Review of El Norte (1983) by Paul W — 05 Nov 2009

I'm trying, but this is such a message film I instinctively reject it. It begins simply enough, with Mayan peasants being brutally murdered and suppressed by Guatamalan landowners and their military lackeys, but in between the few action scenes you wade through wave after wave of Marxist propaganda -- the inherent nobility and goodness of los indios, soulful stares toward the heavens as words about solidarity are intoned, and sad harp music -- everything dragged out in the slowest possible manner to make sure we get the message.

Jesus, just tell the goddamn story already, and let IT deliver the message! I swear, this must be the kind of stuff North Koreans are forced to sit through.