Wild Horses
((CABALLOS SALVAJES))
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Jose ... Hector Alterio
Pedro ... Leonardo Sbaraglia
Ana ... Cecilia Dopazo
Reporter ... Fernan Miras
Rodolfo ... Daniel Kuzniecka
Garcia del Campo ... Antonio Rimau
Natalia ... Cipe Lincovsky
Eusebio ... Federico Luppi
In his second feature, helmer Marcelo Pineyro (whose debut, "Tango Feroz," tops the Argentine B.O. of the past decade), links the fates of Pedro (Sbaraglia), a 23-year-old yuppie exec, and Jose (Alterio), a wise oldster of 70 turned desperado. They cross paths at the upscale financial institution where Pedro works when Jose points a gun at his own head and demands to be reimbursed for a small deposit he made 20 years ago.
To keep Jose from being shot by the bank guards, Pedro pretends to be his hostage. Together they go on the lam with $ 500,000 of Pedro's boss's dirty money and a number of killers on their trail. On their way south, on the lonely road through the pampas, they pick up fellow outcast Ana (Cecilia Dopazo), who becomes Pedro's gutsy love interest.
A young TV reporter (Fernan Miras) also takes off after them, and the media legend of the "Untamables" is born. After giving their loot away, they become popular heroes.
Pineyro makes the well-worn point that the media is fickle as well as superficial: Television, which at first popularizes the trio's cause, soon turns against them. But the solidarity of the disenfranchised people who eke out a living on remote oil fields proves stronger than the media message, and saves their lives. The social theme feels a mite forced and is underdeveloped, but does broaden pic's horizons.
Script was penned by Aida Bortnik, who wrote the 1985 Argentine political thriller "The Official Story." The value of caring for others is affirmed in Alterio's Jose, an anarchist driven by a secret and noble passion. His love of freedom is infectious, as the generous but office-bound Pedro soon learns. Young Sbaraglia (from "Tango Feroz") has the charisma of a sunnier, Argentine Antonio Banderas. Their exuberant joie de vivre bursts from the screen, helping make up for a disappointingly obvious ending.
A major contribution comes from musician-singer Andres Calamaro, whose catchy title song and hip score keep the film moving like a conga line.
Camera (color , widescreen), Alfredo Mayo; editor, Juan Carlos Macias; music, Andres Calamaro; art direction, Jorge Ferrari; sound, Anibal Libenson; assistant director, Gabriel Arbos. Reviewed at Venice Film Festival (Venetian Nights), Aug. 30, 1995 . Running time: 132 MIN.
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