Ад (2010) Online

"El Infierno" is a satirical approach to the actual social situation of Mexico. This movie was released few days before of The Bicentennial Independence Day celebration. That fact gives a plus to this movie because it shows in a "funny" way how brutal the reality in this country is. Director Estrada wants to show that there is nothing to celebrate in a Nobody's land, where the law is made for those to have the money to corrupt a whole system. "El Infierno" shows not only a harsh present, but also a hopeless future.

The main topic of this movie is, of course, drug-trafficking; but, in this case, is only a pretext to show that drug-trafficking is not the problem itself, because it is only the consequence of a very long "tradition" of arrangements between mafia and government. The most characters in this movie were very well performed. I said the most characters, because Maria Rojo's performance was not so good as the other actors. This movie is easy to see and although it contains brutal violence it will be never so brutal as the headlines at the daily news.

I just got back from watching this movie, and I feel like a just got a beating, unfortunately, it's a beating of reality, and it's not pretty.

First of all, it's a raw human drama that grabs you right from the beginning and doesn't even let you breath right until the end. It pretty much portraits the dark side of the human soul: violence, corruption, greed, murder, revenge etc. everything under the sad reality of the narcos and drug trafficking in Mexico. It's interesting that you see this from the point of view of the narcos. And it even has the virtue of using some dark humor that doesn't make the viewing more comfortable.

Script, production, cinematography and acting are wonderful, especially Joaquin Cosio, absolutely brilliant (no wonder why he was picked as one of Bond's villains in Quantum of solace). I found valuable the fact that it is a hard criticism to the government, the authorities, the police, the justice system, and not just the actual ones, but the ones we've had in the past 80 years, and that, in a way, it's a slap in the face to the celebration of the 200 years of independence.

That said, it has to be understood that it reflects only a part of Mexico's reality, though it's a brutal one. Just like after watching City of God you can't assume that Brazil's whole reality are the favelas, the same way it'd be wrong to assume that Mexico is just narcos killing each other.

Powerful and brutal, not an easy watch, but, in my opinion a must see for any movie fan.

Estrada's "El infierno" is a must see movie. Estrada has come back again in force from La "Ley de Herodes" (Herod's Law). In that movie, Estrada made a well depicted view of Mexican society in the late 1990s and we couldn't get worse back then. How wrong we were: It has. The satire portrayed in El Infierno shows how we are really at the gates of hell in a civil war that nobody wants to see or acknowledge. The movie has spectacular shots of the San Luis Potosi Desert that serve as a framework to develop all the memorable characters in the film, like Damian Alcázar Benny that transforms itself from a naive character to a ruthless hit man; or Joaquín Cosío (Cochiloco) both salvage and family man. Even with the pessimistic mood and end message of the film, it is commendable that has been partially financed by public funds and that is having a well-deserved attendance in commercial theaters. Highly recommended.

This is by far one of the most intense, realistic and utterly depressing portrait of Mexican reality nowadays. Given the fact that this film was released as part of the Mexican Independence Bicentennial, it is a slap in the face of the society, the government and the organised crime. Its tag line says it all: "Nothing to celebrate".

With much of irony, black comedy, and criticism, it disses everybody and everything: from the corrupted government institutions of a failed state, to the hypocrisy of a rotten Catholic church, to a de-humanised and selfish society. This film accurately reflects the current situation in Mexico. And it does with such mastery and accuracy, it shocks the viewer.

Best Mexican film this year by a wide margin. And one of the bests of all time.

I assure you that this movie's legacy will still be talked about in decades to come. Certainly, the sole fact that this movie came to be speaks wonders of how great cinema can be made in Mexico, together with its box-office companion, "Hidalgo".

There is a little something for everyone: emotional dilemmas, intellectual reflection, and scenes so well composed that they're worthy of being shown in film schools. For the general public, the tasteful black comedy, the strong symbolic images, as well as the numerous occasions it gives for yelling "burn!!" (or "pedradas", in Spanish) will be the most memorable.

The ideas behind the making of this movie are definitely genius, but it still should be taken with a grain of salt. It is a very simplified view of the lower levels of the narco industry, as it only portrays the case of how a small rural town, with typical small-town values and small-town conservatism, is affected. The movie has been warmly received by the Mexican public, who after only seeing the consequences of this battle against narco forces, have no idea of what this narco business really is about, and crave any type of inside scoop they can get their hands on.

This movie presents what feels like great insight in an easily digestible way.

This synopsis of the drug wars in Mexico is a dark comedy which makes it watchable but also sad.

La vida no vale nada (life has no value). Is the theme of the characters and by implication most of Northern Mexico. And the here and now because of this drug money fueled nightmare is el infierno (hell) (original title).

Obviously the story is written for comical effect and the gangs made funny (they would assuredly not be in real life).

It is a digestible way to sum up a lot of truths. Social commentary comedy?

Very well filmed gives balance to the Telenovela versions of this conflict like El Hombre De Los Cielos etc...

I recommend this movie highly for any audience. You will look at Mexico differently.

This is a picture of Mexico's reality: drugs, violence, corruption and zero opportunities to people. Estrada is a no-fear director that shows what are happening in my country, he told about corruption in police corps, army, politicians inclusive with president Calderon y former's presidents, the church (catholic) has a important role in the film. Damian Alcazar is a warranty, Joaquin Cosio, Gomez Cruz, Maria Rojo, Salvador Sanchez all of them great actors that make a brilliant movie. The story is about Benny Garcia (Alcazar) a deported Mexican who found his town worst than ever, without job and no money he was introduced to mob group by his best friend Cochiloco (Cosio). Love and violence, loyalty and human feelings is mixed in this picture. Congratulations to Estrada for his courage to say the things like are in a country like Mexico.

When it comes to "El Infierno" I have to say that is a very sad movie. Why? Because it shows a very sad reality of my beloved country, myself, as a Mexican, think that the movie portrays something that is affecting Mexico in very brutal way. I gave it a 9 because din't like the rating they gave it here ("C", which would be almost a NC-17 in the US) and I would like have taken my teenage boy (as a "R" rated movie) to show him what could happen to him or to any family is he or any of his junior high friends take the easy road, and also for the two pointless sex scenes it shows. I really hope they screen this movie in the US. For those retractors (no racists or anti inmigrannts) of Mexico, Mexicans, or the violence situation we have, or just plain rednecks that don't or want to understand, It would give a you a little idea of why this is happening. Anyway see this movie and think about it.

As a Mexican who lives in México I have to say that it is very different to read the stories about crime, death, drugs, etc. in the newspapers than watching this film that put names and faces to the people involved in this kind of lifestyle. Some of the reviewers are very offended with the stereotypes in this movie, but it is undeniable that this movie portrays just one piece of reality about a part of our society. The offensive part should be that the rest of us live our lives normally without thinking about these things. It seems that many of us live in a different country, so far from this hell, and this movie is a great remainder of the problems we have as a country. I think that many of us are indifferent to these problems; we do not even imagine that this "war" affects all of us. I have read some reviews in which the way of telling the story is questioned and criticised. Many people think that the comedy is unnecessary, that it is a safe and easy way to say this kind of things, but I wonder if people are ready to pay to watch a film that does not involve comedy or any kind of humorous situation... sad but true, our TV and cinema culture is pathetic. Good for Luis Estrada, not everything is tequila, mariachi loco, spring break and telenovelas in México.

This movie shows the reality of corruption, church and drug traffic but don't make it sound like everyone in Mexico is a slave to this. What the director did was focus on some drug trafficker and what he moves up his cartel's ladder but Mexico is just like all of the countries in the world, there are opportunities for everyone who really looks for them and the people in general are not dehumanized they are scared by what they see in the news and what they see in papers which is only the bad news. In all the time I've been here I have only heard s h i t in the news and what people say they heard. Sure the economic crisis hurt the people but that's everywhere not just in Mexico. This is a good movie but don't be a victim and say it's a sad reality, instead do something about it, demand the government what you want because in the end the people have the power to do anything.

This movie from Director Luis Estrada, who ten years ago made "La Ley de Herodes", now surprises us with a film that is both funny (in a very dark way) and sadly real, about one of the biggest problems our nation is facing nowadays: The narcotraffic and the violence derived from it.

It follows the story of Benjamin García AKA "El Benny" (a very good as usual Damian Alcazar), who comes back to his town after 20 years living in the USA as an illegal, just to see his already impoverished town even worse than how he left it, now under the Drug War, at first he doesn't want to get involved in that business, but then sees it as an opportunity to make big money and then come back to the Staes, a dream tat soon becomes a nightmare.

If you get the chance to watch it I recommend it just to understand the roots and development of this cancer, that being honest, is as much USA's fault as Mexico's, cause the Americans are the main consumers and their government has done little to nothing to reduce consumption.

While watching El Infierno, and despite the fact that I was laughing out loud, I couldn't help to be really depressed. Here is a movie that depicts a reality that thousands of people live every day, towns that have been devastated by the drug cartels, corruption by the authorities of the highest rank and perhaps the fact most difficult to bear, that with drugs you can get rich and have sex and luxury, even if you have to sell your soul and life in the process. All the actors hit the right mark, specially Damian Alcazar (whom is Luis Estrada's muse, first appearing in the equally compelling and sarcastic "La Ley de Herodes") at the beginning as a naive assistant, and then as a ruthless assassin capable of anything but betray family. We Mexicans have the curious ability of laughing of ourselves and our misfortunes, but Estrada show us the limit. We know that this happens for real in practically all the northern states and even though, we can laugh and enjoy the sarcastic commentaries, the jokes at the expense of corrupt politics and even the depiction of a controlling wife and mother (that is a given in Mexico: matriarchy) This is not to say that I didn't like the movie, it is flawless, entertaining and very, very real. Every person in Mexico should watch this movie although it is a little violent.

I enjoyed this movie, but I have yet to see a film show the depth of narco-violence in full honesty. Many related films (e.g. Infierno, Coyote, Sicario) touch on it, but they pull back always, and right when realism calls for naturalism (i.e. Today, a "simple" gun execution is considered a merciful fate; decapitations are a manner of death and do not occur after death). For instance, Infierno would have been a far different film had the Zetas been presented (although they are alluded to when Reyes gets help from the City of Reynosa). One has only to view how Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel compete with decapitation videos to understand that while Infierno has moments of suspense and horror, it does not create an overwhelming sense f dread.

Well acted and photographed otherwise.

This makes movies like Scarface look second rate. It's well made and high quality. The subject matter is impressively dealt with, though there are no surprises for those that know the subject.

The characters have real warmth, even though the events are presented in cold, brutal fashion.

Most movies about the drug wars have a small Latino element. They assume the person watching has never heard of Mexico, they have clichéd characters and information overload so the movie-goer is 'educated'.

The story packs in quite a lot, but in a relaxed style.

It's probably one of the most believable gangster movies ever made. The characters are well developed. They never apologise for what they're doing, but they're aware of what they're doing.

Worth watching before if you're about to snort cocaine. Just to see where your money goes.

As many of you may know, México is celebrating 200 years of Independence, and 100 years of Revolution.

Nothing has really changed. "Hell" displays perfectly the truth about Mexican society and the hypocrisy of local authorities, church, and most of all, federal government.

To be honest, the movie parodies the reality about Presidente Felipe Calderon's war against organized crime. It tells you everything about it. Like how local authorities are bribed by criminals in order to let them "work", how police commits crimes, and how drug traffickers "manage" their business.

The story is sad but true. El Benny (portrayed brilliantly by Damian Alcazar) just wanted to work in a decent manner but trouble and necessity made him turn into crime.

The Director does a great job. The movie looks grainy (like in "Traffic" or "La Ley de Herodes") thanks to a great cinematography. The soundtrack is made up of the infamous narcocorridos. Decent editing and art direction. Perfect display of the northern zones of the country that limit with the USA borderline.

Incisive and witty dialogs, plenty of humor, good violence (in the likes of Robert Rodriguez); and endearing characters. There's a lot to dig from this movie.

Each character in the movie displays a specific situation about Mexican society. For instance, the Reyes brothers dispute the zone in order to distribute the most drugs and dirty business. El Cochiloco (brilliantly played by Cosio and by far the most likable character) is a man who knows what poverty is. Suddenly, he becomes rich and wealthy but at a high cost...

The rest of the characters are mostly ignorant and their desire is to be a drug lord. Sadly, that's how things are in actuality.

Watch this black comedy in order to understand the repercussion of the war against drugs.

This is a great movie, better than inception, better than machete, and better than the expendables, even better than avatar, is pure sex, drugs, and narco music, is funny as hell, the acting is great, the scenarios are great, the beautiful girl Elizabeth Cervantes is beautiful, you will fall in love with this movie, great director.

This kind of satirical and humor reminds me Emir Kusturica's films, the cast of this film is full of actors that know what they are doing, all details in this movie are perfect and it has good cameos.

This is a controversial movie, it has some blood, some guns, some nude scenes, mixed in the perfect way.

I think that is an excellent movie, the acting and the direction are great, but the only part that I hate about the movie was the way that the director and the writer shows Mexico, with skinny cows and ugly dogs and a horrible town that almost there are anymore, thats not Mexico, we have cosmopolitan cities like Monterrey, Guadalajara, DF, and we know that we have a lot of problems with Narco and violence, but that is not a good image of Mexico in the world in the way that they make this dark humor comedy. I like the director is like the 2 part of "Herodes Law" that was excellent and it was with Damian Alcazar, one of my favorite actors, Elizabeth Cervantes I haven't see her before , is a surprise she is very good actress and very sexy about the rest of the cast there just great!!!!

Many of my acquaintances did not watch this film accusing it of trying to "justify" the path of a narco or of being "another film of violence", something that at this moment perhaps they are already tired of watching.

But I didn't see any of this: In "El infierno" I saw a film with a very careful rhythm (Luis Estrada has improved) that enters a world of violence that is the daily reality of many Mexicans. Like others, I started the film laughing, I ended up almost shivering. Humor, which can be criticized by telling such a story, is an effective way of making the world in which Luis Estrada introduces us bearable, exposing with simplicity and realism situations that are more complex than they can sound and where everyone plays their part.

Luis Estrada, hand in hand with Damian Alcázar presents us with a third film that we didn't think possible in Mexico, where things are called by their name and make us think about what we have got or can get at.

WARNING: I HAVE MANY SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW:

Benny Garcia had left Mexico as a young fellow to find his fortune in US. What happened with Benny during his stay in US nobody told us, maybe it was good, maybe it was not so good, suffice it to say that after twenty years they deported the guy back to Mexico. To be again home after so many years had its charm, there were the guitars and sombreros, and all the good stuff, plus Benny had the gringo experience, which meant he was able to ride on both worlds. Not exactly, as the gringo experience proved kind of confusing in what he found home. His younger brother had been killed and he had to find the authors and take revenge, actually killings looked very common, the brother's girlfriend, Guadelupe by name, was making ends meet as a prostitute at Café México, her son was rising up as a loose cannon, plus Benny was irresistibly attracted by Guadelupe (who was terribly hot, no question about). Was that the hell or what? A childhood friend helped him adjust. The hell was rather a paradise, provided you were in the gang of Don Reyes. El Infierno was El Paradiso, more exactly El Narco (that was the definition of paradise: being in the narcotic business). All you had to do was to execute the orders of Don Reyes (including to kill now and then), and you had plenty of money, plenty of drinks, a big car, any women you wanted, the order you had them was your choice. Wasn't that splendid? Everybody, the mayor, the police, the priest, all the others, were under the authority of Don Reyes. Well, it was also the rival gang, of Don Pancho, the two bosses were actually brothers, and the war between them had ups and downs, sometimes it was hot, with mutual killings and disfigurement of victims, some other times the war was put on hold. All this was keeping the men in that village very busy. The kids dreamed to enter one of the two gangs, as for the women and old men, it was another story, they weren't living in the paradise, rather in limbo, and sometimes they were unexpectedly shot for unknown reasons, because also the limbo had its rules.

And pretty soon Benny found out that the paradise was just a stage to hell, nobody could remain in the cards for too long, for each one the bell was ringing and the turn was coming to be tortured, disfigured, then killed. Hell and paradise mocking each other, playing a common black farce, for what was life other than a black farce? The movie stirred extremely controversial reactions in Mexico, for obvious reasons. As the whole movie had not been enough, by the end Benny was shown coming to the Mexican Bicentennial celebration and killing everybody from the official tribune (Don Reyes surrounded by all authorities of the village). Thus many protested against El Infierno saying it was profoundly unjust and unfair to depict their country as a grotesque caricature. Luis Estrada (director, writer and producer) defended his movie, saying that, firstly, a caricature was just a caricature, secondly, a caricature was a very legitimate artistic approach, like all other legitimate artistic approaches, thirdly, he agreed that obviously not all Mexican society was made of drug dealers and corrupt politicians, while this Mexican society had to be aware about the serious problem of having so much criminality and corruption in their country, all these leading to the conclusion that a grotesque caricature was sometimes necessary for its cathartic effect.

I'm just wondering how would I react against a movie depicting in this way my own country. Honestly I wouldn't take it easy at all, but my reaction against it would prove the power of the message. An artist has the duty to say the truth he believes in, with all risks, even with the risk of stirring ardent passions against him. Luis Estrada is politically intense and his movies cannot be but politically intense. His extreme sarcasm calls in mind the movies of Berlanga, and generally the Spanish and Hispanic-American movies are often very tough.

I would add to all this that the value of a movie cannot stand only in what it speaks to its country; it should go beyond and transmit something universal. I think this is the case with El Infierno. It's the drama of returning to your home after many years and realizing that for everybody there you look like an ostrich joke, because that's what you are. It's the tragedy of having illusions till you realize that your life is just a black farce. It's a parable saying that our whole world became a hell in all respects.

I was truly expecting a movie with guts, but instead I saw the same 1930's stereotypes of Mexican life, hopelessness and despair, alcohol, drugs, poverty all in a somber scenery of backward never advancing, ignorant, supposedly clever plot that finds any excuse to use expletives and show the macho role at its most mundane. There are certainly many realities sampled in this film, but it paints with a broad brush over the vastness of a country that for all its defects has provided for millions. I'm truly disappointed with El Infierno's view that in Mexico there is nothing more than drugs, violence, corruption, etc. But there is no view of the fact that there are people with jobs, there are people that have a head for business, there are so many examples that are clearly cast off. My opinion that this is reminiscent of films from the 30's is in regard to photographic aspects of the film, it seems that in Mexico we don't ever plaster any walls and that we can either only live in hovels or haciendas. There is always a fat corrupt politico and only brown skinned children suffer. As a Mexican I am truly offended that for all my efforts of getting up early to go to work and not falling into the category this film assumes is my reality, it is truly sad that this type of garbage is out there representing my country.

If there is one thing true about this movie is that everything flows through corruption, even the Mexican film industry. This film shows nothing new, (it only reasserts the fact, regardless of the plot, that people only want to watch bloodshed and a bit of soft porn, and even that, the easiest task, is poorly achieved considering the crimes drug-lords have done through this past decade; I can assure that its not out of consideration to the victims family) on the contrary, it distracts the viewer from what is really important and tries to soften it with bad and harmful jokes. Drug-lords are not like this movie shows them, there are more than 2 links between drug-lords and small-time drug-dealers. No one could change so easily between sides. And the ending is nothing more than old fashioned political propaganda; to any viewer Mexico would seem like the 1940's, fat corrupt officers, drug-lords sons of bitches, whores in every town. The filmmakers only watched the news for a couple of days and believed they know how everything goes, Mexico is really worse than that.

El Infierno is probably one of the best Mexican movies i've watched in a long time, it has lots of shocking scenes but they seem to be less shocking because of the comedy context. Anyway, the film depicts a terrifying reality in Mexico, and furthermore the director did also made focus on the international aspects of the situation, so it's also a critic not only to the corruption in Mexico but the international corruption.

On the other hand, actors are OK, they're not outstanding, but they did a great job to be a film from a country that doesn't have a strong film industry, the only bad thing in the movie is probably that the plot doesn't get to develop very well, so it gets kinda messy at the end. And i think it shows more a question rather than an answer to the problem.

I am a Mexican citizen in my forties and avid film viewer. After watching "El infierno" ("Hell" in its original title), I am left with mixed feelings. On the one side, I was depressed to see some of the worst of Mexican reality on screen. On the other I think this is a *good* movie. Another reviewer pointed out that some scenes of this film are worth being taught in film schools. I agree. The director, Luis Estrada, chose his locations well and camera work is impeccable. Casting is spot-on and performances are good, especially Ernesto Gómez Cruz, as a ridiculously unbelievable Drug Lord, with good supporting performances throughout. Estrada has obviously studied contemporary masters and it shows: If you look closely you'll see the legacy of Leone, Tarantino or Scorsese here. A final warning: if you are a native Spanish speaker, but not a Mexican, you may feel lost watching this: Mexican slang and swearing are ubiquitous, and I am afraid some of the (dark) humor may not be understood or get lost in translation. However, don't let that stop you from watching this intense, violent, but ultimately interesting film.