Smoke & Mirrors

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.

It takes a while to understand all the players and what's what. But after that it really gets going. Refreshing movie.. go watch it.

Not sure why this film hasn't gotten much attention so far, it's extremely well made with a super interesting (true) story and good acting. Never aiming to go too deep on the emotional side, it's just a very good narrative told in a sleek, stylish and exciting way with some stunning European location shots and the odd sprinkle of some good, dry Spanish wit. Eduard Fernandez in particular gives a great understated performance as the lead, and the instrumental surf-rock score adds a very unique stylistic touch.

All in all a very pleasant watch and would even make a great entry point into Spanish cinema for those less keen on heavy dramas or art films.

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.

Based on Manuel Cerdán's book, that the director appreciated, "The Man with Thousand Faces" is inspired in true events. Even if the movie does not have the ambition of telling the whole truth about the biggest financial scandal in Spain, Alberto Rodríguez's film admirably reconstructs the events that could have happened. Even though the rhythm of the movie is unequal and there are some boring bits that do not affect the result, "The Man with Thousand Faces" has the merit of proposing a rich and varied cast and quite sharp dialogues. The voice-off, that is present all along the film, is used as a guideline and leads the spectator, making it easier to understand the events. Behind his will to swindle, hides a profoundly human being and it's maybe too late when he realises that he would have preferred to give priority to his family life rather than his fortune. Beyond its moral and its political complexity, this movie shows a deep human side that echoes the current situation of many countries. Full review on our blog Los Indiscretos : https://losindiscretos.org