Posted: 04/27/2008

Pistoleros

(2006)

by Sean Curry

Visit the official website here.

When notorious criminal Frank Lowies and his gang pull off what should be their final score, they don’t expect things to go all to hell, but they do. But, before they get to jail, wily old tough-guy Frank was smart enough to hide the loot. Now, it’s seven years later—and everyone wants a piece of the hidden treasure. Meanwhile, Frank’s coveted stash has turned into some kind of urban legend—is it five or 10 million kroner? We don’t know, really, as the film begins. But one thing’s for sure: we’re going to find out.

Writer/director Shaky Gonzalez’s last feature film was the critically underrated, sickly fun holiday horror flick One Hell of a Christmas. This time around, Mr. Gonzalez offers the contemporary heist-spaghetti western, Pistoleros, with homages to Roberto Rodriguez and Tarantino intact. Of course, the film’s PR people suggest the film is set in modern times with “winks at the Sergio Leone” westerns and “cues from Robert Rodriguez.” From the first gunfight, we quickly learn the winks are pretty much full-on bear hugs. Not that that’s a bad thing—just a tad overdone in too many contemporary films.

Gonzalez’s Danish import is hitting North American DVD stores on April 29th from Danger After Dark.

In summation, Chilean born Dutch filmmaker Shaky Gonzalez’s modern-day spaghetti-western-slash-heist-gone-wrong pic, complete with hidden loot, a trail of clues, loads of betrayals, Pulp Fiction-style gunfights and Mexican standoffs, provide an interesting and entertaining mix, even if a little uneven in execution. For action lovers, there is no doubt it’s a good DVD watch, as well as one of the more unusual action films you might ever see.

Sean Curry is a film critic living in Cork, Ireland.

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