Review of Justi&Cia

Alex Angulo is probably one of the best actors in Spanish cinema. His tragic and untimely death has made Justi&Cia the last film in a fantastic career that spans across three decades. Casting Hovik K as the main character was definitely a great choice, and the premise couldn't be more contemporary or interesting. However, the film doesn't hold together, or at least it didn't to me. I really wanted to now this two characters in depth, but I never rooted for them that much. There are some road movies out there that bring you so much into the life characters that you feel waking out of a dream when the credits roll. I didn't feel that in this case. The dialogue - aside from solid lines like "me has engañado! - sí... qué se siente?" felt swallow and cliché. There are definitely some great scenes like the closing shot or the dildo-torture that move or amuse you (in that order!) but overall I can't say that I watched a good film, let alone a great one. It is a shame, because as I stated above, the premise and casting was top-notch, but to me it somehow did not deliver. It may also be that the tragi-comic game doesn't engage the audience enough i.e. Justin's plan is realistic, but it's not conceivable that they manage to drive through the whole country uncaught... especially when the press dubs them "the justice miners" whilst Justi the Miner's face and all the accident-related matters is still on TV. Little details like the petrol station guy pulling up a shotgun straight out of Doom 3 doesn't help either.

I am sure Ignacio will go on to write other great stories; I am sorry that this one didn't cut it for me, and that that was Alex's last film, especially after masterpieces like El Dia de la Bestia, probably the only other big film in which he was the main character.