Review of Intacto (2001) by Dfw F — 14 Oct 2009

Intacto (2001) A concentration camp survivor named Samuel Berg (Max von Sydow), a preternaturally lucky fellow, runs a European land based casino. One of his workers is Federico (Eusebio Poncela), a man who "steals" other people's luck merely by laying a hand on them.

When Samuel Berg has a fall out with Federico and takes away his powers, Federico sets out to find the luckiest man alive (Leonardo Sbaraglia), the lone survivor of a plane crash, in order to use his powers to overpower Samuel Berg in the one game he has never lost: Russian roulette using a six-shooter filled with five bullets.

Federico takes his partner through a series of tests in order to confirm his abilities. In the process they approach the tightening circle of underground chance games that will eventually lead them both, and a female cop on their heels, to a final showdown with Samuel Berg.

It stars Leonardo Sbaraglia, Eusebio Poncela, Mónica López, Antonio Dechent, and Max von Sydow. The film depicts an underground trade in luck; where fortune flows from those who have less to those who have more.

Rooted in magical realism, the premise purports that luck can be amassed and transferred as any other commodity. The story follows several participants as they engage in literal games of chance, each one more risky than the last to eliminate the unlucky.

One of the scenes in the film, in which the participants run blindfolded through a woodland, was the inspiration for the music video of "Voodoo People (Pendulum Remix)" by The Prodigy. The story involves another more human element, centered on Sara (Monica Lopez), a cop who is chasing Tomas while grieving a tragic loss of her own.

Will his luck protect him? What happens when it's luck vs. luck? This is a complex movie and watching it is like trying to solve a puzzle. This movie is that it is shaped for a sophisticated art cinema viewer,and not to much about action and plot,rather willing to focus on the very atmosphere of the movie and the questions it puts in front of the viewer.

While I like and admired the movie its not a five star movie. 3 1/2 stars maybe four. pretty inventive movie.