Customer Reviews

Perdita Durango (Gifford, Barry)

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I did not like this book the first time I read it. It was the first Barry Gifford book that I read and it did not make much sense to me. The next time I read it, I had just finished Wild At heart, and it made so much more sense and was a much better read. Perdita first appears in Wild at Heart, and reappears better drawn in this account of her misadventures in love.

But what does it stand for? It's about people who think they can handle everything -but soon all turn up dead, including Romeo. And it's about Perdita who does not attempt to control her life, not to mention others', just uses life what for it is meant for: living it. She is a survivor, does not look back much (less than the ending of the movie would seem to suggest). Curiously, both the hero and the plot remind me, on a more implicit level, of Anthony Burgess' One hand clapping.

Watching this movie adjectives like 'ridiculous' and 'stupid' sprang to mind. It was heartless, pointless and meaningless. Sure you can just go along for the ride, but if your time is important to you don't waste it watching this. The cast, especially Bardem, does its best but can't save this absurd flick because essentially it's a load of old rubbish. It's derivative of the whole Mariachi/Mex/gangster genre, with a bit of Faster Pussycat, but surely that particular movie niche has had it's 15 minutes in the limelight?