Tropico de Sangre

So maybe I am NOT a world famous movie critic, but I thought the movie was excellent! Also, I AM NOT an expert in Dominican Republic history. Having said that, the movie DID make me connect with the characters, and the story-line was compelling, and powerful. Sadly, things like these need to happen, in order for the world to be a better place. I can most certainly say that her (Michelle's) pronunciation of the Spanish language, with a Dominican accent, was at best, "hard to swallow". But I think she was perfect for the role.

So, I disagree with, juliaaltagracia and timlin-4, that the movie was no good.

This is the second Dominican film I've seen. The other one was Sanky Panky. I think in three years or so Dominican cinema has somewhat improved: I liked the photography and the music. Nothing to say about them, they were quite good.

Unfortunately, there was a huge amount of things I did not like: - Acting was very very bad. Trujillo looked more like a clown than a dictator. Soap Opera style acting indeed.

• Screenplay: Full of holes, unarticulated, slow as hell, too much into details of the initial situation, not enough of the really critical ones. The best friend of a good screenplay writer is the delete key. Delancer's computer may not have one.

• Details, details, details: Parties that does not feel like ones, body-building Minerva, lots of clichés that the Dominican directors tends to include in films just as promotion of the country: baile de palos, serenatas...

My general feeling was that the film did not present the real things but kind of a caricature of them.

Tropico de Sangre is the movie of reference on dictators in Latin America in the 50s.It is definitely one of Michelle Rodriguez best role and a good biopic.

PROS: Photography of Ricardo De Angelis is great. The original Music by Manuel Tejada , in 5.1, sounds impressive and is wonderfully mixed with merengues of that era. Acting by Michelle and Cesar Evora playing with poetry and action gives a great performance.The story is wonderfully told and the presence of real survivor Dede Mirabla brings a realistic touch.

CONS: Editing is too slowly paced, at least on the first part.The second part is better. Juan Fernandez as Trujillo doest not convince me. A few supporting actors give a poor performance. As a whole, this movie should be seen by everybody who cares about violence against women and is a powerful testimony of a very sad era of the American history.

I was very disappointed with this movie it has no quality at all in any aspect. Even actors such as Juan Fernandez and Michelle Rodriguez, did a bad job. I now realize that directing a movie has a great deal of what the final product is, and can make look bad good actors.

The history does not focus or follows a plot. It just splashes over some events without real depth into any of the characters. So you do not identify of fell any emotions. Not worth seeing it.

In some parts of the movies I really had to laugh of how bad they did it.

I would not recommend this film at all. I rate it -F

I first came upon the stories about Trujillo in The Galíndez File. There he conspired with an equally evil man, Francisco Franco, to eliminate the competition. In face they showed part of that story in this film.

All fascist dictators are basically the same. They rule by fear and eliminate any opposition. They take what they want, and, in this case, Trujillo wanted Minerva Mirabal (Michelle Rodriguez).

She wanted nothing to do with him, else we wouldn't have a story. Naturally, her life, and the life of her family, were at risk due to her obstinacy.

The pacing of the film was rather slow, and the performances were wooden. I came to see Michelle Rodriguez, and turned in a credible performance.