Intacto

[unearth]

I searched on the boards for any thread about this movie Intacto and didnt find any. Have any of you seen it? I just finished it thought it was really good. I usually do not like watching movies with subtitles but this one was different and really interesting. Its about luck and these underground gambling circuits. Kind of hard to explain, guess you just have to see it.

[Darth Stujitzu]

Intacto -Spain 2002;

Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's thriller about a betting syndicate in Spain is a fresh and bold attempt in what has become an over-saturated market. The premise is simple, luck can be traded by winning various tasks, the more you win the luckier you become, until you are ready to face the ultimate test of luck.

Tomas(Leonardo Sbaraglia) is the only survivor of a plane crash, as such he is entitled to a substantial payout from the insurance company, the only stumbling block being that Tomas is a wanted armed criminal, now held in hospital under police custody.
Enter the insurance company's settler Fredrico(Eusebio Poncela), who is not all that he seems to be, and offers to help Tomas escape, as long as Tomas becomes his partner in the betting syndicate.
Tomas enters into a bizzare world where the games he is chosen for seem to be based on random luck, the further he progress' the higher the stakes, now Tomas is betting other people's luck that will be intertwined with his own luck. The games are to determine by process of elimination who has the most luck, until only one is left to play the end game.
I found this to be a taught thriller, with great performances and a surprise twist 3/4 of the way through, Max Von Sydow's performance of Samuel is a highlight from the ever versitile and reliable character actor. His best performance is still Father Merrin in the original Excorcist movie, but he steals this movie with a very subtle yet believable performance.
An engaging if not brilliant thriller, but for the most part enjoyable.
Rating 3.5/5