Review of Burnt Money (2000) by Dfw F — 29 Oct 2009

Burnt Money (2000) Today for me turned into a day with two Argentinean films in a row. 1st Lugares Common (Common Ground 2002) and now the Argentine Heist Flick ?Burnt Money?. ?Burnt Money? is set in Argentina in 1965.

This true story follows the tumultuous relationship between two men who became lovers and ultimately ruthless bank robbers in a notoriously famous footnote in the annals of Argentinean crime history. Nene, Angel and Cuervo are bank robbers who flee from Argentina across the border to Uruguay after a large-scale hold-up that turns bloody.

Angel is hurt and the three must lay low until Angel recovers. Nene and Angel are known to everyone they know as "the twins" because of their resemblance, but the two are not brothers at all - they are involved in a steamy homosexual relationship.

To get back to Argentina, the group must first wait for Fontana, the brains behind the robbery, to arrange for passports. Anxious from hiding, Cuervo decides to break curfew and go party. After Nene and Angel also decide to take off, Nene meets a prostitute named Giselle and Angel ends up getting in a fight.

The group is forced to abandon their refuge and Angel and Nene decide to move in with Giselle. However, the sexual attraction between Nene and Angel burns too strongly and when Nene gets hostile with Giselle and kicks her out, she goes straight to the police to snitch on the group.

It's not long before police are surrounding the building and the fate of Nene and Angel appears to be sealed. Pineyro interweaves the Angel and Nene story lines with finesse, underscoring the symbiotic, obsessive nature of their bond.

The film is moody and stylized. I don't watch a lot of gay films (I find most of them horrible) but this is not a "gay" film and it is well constructed stylistic great cinematography and an interesting story.

Director Marcelo Piñeyro, whose films have been both critically acclaimed and commercially successful, is one of the most important figures in contemporary cinema in Argentina. Piñeyro refuses to gloss over the dissonant nature of his central characters.

Both Latin heartthrobs (Noriega) (Sbaraglia) are excellent in their roles. the films provides excellent look at Argentina and Uruguay also. Pineryo made one of my most favorite (and powerful) movies" "The Official Story".

I really enjoyed this movie it is much better than most reviews indicate. All my friends who watched it with me really liked it also. three stars almost four stars;.