Pluskylang Great Film overall

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Pierre Radulescu WARNING: I HAVE MANY SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW: Benny Garcia had left Mexico as a young fellow to find his fortune in US. What happened with Benny during his stay in US nobody told us, maybe it was good, maybe it was not so good, suffice it to say that after twenty years they deported the guy back to Mexico. To be again home after so many years had its charm, there were the guitars and sombreros, and all the good stuff, plus Benny had the gringo experience, which meant he was able to ride on both worlds. Not exactly, as the gringo experience proved kind of confusing in what he found home. His younger brother had been killed and he had to find the authors and take revenge, actually killings looked very common, the brother's girlfriend, Guadelupe by name, was making ends meet as a prostitute at Café México, her son was rising up as a loose cannon, plus Benny was irresistibly attracted by Guadelupe (who was terribly hot, no question about). Was that the hell or what? A childhood friend helped him adjust. The hell was rather a paradise, provided you were in the gang of Don Reyes. El Infierno was El Paradiso, more exactly El Narco (that was the definition of paradise: being in the narcotic business). All you had to do was to execute the orders of Don Reyes (including to kill now and then), and you had plenty of money, plenty of drinks, a big car, any women you wanted, the order you had them was your choice. Wasn't that splendid? Everybody, the mayor, the police, the priest, all the others, were under the authority of Don Reyes. Well, it was also the rival gang, of Don Pancho, the two bosses were actually brothers, and the war between them had ups and downs, sometimes it was hot, with mutual killings and disfigurement of victims, some other times the war was put on hold. All this was keeping the men in that village very busy. The kids dreamed to enter one of the two gangs, as for the women and old men, it was another story, they weren't living in the paradise, rather in limbo, and sometimes they were unexpectedly shot for unknown reasons, because also the limbo had its rules.And pretty soon Benny found out that the paradise was just a stage to hell, nobody could remain in the cards for too long, for each one the bell was ringing and the turn was coming to be tortured, disfigured, then killed. Hell and paradise mocking each other, playing a common black farce, for what was life other than a black farce? The movie stirred extremely controversial reactions in Mexico, for obvious reasons. As the whole movie had not been enough, by the end Benny was shown coming to the Mexican Bicentennial celebration and killing everybody from the official tribune (Don Reyes surrounded by all authorities of the village). Thus many protested against El Infierno saying it was profoundly unjust and unfair to depict their country as a grotesque caricature. Luis Estrada (director, writer and producer) defended his movie, saying that, firstly, a caricature was just a caricature, secondly, a caricature was a very legitimate artistic approach, like all other legitimate artistic approaches, thirdly, he agreed that obviously not all Mexican society was made of drug dealers and corrupt politicians, while this Mexican society had to be aware about the serious problem of having so much criminality and corruption in their country, all these leading to the conclusion that a grotesque caricature was sometimes necessary for its cathartic effect.I'm just wondering how would I react against a movie depicting in this way my own country. Honestly I wouldn't take it easy at all, but my reaction against it would prove the power of the message. An artist has the duty to say the truth he believes in, with all risks, even with the risk of stirring ardent passions against him. Luis Estrada is politically intense and his movies cannot be but politically intense. His extreme sarcasm calls in mind the movies of Berlanga, and generally the Spanish and Hispanic-American movies are often very tough.I would add to all this that the value of a movie cannot stand only in what it speaks to its country; it should go beyond and transmit something universal. I think this is the case with El Infierno. It's the drama of returning to your home after many years and realizing that for everybody there you look like an ostrich joke, because that's what you are. It's the tragedy of having illusions till you realize that your life is just a black farce. It's a parable saying that our whole world became a hell in all respects.

yo_vole_t44 When it comes to "El Infierno" I have to say that is a very sad movie. Why? Because it shows a very sad reality of my beloved country, myself, as a Mexican, think that the movie portrays something that is affecting Mexico in very brutal way. I gave it a 9 because din't like the rating they gave it here ("C", which would be almost a NC-17 in the US) and I would like have taken my teenage boy (as a "R" rated movie) to show him what could happen to him or to any family is he or any of his junior high friends take the easy road, and also for the two pointless sex scenes it shows. I really hope they screen this movie in the US. For those retractors (no racists or anti inmigrannts) of Mexico, Mexicans, or the violence situation we have, or just plain rednecks that don't or want to understand, It would give a you a little idea of why this is happening. Anyway see this movie and think about it.

sgbreton77 I just got back from watching this movie, and I feel like a just got a beating, unfortunately, it's a beating of reality, and it's not pretty.First of all, it's a raw human drama that grabs you right from the beginning and doesn't even let you breath right until the end. It pretty much portraits the dark side of the human soul: violence, corruption, greed, murder, revenge etc. everything under the sad reality of the narcos and drug trafficking in Mexico. It's interesting that you see this from the point of view of the narcos. And it even has the virtue of using some dark humor that doesn't make the viewing more comfortable. Script, production, cinematography and acting are wonderful, especially Joaquin Cosio, absolutely brilliant (no wonder why he was picked as one of Bond's villains in Quantum of solace). I found valuable the fact that it is a hard criticism to the government, the authorities, the police, the justice system, and not just the actual ones, but the ones we've had in the past 80 years, and that, in a way, it's a slap in the face to the celebration of the 200 years of independence. That said, it has to be understood that it reflects only a part of Mexico's reality, though it's a brutal one. Just like after watching City of God you can't assume that Brazil's whole reality are the favelas, the same way it'd be wrong to assume that Mexico is just narcos killing each other. Powerful and brutal, not an easy watch, but, in my opinion a must see for any movie fan.

sergio_ortega This is a picture of Mexico's reality: drugs, violence, corruption and zero opportunities to people. Estrada is a no-fear director that shows what are happening in my country, he told about corruption in police corps, army, politicians inclusive with president Calderon y former's presidents, the church (catholic) has a important role in the film. Damian Alcazar is a warranty, Joaquin Cosio, Gomez Cruz, Maria Rojo, Salvador Sanchez all of them great actors that make a brilliant movie. The story is about Benny Garcia (Alcazar) a deported Mexican who found his town worst than ever, without job and no money he was introduced to mob group by his best friend Cochiloco (Cosio). Love and violence, loyalty and human feelings is mixed in this picture. Congratulations to Estrada for his courage to say the things like are in a country like Mexico.