Customer Reviews

Ladron Que Roba A Ladron

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The central premise of the elaborate heist that hold this film together is that, in Los Angeles, immigrants are as invisible to their employers as water is to fish. I can't tell you any more of the plot of this tightly scripted movie than that, lest I spoil your fun. Oh, I suppose I could mention that the good 'bad guys' triumph, though not as you might expect.

The most fun in this film is in the language, and I doubt I'd give it five stars if it were dubbed or if I needed English subtitles. I played the Spanish subtitles, for the benefit of my wife, and in the end I got benefitted also, since much of the dialogue is in dialects that even Spaniards couldn't follow. The heist team includes immigrants from Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Honduras, Argentina, and perhaps other south-of-the-border lands, and they all toss off jokes and oaths in their own style. One funny moment in the middle of the film - very low key, mind you - involves the slang for 'money' in several dialects - lana, cero, plata, efectivo. There are a lot of such throwaway bits, enough to spice up the "Italian Job" structure, the perfect crime.

And there's a heart-warming message for those of us who regard the current immigration from Latin America - both legal and illegal - as another honorable chapter in the American Dream story.

What a great movie! I had no idea what I was going to see--what I got was a totally entertaining burglary caper with bite. Two charming thieves reunite to rob the richest thief of them all--does this remind you of certain movies with 11, 12 and 13 after the names? But the target here has violated the "thieves code" and made a fortune by preying on his own people, selling bogus weight loss, baldness and cancer cures via infomercials to Hispanics in the US. Rather than rely on technical wizardry and professionals, the perpetrators here round up a group of immigrants to pull off the heist, and the resulting fumbling and bumbling are hysterical. On a more serious note, along the way we get a glimpse of life as it really is for newly-arrived Hispanics in the US. I didn't know these actors at all, but I understand they're well-known in Latin America and I loved them--the performances were great and one of the two leads is absolutely gorgeous. The subtitles didn't bother my usually foreign-film-hating husband a bit. I can't recommend this film highly enough--it's light, entertaining fun that leaves you thinking but feeling good. What more can one ask?

What fun! This is one of those flicks you'll walk away from with a big grin on your mug. LADRON QUE ROBA A LADRON (To Rob A Thief) is a 2007 indie, budgeted with not much money, and is in Spanish, but with English sub-titles. It stars a stellar cast of unknowns - unknowns, that is, if you only watch Hollywood pictures. Apparently, quite a few of these cats make their bones in Latin tele-novelas and most have never before done feature films. No worries, though; everyone holds their own. And the lead villain, Saul Lisazo, is outstanding!

So this is a heist film, and an excellent one. Character driven, even socially relevant, it's also pretty damn funny. LADRON... opens with a humorous sequence involving a television infomercial guru hawking his cheesy wares. LADRON...'s director is pretty much a newbie, yet, going by this gem of a sequence, you sense that you're in good hands. The plot centers on two Latin thieves, Alejandro and Emilio, who come to Los Angeles to pull off a heist, their mark being another thief, who happens to be that very same infomercial guru, Moctesuma 'Mocte' Valdez.

Valdez's infomercials, needless to say, are straight out scams. A big reason for Valdez being targeted is that he callously preys on his trusting fellow Latinos, immigrants to America. This really bugs Alejandro and Emilio. Valdez's products don't work and only the most gullible or desperate would even consider them. He sells various hand creams which can either make you lose weight or enlarge your member; there's a magic bracelet which cures arthritis; and, most reprehensibly, there's Agua de Dios (Water of God), which Valdez claims can cure cancer. Alejandro and Emilio have decided: dude must fall.

Suckering the Latino community has made Valdez millions. He keeps his cash loot in a vault in his opulent mansion, and guarded by a state-of-the-art security system and a team of bodyguards. To pull off the heist, Alejandro and Emilio are forced to hire on a bunch of immigrants. Twist is, these immigrants aren't professional grifters. They're day laborers, who must now pick up the tricks of the con. Their lack of expertise in this department tends to aggravate Emilio, a pro's pro. But, even more importantly, it presents the audience with plenty of chances to laugh.

LADRON QUE ROBA A LADRON is an independent venture, yeah, but it does flaunt a bit of a Hollywood feel. As such, this picture speaks to every audience, although it may speak just a tad louder to minorities. One theme presented is that minorities - in this instance, the Latino immigrants - are often rendered socially invisible. Because of their menial jobs (and, yup, their nationalities), they're able to access high-security venues, virtually unnoticed. The two rogues, Emilio and Alejandro, are actually counting on that. So, absolutely, the filmmakers manage to sneak in some social commentary. But they do it with humor, instead of a hammer. The end of the film is a particular middle finger to the Man (the Man, ironically, in this instance, being a Latino himself).

Like all noteworthy heist cinema, we're treated to a slew of nicely realized conventions in the genre. Again, budget considerations dictated that this film won't even come close to, say, the Ocean flicks in terms of glitz, complexity, or technical aspects. Still, what we get is more than adequate. The con is pretty straightforward, yeah, although there is one twist near the end which I didn't see coming. But there's enough audacity on display here, enough clever subterfuge, timely distractions, and reversals of fortunes.

I really think that LADRON QUE ROBA A LADRON is a classic in the making. Yes, it's in Spanish and sub-titled. Trust me, you'll be speedily caught up in the story; before you know it, you'll forget you're reading sub-titles. There are some good laughs and there are big laughs. One instance is the intro of Primitivo, the inhouse accountant; that bit had me giggling like a Frenchman. The good guys are very likable and interesting, with my favorite being Miguelito, the Cuban thespian, and Rafaela, the tomboyish girl mechanic. Ivonne Montero is Rafaela, and, apparently, she's more well known for playing sophisticated, sensuous women. But these women can't possibly be as engaging as Rafaela.

For those who're into special features, the ones here are okay. Several deleted scenes; the inevitable "Making Of" segment; and an audio commentary (in English) by the film's director and by the writer. This commentary generally makes for an interesting listen except for when the director goes off on his self-absorbed "trusting your director" tangents. I think that may be the only negative I can come up with about this dvd.

Go see this one (Man, this review has a weak finish).

It is well directed, the casting is amazing! These are the best of the latin american telenovela and movie scene. Colunga is refreshing and a great actor! I highly recommend this movie to those of you who enjoy movies like "The Italian Job" and the Ocean's movies.

I wasn't expecting an over-the-top melodramatic farce, but once I realized that's what this was, I got into it. Just let yourself enjoy it!

This is a very entertaining, hilarious comedy heist movie. It comes with the subtitles option, but I watched it without the english subtitles and could understand everything. A++; grandes aplausos to the cast and production team. Definitely a keeper for my movie collection. Oh, and a word of warning, don't eat milk duds while watching it. I actually was laughing so hard while watching that I about choked on one.

Heist movies always have some redeemable qualities and for this one the plan to rip off a wealthy Argentinian infocommercial magante is ingenious. The problem is the movie is shot too much like a "made-for-TV" movie and seems to flat, lifeless and by the numbers. The acting is hokey at times and the characters seem like cartoon cutouts. In the hands of maybe a better director this could have been a fantastic caper pic.

This must have been a break out vehicle for some soap stars or maybe the director's girlfriend, because there really cannot be another reason for this movie being made. Awful. A bunch of gorgeous "regular people," like maids and plumbers who look like Salma Hayak and Brad Pitt, are going to rob a really bad dude. The really bad dude is really bad because he steals from ... Hispanics! But wait! (plot spoiler alert) The bad guy swindler has a long-standing history with the leader of the Good Guy Robbers! They were mentored by the same Master Thief but then the bad guy turned... BAD! He gave up "The Code!"

I actually watched this to the end because it was so bad, I just had to keep watching (and there's almost never an actual movie on in Spanish). This was seriously awful. It had the ridiculously hot mechanic girl who never wore skirts (but when she did she looked like a movie star, duh), the silver haired bad guy with chiclet teeth and his 20 year old bimbo wife, the dramatic death of the mentor as he passes on his legacy, the hot nanny, the nerdy guy who has panic attacks. Seriously all it was missing was "a hooker with a heart of gold" to be the biggest movie cliche.

I am really confused by all the good reviews. Is the leader of the good guys Juanes, is that it? Ha.

Very funny, but can't show it to my Spanish II classes because of all the curse words used in the subtitles. Not all those foulest of words was actually said in the Spanish, so why would the translator want to put them into the English subtitles? I am so disappointed!!

* Spanish language sub-titled film set in modern day Los Angeles.

* 2 brothers decide to get back at one of their own (a filthy rich infomercial king) who preys on immigrants most vulnerable to his pitches (for eg. Water of God for cancer victims who can't afford cancer treatment)

* Beautiful people, interesting /colorful / funny characters

* Best described as a "lighter" version of Ocean's 11 or the Italian Job - thematically similar, less sophisticated but much funnier

* Movie has excellent pace - fun to watch