that makes this movie so enjoyable. While others have purported that Rafa is seeking a perfect life, the much more accurate description of his character is one that is seeking overindulgence in the material (and carnal) luxuries that can be found within the store he works in, Yeyo's. Without Yeyo's, Rafa is nothing, and Rafa knows this. Rafa appreciates, understands, and desires all excesses that can be obtained as a floor salesman, and ultimately, the store manager. So, when his archnemisis, Don Antonio, is promoted ahead of him, on the fickle whims of the store's accountants, Rafa is ruined, as Don Antonio makes priority one to fire Rafa. As fortune frowns on Rafa, he is forced to become compatriot and lover to the store's most miserable employee, Lourdes. Lourdes personifies all that Rafa abhors. But, Lourdes nonetheless makes Rafa hopelessly entangled to her. The true comedy of this movie is how Rafa must continually splinter and sacrifice his love of the grandiose to constantly appease his tormentor, Lourdes. I thought that Monica Cervera was particularly exceptional in her portrayal of Lourdes. Cervera excellently balances the neurosis of Lourdes with her strangulating hold over Rafa. Her embodiment of this precarious character is very believable. Not an easy task. Of course, Rafa's two most humiliating scenes are meeting Lourdes' family, and the wedding scene in Yeyo's. They are both priceless. I found the ending much more entertaining the most. Rafa is able to escape his personal hell, and rebuild a portion of the missing luxury in his life, only to have Lourdes give him one last punishing blow. The mud shower on the street was unnecessary and cliché though. If you catch this movie, give it enough latitude to draw you in.

A weird comedy but funny

[stefanozucchelli · 6/10 · 26 March 2022]

An ambitious salesman pretends to be interested in an ugly woman to get a promotion but she turns out to be a sales wizard. The consequences will be devastating for him. Nice but sadistic comedy.

Hollywood, try to learn!

[Turbominchia · 8/10 · 20 April 2005]

And obviously try not to copy... What about this movie? I loved it! De La Iglesia hit perfectly the target using very well Spanish actors playing style. Spanish language, if well managed, allows movie to get a fast sequence of dialogs and scenes, that fits well black comedy style. I usually like all Spanish movies, that always bring all enthusiastic feelings of the recent country welfare. Spanish society deeply enjoy democratic and rich lifestyle, and Spanish movies communicate its happiness to the world. Raphael character reflects "Spanish dream", i.e. reaching success (such as "american dream") and also deeply enjoy life! Lourdes is a "clichè" of modern Spanish movies: the ugly, determined and sexual woman, who desires to be loved and struggle to obtain it. This movie is another strong lesson to the worldwide filmmakers: you don't need enormous budget to have a great movie: simply pick a good screenplay, good actors and manage all in the right way. Then you have to add some spices: foolish characters (Lourdes family) and grotesque elements (inspector squinting, the accident in Luna Park). Then put all together in the good environment (the shop: a little world that represent all characters life) and you have a magic movie!

Ferpect crime

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 29 September 2006]

Alex de la Iglesia is one of the most daring Spanish directors working today. Right from the start we must confess we don't particularly care for his style in his previous films. With the exception of "La Ciudadela" and this savagely funny comedy, "Ferpect Crime", the others don't measure up to the quality of these two. The director must be forgiven for the excesses of the past. In a way, this film shows a lot of control, something his previous work didn't have.

The result is one of the funniest movies that came from Spain recently. We didn't get a chance to see it in its commercial run, since it didn't last too long in local theaters. The story is a modern fable about what lengths human beings go in order to succeed. Never mind that in order to attain one's goal involves murdering your enemy.

Rafael, a personable salesman at Yeyo's department store, has a rivalry going with Don Antonio, who is also assigned to the same floor. Both men hope their sales will make their superiors value the best and make him floor manager. When Antonio wins, because he discovers an irregularity on Rafael's sales receipts, the losing candidate vows to avenge being humiliated by the other man.

Rafa, who is a ladies' man, doesn't have a clue about to what extent will Leonor go to claim him for herself. Leonor is a rather homely woman who is the epitome of efficiency. She has witnessed Rafa's sexual involvement with some of the other sales women and she happens to be at the right place, at the right time when Don Antonio suffers a fatal stroke. Leonor will stop at nothing, and Rafael must pull away from this woman who wants to own him at all costs. When he does, little does he know what a genius Leonor turns out to be on her own.

The best thing in the film are Guillermo Toledo and Monica Cervera. As Rafael and Leonor, these actors make a wonderful team under the director's guidance. Ms. Cervera reminds us of another actress with a peculiar look in the Spanish cinema, Rosy DePalma, another excellent comedienne. Mr. Toledo and Ms. Cervera are worth the price of the DVD as they are fantastic in the film.

Alex de la Iglesia should stay in this course when directing other film.

Was Lourdes motivated out of love or revenge?

[threeJane · 5/10 · 15 September 2008]

This film has a lot of comments, so I'll confine mine to the character of Lourdes.

The first time we see Lourdes on the escalator we can tell she is going to blossom. She watches Rafael until she sees her opportunity, then blackmails him into loving her. This seems unworkable and indeed it is. How can you blackmail someone and love them at the same time? Sometimes Lourdes seems genuinely in love with Rafael and wants nothing else but for him to return her affections. At other times (particularly when she gets a successful career of her own) she seems only to want to punish Rafael for ignoring her.

I am having my own private Spanish film festival at the moment and it occurs to me that "machismo" is not a Spanish word for nothing. Maybe pure revenge would have been too much of a moral tale. Or maybe it would just not have been Spanish (I can't help thinking of *Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown* when I think of Lourdes unwisely falling for Rafael).

Three things I liked about this film: 1. Rafael is very aware of how shallow he is, but talks of how he will pursue hedonism nevertheless. 2. I loved Lourdes commanding her troops. They were supposed to look ugly but the way Lourdes strode, and high-fived her soldiers lent them a seductive power. 3. Don Antonio's eternally smouldering hair.

Narcissus and the Bride of Frankenstein

[nycritic · 8/10 · 14 March 2006]

Rafael (Guillermo Toledo) is a Casanova and makes no apologies for it. Having worked in retail for a department store similar to Macy's (YeYo's) he is the Lord of the women's section, a male stud who without being dashing manages to sweep the girls who work there -- and clients -- right off their feet and into sublime desire. We're introduced to him via a staging of a botched sale. Two men enter an all-white stage and playact what would be an angry, difficult client wanting to get something and the salesman who doesn't have the skills to handle him. Then it reverts to the man who is head of an unknown company, and his telling of how no wonder their sales are kaput: they've got a total lack of the ability to convince that the product is worth buying.

Enter Rafael. The opening sequence describes all we need to know of who he is. He is a male chauvinist pig who lives in a messy bachelor pad. He struts with the cockiness of a man who owns it all, who's on top of the world. He steals the morning paper from the newsstand and kisses from the passing girl. He aspires to live the high life drenched in luxuries and babes left and right. He works as a salesman at the women's department and has his pick of the lot of the salesgirls, all babes, and the occasional female client whom he seduces into purchasing items from the store. As a matter of fact, to his admission (in a hilarious sex scene) born there: it's his home, who he is.

But he has one enemy. One man who can't stand him and marinates in envy at Rafael's apparent success. Don Antonio Fraguas (Luis Varela) is one of those salesmen who have worked all their lives as such and are next in line, via seniority, to achieve the upper realms of management. He's not a nice person by any standards. If there were any other word to describe him, it would be a stuffed old curmudgeon.

Both Rafael and Don Antonio, on the death of their supervisor, are competing to be the next floor manager. On the morning where the overall sales of both men will determine who rules the floor, the doors are opened and a flood of people storm the store as if the world were about to go to hell. Rafael seduces a woman -- a difficult buyer -- into getting a lovely mink coat as if he were making love to her. When numbers tally up, Rafael comes up the winner. Or so it seems.

A reversal of events take place due to a bad check from Rafael's female client and Don Antonio becomes the floor manager and immediately unleashes his hatred upon Rafael. Things reach a head, Rafael gets fired, they have a fistfight inside one of the fitting rooms... and Don Antonio winds up very dead. And then disappears. And someone knows. And it's the last person anyone would have suspected: the ugly girl whom Rafael has ignored. Lourdes (Monica Cervera). And to top it off... she has an agenda of her own.

EL CRIMEN FERPECTO is a clever comedy in the style of early Almodovar, without the sexual reversals. Where Rafael drives the first half of the story, it's Lourdes who makes a powerful transition from invisible frump to monster who holds the cards that can make or break Rafael. Alex de la Iglesia could have made a much different story in which the meat of the plot would have resolved itself in the course of a couple of nights. However in bringing forth Lourdes as a psycho in her own right -- think Alex Forrest, but likable -- who functions as the one who brings Rafael down to Earth while coming into her own, he turns EL CRIMEN FERPECTO into a tale of crazy feminism that sides with those who are ignored by today's beauty obsessed society. A movie that starts and ends in a virtual bang if it's a little too long here and there, this is a growling battle of the sexes with a delicious turning of tables.

One of the Funniest Movies of the Year

[noralee · 9/10 · 14 October 2005]

"Crimen ferpecto" is one of the funniest movies of the year.

Director/co-writer Álex de la Iglesia carries on the wickedly black comedy tradition of Blake Edwards, Billy Wilder and Danny DeVito. While it is full of social satire -- of consumerism and department stores; of male/female stereotypes, including chauvinist Latin lovers; reality TV -- it is poking fun not polemics.

There's much talk about the return of the "R" rated raunchy comedy with "Wedding Crashers" and "The 40 Year Old Virgin," and with plenty of half-naked women and frequent use of the "F" word this would be a hard "R" if it hadn't gone out unrated in the U.S., but it has little of the sentimentality or atonement that weakens those funny films and I would hate to see that tacked on for a Hollywood re-make. This one is a cheerfully cheeky reprobate from beginning to end, though just about each character gets some kind of comeuppance and revenge in surprising ways.

It intentionally spoofs several genres, even having the lead character watch old movies to get noir ideas that he hilariously enacts, as represented by the spoonerism of the title. References to other movies come and go, from "Saturday Night Fever" to Hitchcock's "The Trouble with Harry," but are irascibly exaggerated for broad humor. While satirizing films with ponderous narration, the voice-overs are very funny as the wonderful Guillermo Toledo, who segues from suave to frenetic, suddenly looks to the camera and asks "Oh no, can you hear me?" Mónica Cervera matches him as his nemesis in surprisingly spirited ways.

The sight gags and pratfalls abound but that just helps to keep the frantic pace up so you don't stop laughing from one crazy situation to the next. Some of the situations do get just too silly, such as a ridiculously bizarre family. The scenes in an amusement park go for the usual laughs in that setting. But the direction emphasizes the humor with zooming close-ups and dizzying movement so it stays laugh out loud hilarious, from belly laughs to chuckles, even when the sight gags have been seen many times before.

The colorful production design heightens the unreality of the department store and shopping mall where most of the film takes place. The competition between the men's and women's clothing sections is as much represented visually as through the characters' interplay.

Another corker from Alex De La Iglesia

[simon_booth · 8/10 · 5 November 2005]

Mining fairly similar territory to LA COMMUNIDAD (secrets, rivalries and suspicions in a closed community escalating to absurdity), CRIMEN FERPECTO is a black comedy that's fairly lightweight and accessible, but still clever and very funny. As with LA COMMUNIDAD, the view of "ordinary people" he presents is rather misanthropic - but affectionately so (if that makes sense). Iglesia has definitely matured and mellowed out since the days of ACCION MUTANTE and PERDITA DURANGO, but his wicked sense of humour remains intact and his films provide more rounded entertainment for not trying so hard to be "out there". CRIMEN PERFECTO rates a little lower than LA COMMUNIDAD, possibly for the sole reason that Carmen Maura is not the star, but it's still well recommended.

Swiftly wears out its welcome

[[e-mail] · 5/10 · 15 July 2006]

This Italian comedy starts out well and prospers until about mid-way through, after the "crime" is committed, when the handsome hero, who is surrounded by gorgeous young women whom he regularly beds, is saved by the ugly (and repulsive) duckling. Thereafter, the pursuit by his rescuer and the hero's attempts to get away become repetitive and increasingly unfunny. I give this movie a 5, and -- in my estimation -- that's exceedingly generous. One thing in the film's favor, however, is that the subtitles are very easy to read. In a lot of foreign films, unfortunately, that is not the case, and although one has a general sense of what's going on, the dialog frequently gets lost if you don't happen to understand the language well enough to follow along.