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Set at the dawn of the new millennium, Complot follows a group of agents from an enigmatic government agency called S.E.C.T.O.R. 4 (Special Espionage Corruption Task Operational Resource
). Their mission is to stop a, uhh, complot of mysterious forces to take over control of the world computer systems as a result of the Y2K "bug"; something that stumps them and prompts the above exchange.
But that exchange could also be my thoughts about the whole story as I rewatched this film during the past week because unfortunately, it is a bit of a mess. Trying to follow the footsteps of spy films like Mission: Impossible or James Bond, the film seems to follow a checklist of things to include, regardless of how well they integrate into the plot or how much sense it makes.
The main cast features agents Melissa Nieves and Félix Ríos (Laura Hernández and Manolo Castro), who are reluctantly paired with newcomer Mark Serra (Ricardo Vázquez) after their partner is killed during a mission. One of their goals is to figure out the involvement of FBI computer agent Mónica Ramírez (Yamaris Latorre) in the complot, so of course, Mark has to get, uhh, close to her.
And that is more or less how the film flows, going from trope to trope and cliché to cliché, including an evil leather-clad Bond-like henchwoman, corrupt agents, a missing plane, and a moustache-twirling bad guy sitting in a shadowy office. In addition, the agents actions border in incompetence and many of the subplots are non-sensical, become inconsequent, or are just dropped as the film progresses.
The main cast is comprised of mostly young, up-and-coming actors, but they are joined by some veteran local actors. Most of these veterans know what they're doing, but most of the young ones border on weak. Vázquez and Latorre are a bit cringy, but I did like the banter between Hernández and Castro.
But for all its faults, I gotta commend director and co-writer Raúl García for his confidence in launching a project like this, something that I don't think had been seen in Puerto Rican cinema before. His direction might feel amateurish at times, but there are some little nuggets of flair and panache through the film that make an impression. From several neat crane shots to a continuous shot as our heroes try to escape from a hotel only to be captured outside.
Although most of what I've written seems to be negative, I have to give some props to the film. I remember watching this when it aired on TV back in 1999, and for better or worse, it stuck. To the point that as I was going through several Puerto Rican films this month, I had the "morbid" curiosity to revisit it, and so I did. I might not understand what they're trying to do, but there has to be some right in there.
Grade:
COMPLOT
(1999, García)
Freebie
(1999, García)
Freebie
"You know what? I still don't understand what they're trying to do with all of these."
"That's what we all would like to know."
"That's what we all would like to know."
Set at the dawn of the new millennium, Complot follows a group of agents from an enigmatic government agency called S.E.C.T.O.R. 4 (Special Espionage Corruption Task Operational Resource
). Their mission is to stop a, uhh, complot of mysterious forces to take over control of the world computer systems as a result of the Y2K "bug"; something that stumps them and prompts the above exchange.But that exchange could also be my thoughts about the whole story as I rewatched this film during the past week because unfortunately, it is a bit of a mess. Trying to follow the footsteps of spy films like Mission: Impossible or James Bond, the film seems to follow a checklist of things to include, regardless of how well they integrate into the plot or how much sense it makes.
The main cast features agents Melissa Nieves and Félix Ríos (Laura Hernández and Manolo Castro), who are reluctantly paired with newcomer Mark Serra (Ricardo Vázquez) after their partner is killed during a mission. One of their goals is to figure out the involvement of FBI computer agent Mónica Ramírez (Yamaris Latorre) in the complot, so of course, Mark has to get, uhh, close to her.
And that is more or less how the film flows, going from trope to trope and cliché to cliché, including an evil leather-clad Bond-like henchwoman, corrupt agents, a missing plane, and a moustache-twirling bad guy sitting in a shadowy office. In addition, the agents actions border in incompetence and many of the subplots are non-sensical, become inconsequent, or are just dropped as the film progresses.
The main cast is comprised of mostly young, up-and-coming actors, but they are joined by some veteran local actors. Most of these veterans know what they're doing, but most of the young ones border on weak. Vázquez and Latorre are a bit cringy, but I did like the banter between Hernández and Castro.
But for all its faults, I gotta commend director and co-writer Raúl García for his confidence in launching a project like this, something that I don't think had been seen in Puerto Rican cinema before. His direction might feel amateurish at times, but there are some little nuggets of flair and panache through the film that make an impression. From several neat crane shots to a continuous shot as our heroes try to escape from a hotel only to be captured outside.
Although most of what I've written seems to be negative, I have to give some props to the film. I remember watching this when it aired on TV back in 1999, and for better or worse, it stuck. To the point that as I was going through several Puerto Rican films this month, I had the "morbid" curiosity to revisit it, and so I did. I might not understand what they're trying to do, but there has to be some right in there.
Grade: