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| Jesús Castro stars in El Niño |
No Pain, No Gain
Pragda Plot: 2014′s biggest opening weekend figures for a Spanish film, the thriller El Niño (The Kid) by Daniel Monzón (Cell 211) tells the story of two teenagers on the one side, El Niño (Jesús Castro) and El Compi (Jesús Carroza) who want to enter the world of drug trafficking, and two police officers on the other, Jesús (Luis Tosar) and Eva (Bárbara Lennie) who have been trying to eradicate the drug trafficking network for years.
It's Captain Birdseye vs. Speedy Gonzales across the Gibraltar Straits in this slick Spanish drug-caper. Castro, a dead-ringer for a young Paul Newman shines as Niño, usurping three-time Goya Award winner Tosar in the process. Great scenery (Morocco & Spain) and realistic; but the story rings a little too familiar. Niño & Compi form a delightful yet novice criminal pair, "They look like they smoked a whole bundle themselves," but eventually greed takes over, and things quickly get out of hand. More Niño and company (Mariam Bachir) and less cops, and it would be even better. Still, fun to watch.
Grade: B
