Un oso rojo (2002) Online

This film, to the best of my knowledge, has not had a commercial run in this country. It's director, Adrian Caetano, shows he can do a lot, with a little budget. He has decided to show a seamy part of life among Argentine poorer classes.

At the center of the story we have an ex-con who has just been released from prison after killing a cop in a botched robbery. He has come back to a non existing family since his wife is now living with another man. His daughter, who was a year old when he was incarcerated doesn't even know him.

It is to this world that Oso returns. He wants to be paid the money that his old boss, Turco, owes him, without any luck. He also wants to know his daughter, Alicia, who slowly begins to respond to him. He also would like to have Natalia back, without any success. Oso is doomed from the beginning; his attempts to find a job and go straight hit a snag when he is offered to participate in a robbery by Turco.

At the center of almost every frame of the film we watch Oso's face. Mr. Chavez registers all of Oso's emotions clearly. We see this man that has been hardened by his life in prison going through a new reality in his life. He is a desperate man in search of revenge. The end of the film is ironic, at best, because we realize that Oso, deep down inside, is a man that has reconciled himself with the new situation in his life.

Julio Chavez gives a nuanced performance as Oso. He is a man that projects an animalistic force, even when he is not doing anything. Soledad Villamil, as Natalia, Oso's former wife, is good also. Luis Machin, Rene Lavand, and above all, young Agostina Lage, are perfect in their roles.

Not having seen anything by Adrian Caetano, this film served as an introduction to his work and we look forward for more of his movies because he shows he can deliver.

If this movie reminds you of `UNFORGIVEN', you are not wrong. The main difference is while that was set one hundred and fifty years in the past; this one is the present of many people in South America.

Oso (Bear), the nickname of a big and not particularly friendly guy, is released from prison after ten years. He was arrested, on his daughter's first birthday, committing a robbery where he killed a policeman. His only desires are to reencounter his daughter and collect his share of the robbery, his ex-boss `El Turco' never paid to his family.

Of course, the money and his family does not exist anymore. After such time, his wife got another man and his daughter is unaware of his existence. And his boss expend the money. For several reasons, he accepts another robbery organized by `El Turco'. Betrayal and death will follow.

Oso (as portrayed by the exceptional Argentinean actor Julio Chavez) a man is that knows hell and is used to it. He is a physical person, violent and not very fond of words. His face is tough and terrifying. The kind of guy you will (and must run away) if you ever cross with him. Aside from Chavez, Soledad Villamil as his wife, Luis Machin as the boyfriend and particulary Agostina Lage as the daughter are superb.

However, as many wild animals (and Oso is really wild) he will protect his siblings even if he has to kill for that. He has nothing else to loose, no future, and no fear or remorse. As I said, he has no future but he did not surrender either.

Caetano, never tries to make the character lovable. In one scene he steals from a peasant who refuses to give him money; in another, he beats his wife boyfriend (a poor guy who lost his job and is trying to make a few bucks gambling) because he thinks is bad for his daughter (coming from an unrepentant criminal and killer doesn't look very moralizing).

Oso is the real thing Tom Hanks tried and fail to do in `Road to Perdition'. In one scene with his daughter, she talks about things he does not care or understand, but his face or mask shows a huge effort to reach or communicate with her even when both worlds are impossible to mix.

Aside from the simple story, there is the incredible and moving background of the South American (Argentina in this case) poverty. There are no fancy houses here, walls are not painted or even finished. Mate is the drink or beer (in South America is cheaper that colas) and the houses are so small that one must stand for the other to pass. The catch here is that all those losers and criminals, are product of social situation of jobless families trying to survive in any way they can. So when the movie ends, do not expect the moral redempting American ending. Here, people keep the money even if it was not obtained honestly, because is they only way to survive.

It's the first time I'm going to talk about an Argentinean movie, and I want to make it right. Adrian Caetano comes from the group of the innovating Argentinean directors that emerged some years ago (Pablo Trapero and others). He did the low budget film "Pizza, Birra, Faso", and then filmed some television series, before he came with the idea for "Un oso rojo", a powerful piece of film-making.

This is one of the most realistic movies I've seen in years. People like the characters in the film really live like that in Argentina. And the reason because the main character, Oso, has to do the things he doesfor his family, it's because that's the only way he can manage to help them. He can't get clean, he can't get a good job. He has just got out of jail, and is trying to make things right. He is madly in love with his daughter, Alicia. In one scene, the camera shows a tattoo Oso has, that says "Alicia" inside a heart. His daughter asks him: "Can that be taken away". "No, it can't", Oso says. Alicia replies: "Does it last forever?". "For ever", answers his father.

The other main characters are Natalia, Oso's ex-wife; Sergio, Natalia's actual husband; and El Turco, an old man that owes Oso 4000 "pesos". Then we see the characters wandering in their reality, and it shocks. It shocks to see a father with his daughter in the park, and a woman thinking the father is a stranger. Alicia seems to love her father too, although he keeps lying to her to hide a reality she could know. When Oso gets a job as a Car Driver, he's driving her daughter to school, and she asks: "Is this car yours or you stole it?". She's not stupid, and Agostina Lage shows it in a very convincing performance for a 9-year old girl. Natalia, Oso's wife; she was in love with him, once, not now. Soledad Villamil, a well-known Argentinean actress, plays the role naturally and speaks like her character should. Then there's a television and movie actor, who always does the same character; at least in my opinion. Luis Machín does it again here, playing Sergio, and it suits him great, in the role of a morally destroyed man.

Julio Chávez has the best performance anyway. So strong and powerful, and real; as the whole movie. Honestly, the movie is about him; with his deep feelings, with his love for his family. He would do anything for them; he shows it. It doesn't matter when, how, but he would risk everything. His performance was recognized with the most prestigious awards; and he deserved them all, because he did it superbly. It's in his eyes where you discover a truly focused performance.

The script is real and short. I mean, people don't speak much. The script doesn't need to go deeper, we understand it as it is, because the people in the movie can't talk with deep words; and that's how real it is. Because of the actors, Adrián Caetano has directed the film correctly. The movie has some flaws in terms of edition, but it is not noticeable. Together with "Historias Mínimas", "Un oso rojo" was the best film of 2002 in Argentina.

There are things people should know. In a scene, when Oso is trying to figure out what to do with his daughter, his chief talks to him a guy that works with them and lost his daughter: "Sometimes, if you want the best for your family, you have to stay away"

Un oso Rojo is the best Argentinian film ever, Why? Respect. The movie respects the spectator and is a full emotional ride between Bear trying to make an effort to give her daughter a value. He is a criminal, but he has codes and never will cheat a partner. This movie is the first Urban Western made in my country and is breathtaking. The main actor Julio Chavez gave the performance of his life composing a trouble antihero that fights in his own perspective to be the good guy in the movie. The music is great and the scenario couldn't be better. Adrian Caetano shows us again how to make a true movie about marginality with out low blows and respecting the spectator. Try to see this movie thinking you are an ex convict in a south American country with no skills that the ones the streets gave him. the final scene is one of the best action scenes ever in Argentinian movies. The hero is a man of law in a world of criminals. The bes Argentinian film ever

I saw this movie at the Sundance Film Festival. Knew nothing about it going in, but was quickly drawn in by the absorbing story and the lead actor's tough deadpan -- Clint Eastwood with a paunch. The choices the character makes as the story unfolds are never predictable. He's a great antihero character. And the shootout scene at the end is very clever and funny. 10/10.

Julio Chavez as the Red Bear is a less neurotic Tony Soprano. He's not a mob man, nor does he have a "family" to run, but he is a family man every bit as much as he is a killer.

In fact, other than the brief shootout that shows us why the Bear did a stretch of time right after his daughter's first birthday, the first hour and fifteen minutes of the movie are an intense, moving family drama involving four characters, all brilliantly acted: the Bear, his daughter, her mother, and the weak-willed loser the daughter and her mother now live with.

I could go on about how deftly the film portrays all these inhabitants of a seedy but still charming part of Buenos Aires—people barely getting by, people mostly on the wrong side of the law—but this story is squarely centered on the Bear. Again like Tony Soprano, he has a solid physical presence in every scene—a manly grace and style—even when he's doing something as simple as drinking a glass of beer or smoking his ever-present cigarette. He is dignified, never rushed, as he moves through his world, and yet he reacts with lightning swiftness when threatened or attacked. This is not a man to mess with, that's for sure.

This is not a thriller: it's an emotionally rewarding tale about family and violent crime. It's so perfectly structured, not only will you admire every scene as it unfolds, but in the end you will draw a deep breath of satisfaction at how well they all work together to tell the story. And the music, including the stirring national anthem of Argentina, is gorgeous! Even a children's story about how flamingos got their red legs seems to resonate with this tale of blood relationships—and blood money.

Last but not least, the final shootout is an instant classic: I watched it three times, that's how cool it is.

Don't miss this flick.

In Un Oso Rojo, Adrian Caetano creates a character who can be very destructive and can only be tamed down by his wife and daughter. Oso is a family man whose lifestyle drove him right to prison for a number of years. Upon his return to the outside world, he finds himself wanting revenge from a boss and a renewed relationship with his daughter Alicia. Although these desires are not precisely in line with each other, the director does a great job at capturing the character's two sides, the tender hearted dad and the killing machine. Caetano definitely reaches the hearts of the audience by creating the image of a tough man who has lived a life of mistakes but yet is able to redirect his future. The love for one's family is a major theme which comes about from this character, as it is the force which influences Oso the most when it comes to making the right choices for the right reasons.

The pulpier elements in contemporary Argentinian cinema (eg, the brilliant "Nueve reinas" with its Mametesque antics) meet more kitchen sink oriented films such as "La ciénaga" and "Mundo grúa" - and the effect is quite smashing. Director Israel Adrían Caetano tells us the story of a man who lost everything - but after seven years of prison, Oso ('bear') wants to come back to his wife and their young daughter Alicia. However, Natalia, his wife, is now living with a new man... what does Oso, the criminal, do? The answer is surprising, and no spoilers shall be contained in this short review. With its postmodernist mix of action genres (western especially) and kitchen sink drama, Caetano and his brilliant actors and actresses have created a film that is both socially aware and entertaining.

In this movie the main character, Oso, has just gotten out of prison and his family has moved on without him. He tries to reinsert himself into his young daughter's life despite his wife's opposition. Time and time again, however, he reverts to his lifestyle of crime in an effort to support his family and his wife's boyfriend's gambling addiction and to gain the trust of his former boss so he can get his pay check from the robbery that landed him in jail. The viewer is never truly convinced by Oso's reformed convict act but it is obvious that his love for his wife and daughter drive him to do things to make their life easier. Despite this, the acting and cinematography are great and it is a movie worth watching.

It is a standard movie enhanced by the performances and some dialogs. 'El oso' comes out of prison after having been convicted for armed robbery and homicide , and finds his wife and 10 years daughter in a new family with Sergio. Sergio isn´t passing good times, unoccupied and with debts.

The love of 'El oso' for his daughter becomes almost an obsession, as the idea of repair the time not passed together. 'Is it true you killed a cop?' she ask him. 'Of course is not true. That's a very bad thing to do', is his answer. And he try to collect the money of a previous robbery from some old colleagues. 7/10

"Un oso rojo" is an excellent movie because it has a compelling plot, great cinematography/ editing/ sound, a very believable cast, and an outstanding performance by Julio Chavez (lead actor)... his portrayal of "El Oso" as a tough guy with a good heart and a "code of honor" is breathtaking.

But the main reason why you should go see this movie is that you won't find any of the cliches that -sadly- characterized Argentine films: there are no politics, no melodramatic cheesy scenes, no sex, no nudity, no romance!!!...And the trailer is fantastic (I have to admit is the first time I go see an Argentine movie because I was captivated by the trailer).

What can I say about a film from one of the best filmmaker of the last decade in Argentina? The answer is: ALL. Caetano is a master, but in Un oso rojo only shows that he can manage a cinematogrephic language in an easy way, and that he can build an story with only two or three good ideas. Chavez is like Al Pacino, or better, like Beat Kitano: he goal one of the best interpretation of the argentinian history. A must see for thriller fans.

**SPOILERS**Very, very, very bad movie. And even worse because it's so overrated by critics! The story goes about an ex-convict, El Oso, and his relation with his ex-wife and 10-years-old daughter, Alicia. The plot is really dumb and melodramatic and the ending is just stupid, stupid, stupid. A John Woo-like shooting scene completely desultory with the rest of the movie and... besides...

SPOILER El Oso kills two men with one bullet? Hasn't anyone seen "Raiders of the lost ark" yet? END OF SPOILER

As I said, highly overdramatized, including some stupid hookup where you can see at the same time a school act of Alicia and El Oso killing three people.

It's only strong point is the acting, specially Julio Chávez, one of the greatest argentine actors alive. The rest is crap, crap, crap. See the previous Caetano. I don't like it either, but it has its merits. This is pure crap.

If a movie's success is based on how much you care about the characters in it and relate to them, then this movie is a great success.

This is the story about a recently released convict Oso (Julio Garcia) trying to pick up the pieces of his life on the outside. He was cheated out of his share of the money from the crime he was jailed for and goes to collect it. But the head of the gang he worked for Turco doesn't want to pay and wants him to do another job.

He reconnects with his daughter and ex wife who has moved on with her life.

There was one hole in the plot that bothered me--Oso the main character after doing the second robbery would surely have left finger prints all over the stolen car. It is minor. Obviously you also have to suspend some disbelief when Oso knocks off about a dozen armed thugs outnumbered 10 to 1....but by this time you have gotten to like the guy and champion him on.

Unlike Hollywood in Argentina sometimes crime pays. GREAT.

It is enjoyable and of course its venue BA is fun too.

Last but not least the sound track was quite good. Usually I only notice the sound track when it really bad or good.

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