Smoke & Mirrors

The story of two men , Luis Roldán and Francisco Paesa who fooled an entire country . As Roldán became the first civilian to command the Spanish Civil Guard and under his direction women were hired for the first time at the Civil Guard . Then a big scandal of corruption arose in 1993 , upon initiation of prosecution for his criminal activities , Luis Roldán escaped from Spain in 1994 . Roldán fled the country in early 1994 when it was discovered that he had used his office to amass a fortune through fraudulent means , resulting in the resignation of Interior Minister Antoni Asunción , responsible for monitoring Roldán , as a consequence . Luis (Carlos Santos) , his wife Nieves Fernández (Marta Etura) and supported by their friend , the seductive pilot Jesús Camoes (José Coronado) ask for help the notorious spy Francisco Paesa (Eduard Fernández) . Later on , Roldán was arrested on February 27 , 1995 , amidst claims that Roldán and the Socialist government led by Interior Minister , Juan Alberto Belloch (Luis Calleja) and his State Secretary , Rafael Vera (Ramón Rados) , had reached an agreement in which Roldán would surrender himself in exchange of him being charged of just two minor crimes . These claims came to be known as the "Laos papers", yet the PSOE government refused to recognize their veracity .

This is an exciting and thrilling story , being plenty of cheats and impostors , taking its inspiration from true facts and from two of the most intriguing characters of recent decades : the corrupt Civil Guard director Luis Roldán and the roguish spy Francisco Paesa . Eduard Fernández gives a masterful acting as Paesa , the rogue agent of the Spanish secret service and arms dealer . Jose Coronado is very well as the womanizer pilot as well as Paesa's accomplice , as the film being told through the eyes of this swindler . Carlos Santos is awesome as Roldán , the ruler of the Spanish Civil Guard , and Carlos bears remarkable physical resemblance to him . The film develops extensively a peculiar caper designed by Paesa when Roldán was arrested on February 27, 1995 in Bangkok , in fact Roldán claimed the Socialist government had reached an agreement in which Roldán would surrender himself in exchange of him being charged of just two crimes : bribery and embezzlement . The picture contains a thrilling and suspenseful musical score by Julio De Rosa . Colorful as well as evocative cinematography by award-winning Alex Catalan . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Alberto Rodríguez . This prestigious filmmaker has shot various successes as ¨7 Virgins¨ , ¨El Traje¨ , ¨Factor Pilgrim¨ , and his greatest hit : ¨La Isla Minima¨ . Goya Award-winning director Alberto Rodríguez is nominated for his third Golden Shell following 2014's Marshland and 2005's 7 Virgins . This multi-prized film won several awards , as it won in San Sebastián International Film Festival 2016 : Feroz Zinemaldia Award to Alberto Rodríguez , it won Silver Seashell Best Actor : Eduard Fernández and Nominated Golden Seashell Best Film . Rating : 7.5/10 , the latest from the director of "The Man with Thousand Faces" or international title "Smoke & Mirrors" is rated above average , well worth watching .

The film is well based on actual happenings , these are the followings : Luis Roldán Ibáñez is a former Spanish Socialist Workers' Party politician known for being the director general of the Spanish Civil Guard . He created in 1991 the Maritime Service of the Civil Guard and enhanced the counterterrorism information services that obtained great success in the infiltration within the ETA band such as the detention of the head of the organization in Bidart on March 29, 1992. Then , Roldán escaped with great lots of money robbed from the Guardia Civil . During his time missing, Roldán sent letters admitting and accusing other Interior Ministry high-ranking members from having received bonus payments from the reserved funds theoretically destined to finance the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking . Among those he accused was former minister José Luis Corcuera , but also PM González of 'being aware of everything'. This case, along with the GAL case, greatly contributed to the defeat of the PSOE in the 1996 general election . Upon initiation of prosecution for his criminal activities, Luis Roldán escaped from Spain in 1994 . He surrendered in 1995 at the airport in Bangkok . Between 1996 and 1998 he was tried in a court of Madrid. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison for several crimes , the Supreme Court increased to 31 years. He was from February 1995 in the female prison of Brieva (Ávila). In 2005 he was allowed out of prison to work in an intermediate regime between the second and third degree.

-The other protagonist , Francisco Paesa , also has a wide and unsettling biography : In 1976 he was arrested by Interpol in Belgium and imprisoned in Switzerland and it is believed that he collaborated with the paramilitary group GAL . After serving the sentence he posed as an arms dealer who sold two antiaircraft missiles to ETA . The terrorist group did not know that the missiles had a location signal and its provider was collaborating with the Spanish secret service. The police could find, for the first time , a major hideout in which a large number of weapons and documents were stored during the Sokoa Operation . Until then , the Spanish government knew virtually nothing about ETA logistics and this operation was an important turning point. Being issued a warrant of arrest of Francisco Paesa on December 1, 1988 for collaboration with armed band and use of false identities . In 1998 he faked a fatal cardiac arrest in Thailand . Obituaries were published and a death certificate was forged .

This one was a little tricky to find on IMDb... on netflix, its "Smoke & Mirrors", but it's original title is actually "Man of a Thousand Faces". Paco Paesa (Eduard Fernández) has been "the fixer", but still a pawn, made so many promises that were never granted. His compadres are on to him, and tell him to watch out for Jesús Camoes, the real boss. He helps big-shots move money around, and takes a commission. Many things are not answered, but that's part of the mystery. When he helps the police commissioner Roldán escape (Carlos Santos), Paco gets caught up in the search for the missing man and the missing money. We ARE judged by the company we keep. it's pretty good. moves a bit slow, but this is one story, so we see every step they take to make the get-away. The lesson here seems to be that when you run, you stay on the run. It's OK. nothing too special. Showing on Netflix. Written and directed by Spanish director Alberto Rodriguez, who has already done several projects.

Great cast and a very enjoyable film, although hard to follow the convoluted plot in places. Good direction and some very funny lines in the subtitled script. Well worth watching.

That means - it demands some patience from you. A patient viewer is up for treat though. Characters are interesting and nuanced, and, more importantly, believable. None are just good or bad, but complex personalities. Just like in real life. Even small parts are exquisitely meaty and therefore make an impression. The story (being based on a true one) is interesting and also grounded in reality. No big shootouts or car chases. The acting and directing is on point. Very good, believable ending. Well done! 10/10

This stylish Spanish feature is quite gorgeous to look at. While it taxes the brain for keeping up with the money laundering antics of the worlds corrupt officials - it make us think about what drives people who have a very high profile lifestyle, yet constantly want more! As a study of the madness of greed, this complex drama explores the nature of the disease and its ability to totally destroy the lives of corrupt businesses (and in this case international dignitaries) Happy family situations and comfortable lives are willingly thrown away and replaced with constant fear and regret. It's difficult to have any compassion for these intelligent people who sacrifice all forms of normality for those extra materialistic millions - reducing themselves to human wrecks at the expense of everyone involved. Wonderful photographic and directorial realisation of it subject is brought to life by a hard working cast. Perhaps it could have been a tad too ambitious to cover this complex, based on fact story, in a movie length feature but at the same time, if it were to be treated as a mini-series it could have been overly heavy going for continued interest. Along the way, it lifts the lid on those political corruption news headlines we see on a daily basis! Those who understand the intricacies of moving large amounts of money in a trailless sequence will find this easier to grasp but, it's certainly an interesting watch as friends and family are used as tools to advance foolish ambitions. This feature is well and truly above average for the trashy World Movies channel and the only real problem are the overly fast moving (and badly placed) subtitles that can't successfully keep up with the fast moving dialog.