Crónicas

2004 "If It's On TV, It Must Be The Truth."
6.8| 1h48m| en
Details

A suspense thriller about a reporter from Miami who travels to Ecuador in pursuit of a serial killer known as the "Monster of Babahoyo."

Director

Producted By

Producciones Anhelo

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Reviews

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.
UnowPriceless hyped garbage
Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews
HeadlinesExotic Boring
jayamari The film is one of those rare successful examples of how to state volumes about issues by showing characters reacting to events occurring around them. The lack of a complete final statement on the possible innocence of those involved is what as a rich dynamic to the film and allows the story to live after the screen has faded to black. The movie could be put up as an example of how circumstantial evidence is built to show that someone is guilty merely by being present during a terrible act.Director Sebastian Cordero cleverly holds back information even up to the scene when Cepeda, fleeing the authorities, tells a young boy he is sorry for what he has to do. We wonder who the real guilty one is in the story. Certainly we hold Manolo accountable for much of the unrest that occurs in the film given his exposes on the unjust imprisonment of Cepeda, but if Cepeda is guilty of higher crimes, does that give those other characters in the film the right to mete out some vigilante justice?
correcamino I hate to start a review this way, but you have got to see Crónicas. If you like good Latin American films, if you like thrillers, if you like good acting, writing and directing, you will not be disappointed.At first, this film is difficult to watch, given the subject matter of violence against children. Soon it becomes obvious that there is more to it than that, and that is where the hook comes in.One of the reasons the Crónicas is so compelling is that the theme of ambition cuts through the disturbing material.Others have written about this film much better than I ever could, so I will just end by saying that this is one of those films that in my reveries as a lottery winner, I am giving large sums of money to talented young directors all over the Americas.
ltgavilanes Thank you for bringing up the story about the terror that affected many Ecuadorian families. I think the actors did a great job, they were very convincing. I watched the movie with my American girlfriend and she was very moved. However, I am from Edcuador and I lived in Guayaquil when those crimes happened. The real name of the the killer was Daniel Barbosa Camargo and his real nickname was the Monster of the Andes. There were a couple of things that did not match the time frame when that happened. First of all, the flip flap cell phones were not invented then. Second of all, I am willing to bet that the bar where the actors were drinking at, did not have a color TV but an old beat up black and white TV set. I was a little disappointed with the end of the movie. I thought they were going to show at least in writing what happened to the Monster after he was incarcerated like the fact that he was killed inside prison and more than likely tortured like hell before that happened. A very important issue that could have been part of the movie was the fact that at the time there were conspiracy theories, stories about a dark SUV that was picking up the victims and also the theory that there were more than just one killer. Nobody in Ecuador believed at first that such a little fragile looking man like Camargo could have committed all those crimes. I hope that in the future you can make another film and continue with the story in a more realistic manner. I am open for comments if you need my assistance. Best regards.
leilapostgrad Remind me never to be a journalist in South America. Not only are you putting your physical well being in danger, but the psychological trauma must be unbearable! John Leguizamo gives the strongest performance of his career as Manolo Bonilla, a Miami journalist who goes to Ecuador to investigate a serial killer called "The Monster" who has raped and murdered over a hundred children.Cronicas opens with the funeral for three of the latest victims. When a child runs into the street and is hit by a car, the driver of that car, named Vinicio, is attacked by a mob that beats him, douses him in gasoline, and sets him on fire. All the while, Manolo is filming every second of the attack, but he eventually intervenes and saves the man's life.Vinicio is sent to prison where he covers himself in his own excrement to keep from being attacked by other inmates. Manolo offers to help Vinicio get out of prison if he gives him information about "The Monster." Through the power of the media and the sway of public opinion, Vinicio is set free. But has justice actually been served, or has this reporter helped to free a vicious serial killer? Cronicas is dark, twisted, and positively rife with dramatic irony… the kind that makes you want to scream at the screen, "Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!" But the actors never listen, do they?

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