Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Spanish Hustle


El Lobo (The Wolf) is a film based on the true story of Mikel Lejarza.

Lejarza
was a Spanish Intelligence Service agent who penetrated the Basque separatist movement
ETA at the end of the Franco regime in the early 1970s.

A kind of Spanish
Harry's Game, despite its documentary content the film is a beautifully shot, taunt, well-paced thriller; rich with period detail.

The film deals obliquely with the societal and political changes that were happening in Spain as a whole, this is probably as important a factor on the film as the struggle for Basque independence. The film shows how the state security apparatus moves to get a prime position in preparation for the move towards democracy and repositioning itself away from being an instrument of repression to being antiterrorism specialists.

The acting is first-rate conveying the complex emotions and decisions that the informer and his handlers undergo in fulfilling their duties. It is one of the best films that I've seen this year.