Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Lea There are plenty enough reviews that summarize the plot and give the synopsis of the story but they rarely ever tell you about the movie itself and why you might like to see it. So, if you want to know what the movie is about read the plot outline, read some of the other reviews or read the back of the DVD box. If you want to know why I think this movie is really good, read on.One of the things I like best about La Cucaracha is that nothing is revealed too soon. Like an intricately folded napkin in a fancy restaurant, the characters slowly unfold their secrets allowing glances at their true selves and in so doing, completely undo their original appearance. It is not until the very end that you know who anyone really is. Eric Roberts gives one of the most engaging performances and plays one of the most likable characters I've seen from him. He gives subtle urgency a whole new meaning. Don't be surprised if you find yourself leaning forward in your seat, your forehead furrowed as you listen to Walter coming clean with his true identity. You may even find yourself rethinking all those assumptions you've made about the people you've met in your past and the things you've done or have yet to do. The rest of the cast is spot on as well. Their characters are all dealing with the deep emotional impact and ramifactions of their own deeds and you feel their pain, you see it etched on their faces. Aspiring filmmakers can learn a lot from this one. The camera work and lighting are so precise that they work as unseen hands in helping the characters reveal themselves to us and each other. Audiences who just like watching a good movie with a good story and interesting characters will love it too. This movie shows the real magic and artistry of film-making.James McManus wrote a really tight story with just enough humour to keep you from being drawn too deeply in the dark depression that is Walter's life. Jack Perez has once again proven his ability to pull an enormous and beautiful rabbit out of a very small hat. For a real treat and one of the best commentary tracks ever made, buy or rent the DVD.

adolph70 Eric Roberts and Joaquim de Almeida. Great actors. This movie has that cool Mexican atmosphere that was apparent, albeit in a different tone, in Desperado, the film that opened my eyes to Joaquim de Almeida.After first viewing, the film seems merely average and sort of lost in little details, but once one goes back to delve deeper into its content, we see a film that can be simply interpreted as a character study, that of Eric Roberts. In that, it is most excellent.If you take the film as that, you will enjoy it immensely. However, if you're expecting a true structure of a film with a solid, moving plot, well then perhaps you may be let down by this one. Whatever, I liked it.

BriGuY-1 All in this was a pretty good film. There were definitely several highlights worth mentioning, namely the solid direction, great filming, Eric Robert's performance, and a unique plot. However, there were two main flaws that forced me to give this movie a 6.5. *****SPOILER***** First of all, Roberts should never have survived that shooting. Did this not bother anyone else? How often do people like Mcmanus's Louis "wipe out" a witness and just assume they are dead. Realistically Roberts would have received a final third bullet just to make sure that he wasn't going anywhere. Secondly, the dialogue was very inconsistent. Although, sharp and funny at times, it became almost silly and unrealistic at others.However, despite these two things the movie was still worth seeing, although it could have been much, much, better if only a few small yet important changes were made.

brobstreperous Hoping to flee a life of all-American banality, Walter Pool (Eric Roberts)begins anew in Mexico with the aim of writing a novel. He only succeeds in becoming an alcoholic loner, as he lacks the drive and verbal polish to become a writer. His routinized escape from routine does take on a new twist when he becomes involved with shady characters who do have drive (a willingness to deceive and kill to meet their ends), and verbal polish (speaking in over-the-top purple prose to justify their crimes.)*La Cucaracha* unveils the hollowness of cultivated words and calculated appearances (e.g. the crime king in Armani suits speaks of the ennobling power of suffering, sheds copious tears and makes spectacular shows of philanthropy); however, actions ultimately reveal character. As Pool, Eric Roberts succeeds in playing a man whose verbal inarticulateness painfully reflects his moral inarticulateness. Even though he can't find his writer's voice, does he still have a voice of conscience? Does he have the will to transform his life through action, whether corrupt or heroic? Not since *Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia* have I seen the "loser in search of redemption in a tragic, corrupt world" theme played so well.Although Eric Roberts' acting is superb (especially the scene in which he finally meets and breaks down before the woman he had so idolized), *La Cucaracha* is definitely not for everyone. There is no morally unambiguous hero, and the violence is somewhat heavy, though not mindless--the consequences of violence are frequently the subject of deliberation and remorse. Some might find the dialogue a bit stilted, although it might be more fairly compared to older noir films rather than the quick, punchy dialogue in a lot of recent crime films. If you like noir, character studies of ex-pat drifters, *and* Eric Roberts (his *Coca-Cola Kid*/*Star 80* caliber performances, as opposed to the *Best of the Best Series*), then this could well be for you.