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DESTINOS (Ross of Colorado Springs, CO)
Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez & Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Based on DESTINOS: An Introduction to Spanish
Music by Gustavo Santaoalla
Cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto
Edited by Stephen Mirrione
CAST
Arturo Iglesias Javier Bardem
Raquel Rodriguez Jessica Alba
Don Fernando Castillo Edward James Olmos
Horacio Pineda Gael Garcia Bernal
Don Fernando Castillo (Edward James Olmos) is one of the most dangerous men in the world. Head of the Castillo drug cartel, Don Fernando has built the most prolific drug trafficking organization on the planet through an immoral life of intimidation and ruthlessness. He has gained infamy and the respect of rival Mexican cartels, but has driven away anybody that has ever been close to himself. Don Fernando has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness and has been given but months to live. Without any immediate family to take over the cartel once he passes, his only alternative would be to hand the cartel off to Horacio Pineda (Gael Garcia Bernal) who is unreliable and has ties with a rival cartel which could influence the Castillo Cartel into merging. Keeping his illness quiet, Don Fernando enlists the help of Raquel Rodriguez (Jessica Alba), a Los Angeles lawyer and private detective who is known for tracking down some high-profile targets in the seediest of areas in the world, and brings her to his multimillion-dollar ocean front estate. He asks Raquel to help him find his son who he has never met. His ex-wife, Rosario, a devout Catholic, fled Mexico when she discovered she was pregnant with a child in order to give her child a chance to live a good life and an opportunity to see heaven.
Don Fernando realizes in addition to not having a blood-heir to his cartel, the fact that he has never met his only child is his only regret in life. In his last days, he has accepted religion and the fact that he will probably go to hell for all the shameful acts he has done to attain and hold power and influence throughout Mexico.
Meanwhile, Arturo Iglesias (Javier Bardem) is a Mexican law enforcement officer who has recently gone rogue and begin to work alone in tracking down Don Fernando. The entire police department of Arturo’s home town has been corrupted by the Castillo cartel. But, holding on to his morals and integrity, Arturo refused to take Castillo’s payment. Don Fernando ordered the killing of Arturo and his family and, by a stroke of fate, Arturo was not present at his home when the cartel’s killing squad arrived. His wife and son were, however, and were viciously murdered by the cartel. The lone good officer in the city and with the responsibility for his wife and child’s death weighing on him, Arturo now holds an intense motivation to bring the ultimate man responsible for the death of his family to justice. Arturo’s father, however, is the priest at the local Catholic parish in the village. Their relationship has always been strained but Arturo tells his dad of his plans to go after Don Fernando and bring him to justice. But, what Arturo is describing is revenge and says “If you want to see your family again, revenge is not the way. Revenge leads to eternal damnation.”
Horacio Pineda, meanwhile, suspects the impending pass of Don Fernando and works closely with the head of the rival Gulf Cartel setting up a coup d’état in Juarez orMexico City in order for Don Fernando to relinquish power to the Gulf Cartel and give them the most important drug trafficking route into the United States.
While working closely with Don Fernando, Raquel develops a more personal daughter-like relationship with him. Her search for his long-lost son causes her to cross paths with Arturo and he saves her from a cartel shootout in a nightclub in Monterrey. Raquel Rodriguez is forced to admit to Arturo that there is more to her than meets the eye. She is a US Drug Enforcement Agency special agent on an undercover assignment trying to find out what will happen to the Castillo cartel once Don Fernando passes away and will not let Arturo get to Don Fernando for fear that Arturo will compromise her mission. However, once Arturo shares his story with Raquel and the more time they spend together, they realize they carry equally heavy baggage and guilt and are simply looking to be at peace with their demons. They develop a relationship and she promises she will lead Arturo to Don Fernando. But, once the identity of Don Fernando’s child is discovered, promises to all parties are voided and the storylines come to an explosive conclusion in the midst of the largest battle of the Mexican Drug War at Juarez and gives Arturo his chance at justice in an unjust world.
WHAT THE PRESS WOULD SAY
The Mexican Drug War makes its way to the silver screen in Destinos. Gonzalez-Inarritu humanizes each of the three main characters and, instead of focusing strictly on the nuts-and-bolts of the drug trade, goes after a deeper question of choosing to do what is right or wrong when the culture around you blurs the distinction and how that decision affects us after we are gone. This is something of a personal project for Inarritu, a native of Mexico City and it shows with meticulous care in every facet of the film. Religion plays a heavy role here with many characters losing faith, finding faith, or unquestionably believing. In this land of lawlessness, the only form of order seems to come from faith and the determination of the ultimate destination- heaven or hell. This focus on faith and the solitude of its main characters comes from the legendary author Gabriel Garcia Marquez who writes his first screenplay alongside Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
The characters are extremely well-done here. Don Fernando Castillo is one part real-life drug kingpin Joaqin “El Chopo” Guzman and one part Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World. He is not the main character, but the driving force of the action in the film. Unlike the grisly acts he has committed or ordered others to commit for him, he is unquestionably classy. Javier Bardem’s award-worthy performance as the revenge-bent Arturo Iglesias is something of a modern-day wild west gunslinger. His character carries the film as the once incorruptible force for good who has been recently left alone in the world and now will stop at nothing to make Don Fernando pay a price.
Jessica Alba plays the most serious role of her career to date. No Into the Blue here as Raquel Rodriguez is stunningly beautiful, extremely good at what she does, and carries emotional baggage. Inarritu chose wisely with Alba and she and Bardem work together greatly.
The film travels all across Mexico presenting some of the most beautiful scenery as captured by Rodrigo Prieto. From slums, to countryside, to Don Fernando’s oceansidevilla, the film is a gem to look at. What would a film about the Mexican Drug War be without some action and Destinos has its fair share. This is Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s most action-heavy film to date with the last fifteen minutes being a high production value drug battle. This is done in a way that fits directly into the story and does not detract at all with similarities to Children of Men’s finale coming to mind. The climax has Don Fernando, Raquel, and Arturo all together with Arturo having to make a choice that ultimately defines himself as a man. This is such a tense scene because, in large part due to the great writing, any outcome seems right and equally wrong. The film is entirely in Spanish except for brief scenes between Raquel and the DEA. It is a shoo-in for the Foreign Language category but a film that balances humanity, drama, and excitement like this deserves a look for the big eight categories.
FYC
Best Picture
Best Director – Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Best Actor – Javier Bardem
Best Supporting Actor – Edward James Olmos
Best Supporting Actress – Jessica Alba
Best Adapted Screenplay – Gabriel Garcia Marquez & Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez & Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Based on DESTINOS: An Introduction to Spanish
Music by Gustavo Santaoalla
Cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto
Edited by Stephen Mirrione
CAST
Arturo Iglesias Javier Bardem
Raquel Rodriguez Jessica Alba
Don Fernando Castillo Edward James Olmos
Horacio Pineda Gael Garcia Bernal
Don Fernando Castillo (Edward James Olmos) is one of the most dangerous men in the world. Head of the Castillo drug cartel, Don Fernando has built the most prolific drug trafficking organization on the planet through an immoral life of intimidation and ruthlessness. He has gained infamy and the respect of rival Mexican cartels, but has driven away anybody that has ever been close to himself. Don Fernando has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness and has been given but months to live. Without any immediate family to take over the cartel once he passes, his only alternative would be to hand the cartel off to Horacio Pineda (Gael Garcia Bernal) who is unreliable and has ties with a rival cartel which could influence the Castillo Cartel into merging. Keeping his illness quiet, Don Fernando enlists the help of Raquel Rodriguez (Jessica Alba), a Los Angeles lawyer and private detective who is known for tracking down some high-profile targets in the seediest of areas in the world, and brings her to his multimillion-dollar ocean front estate. He asks Raquel to help him find his son who he has never met. His ex-wife, Rosario, a devout Catholic, fled Mexico when she discovered she was pregnant with a child in order to give her child a chance to live a good life and an opportunity to see heaven.
Don Fernando realizes in addition to not having a blood-heir to his cartel, the fact that he has never met his only child is his only regret in life. In his last days, he has accepted religion and the fact that he will probably go to hell for all the shameful acts he has done to attain and hold power and influence throughout Mexico.
Meanwhile, Arturo Iglesias (Javier Bardem) is a Mexican law enforcement officer who has recently gone rogue and begin to work alone in tracking down Don Fernando. The entire police department of Arturo’s home town has been corrupted by the Castillo cartel. But, holding on to his morals and integrity, Arturo refused to take Castillo’s payment. Don Fernando ordered the killing of Arturo and his family and, by a stroke of fate, Arturo was not present at his home when the cartel’s killing squad arrived. His wife and son were, however, and were viciously murdered by the cartel. The lone good officer in the city and with the responsibility for his wife and child’s death weighing on him, Arturo now holds an intense motivation to bring the ultimate man responsible for the death of his family to justice. Arturo’s father, however, is the priest at the local Catholic parish in the village. Their relationship has always been strained but Arturo tells his dad of his plans to go after Don Fernando and bring him to justice. But, what Arturo is describing is revenge and says “If you want to see your family again, revenge is not the way. Revenge leads to eternal damnation.”
Horacio Pineda, meanwhile, suspects the impending pass of Don Fernando and works closely with the head of the rival Gulf Cartel setting up a coup d’état in Juarez orMexico City in order for Don Fernando to relinquish power to the Gulf Cartel and give them the most important drug trafficking route into the United States.
While working closely with Don Fernando, Raquel develops a more personal daughter-like relationship with him. Her search for his long-lost son causes her to cross paths with Arturo and he saves her from a cartel shootout in a nightclub in Monterrey. Raquel Rodriguez is forced to admit to Arturo that there is more to her than meets the eye. She is a US Drug Enforcement Agency special agent on an undercover assignment trying to find out what will happen to the Castillo cartel once Don Fernando passes away and will not let Arturo get to Don Fernando for fear that Arturo will compromise her mission. However, once Arturo shares his story with Raquel and the more time they spend together, they realize they carry equally heavy baggage and guilt and are simply looking to be at peace with their demons. They develop a relationship and she promises she will lead Arturo to Don Fernando. But, once the identity of Don Fernando’s child is discovered, promises to all parties are voided and the storylines come to an explosive conclusion in the midst of the largest battle of the Mexican Drug War at Juarez and gives Arturo his chance at justice in an unjust world.
WHAT THE PRESS WOULD SAY
The Mexican Drug War makes its way to the silver screen in Destinos. Gonzalez-Inarritu humanizes each of the three main characters and, instead of focusing strictly on the nuts-and-bolts of the drug trade, goes after a deeper question of choosing to do what is right or wrong when the culture around you blurs the distinction and how that decision affects us after we are gone. This is something of a personal project for Inarritu, a native of Mexico City and it shows with meticulous care in every facet of the film. Religion plays a heavy role here with many characters losing faith, finding faith, or unquestionably believing. In this land of lawlessness, the only form of order seems to come from faith and the determination of the ultimate destination- heaven or hell. This focus on faith and the solitude of its main characters comes from the legendary author Gabriel Garcia Marquez who writes his first screenplay alongside Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
The characters are extremely well-done here. Don Fernando Castillo is one part real-life drug kingpin Joaqin “El Chopo” Guzman and one part Dos Equis’ Most Interesting Man in the World. He is not the main character, but the driving force of the action in the film. Unlike the grisly acts he has committed or ordered others to commit for him, he is unquestionably classy. Javier Bardem’s award-worthy performance as the revenge-bent Arturo Iglesias is something of a modern-day wild west gunslinger. His character carries the film as the once incorruptible force for good who has been recently left alone in the world and now will stop at nothing to make Don Fernando pay a price.
Jessica Alba plays the most serious role of her career to date. No Into the Blue here as Raquel Rodriguez is stunningly beautiful, extremely good at what she does, and carries emotional baggage. Inarritu chose wisely with Alba and she and Bardem work together greatly.
The film travels all across Mexico presenting some of the most beautiful scenery as captured by Rodrigo Prieto. From slums, to countryside, to Don Fernando’s oceansidevilla, the film is a gem to look at. What would a film about the Mexican Drug War be without some action and Destinos has its fair share. This is Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s most action-heavy film to date with the last fifteen minutes being a high production value drug battle. This is done in a way that fits directly into the story and does not detract at all with similarities to Children of Men’s finale coming to mind. The climax has Don Fernando, Raquel, and Arturo all together with Arturo having to make a choice that ultimately defines himself as a man. This is such a tense scene because, in large part due to the great writing, any outcome seems right and equally wrong. The film is entirely in Spanish except for brief scenes between Raquel and the DEA. It is a shoo-in for the Foreign Language category but a film that balances humanity, drama, and excitement like this deserves a look for the big eight categories.
FYC
Best Picture
Best Director – Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Best Actor – Javier Bardem
Best Supporting Actor – Edward James Olmos
Best Supporting Actress – Jessica Alba
Best Adapted Screenplay – Gabriel Garcia Marquez & Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu