The Courier

Well set in the early 2000s during the culture of the "Pelotazo" and the arrival of the Euro. The motion picture was professionally directed by veteran director Daniel Calparsoro, though It has a few flaws , certain confusion , and some gaps. It is a realistic portrait of the Marbella of real estate speculation, a time marked by corruption and excess: sex, drugs and above all a lot of ambition. The film spans from 2001 to 2011, following various years, not including flashbacks, about a hustler called Iván (Arón Piper), telling his rise to the top of the corruption that surrounded the real estate bubble after the arrival of the euro in Spain. Year 2002, Iván is an ambitious kid from Vallecas who has outgrown his neighborhood. From his position as a valet at a luxurious golf club in the capital, he will soon take his first big step: becoming a Belgian courier for an international organization dedicated to money laundering. Iván will begin to transport briefcases to Brussels and Geneva. But Iván cannot stop looking higher. Real black money flows on the Costa del Sol, Marbella, there he contacts a powerful money cleaner (Luis Tosar). Working as a courier Iván begins a race against clock attempting to get more and more money. José Luis Ocaña (José Manuel Poga) is a Spanish politician whose wealthy life is based on corrupt issues, then Iván threatens to communicate his sexual encounters to the media and exposes him to the public eye . Construction businessmen, corrupt politicians, bankers, athletes, the Chinese mafia... Iván wants his piece of the pie. Iván will stop at nothing to get his purports.

Fast and energetic thriller with a social background and entertaining enough. This is another product with a pristine appearance, cosmopolitan style and a lot of energy from Daniel Calparsoro, although without complexity or reflection. The main plot deals with a ambitous youngsters, corrupt politicians and their dark business. Moving thriller filled with nail-biting action , lush cars , beautiful girls and swiftly paced , though plenty of clichés. A different, twisted and interesting film with a lot of incidents until it ends. Resulting to be commentary on Spanish society dressed as a thriller about the adventures and misfortunes of a band of young petty criminals all of them specialists to make fast couriers and flee before the police appear in the scene. Nice and fun film though excessively moving by means of a camera over shoulder. The plot and characters boast an overload of clichés, but its frantic and nervous pace, in the Quentin Tarantino way, makes the story attractive, which never bores. Acceptable film but not notable, because it lets itself be carried away by excessive bad taste, swearings, bad language, strong sexual scenes, including the disgusting scenes with which one wants to denounce a politician. In addition, it sins from what it wants to denounce, thus the same film that accuses the public of this state is profusely financed by public organizations, Ayuntamientos (town hall) , RTVE, and Movistar, which is also partially state-financed. A film of this type should only be financed by private entities and not by public ones, otherwise it may also incur corruption. Arón Piper gives an adequate acting as a kid from Vallecas, but the neighborhood has become too small for him, so he decides to use his job as a valet at a luxurious golf club in Madrid to enter the most lucrative business of the moment: money laundering. Arón Piper's character is not for real, but a mix of different real-life roles. Co-stars Maria Pedraza,she is beautiful but wasted in a minor role. Luís Tosar is a pretty good actor who always provides fine interpretation, but he uses to play similar characters and his performances bear remarkable resemblance. José Luís Poga gives a very fine acting as the nefarious , corrupt , crooked politician getting money by any illegal way. And Luis Zahera is terrific, as always, as Comisario Roig.

It packs colorful and appropriate cinematography by cameraman Tommie Ferreras who provides a brilliant and luxurious environment. And including an electrifying soundtrack by Carlos Jean This is another decently realized film with competent shooting , though the story eventually run out of gas . It was well made by Calparsoro in similar vein to his previous films as ¨Invasor¨ or ¨Combustión¨ , other acceptable thrillers with lots of action . His best film was ¨Warriors¨ or ¨Guerreros¨ , a warlike film brilliantly made by Daniel and dealing with ¨Kosovo¨ war . Daniel was raised in Donostia , that's why most films are set in Basque country . Daniel uses to work with his spouses , as his first wife , Najawa Nimri composes his scores and played in Salto a Vacio , Pasajes , Asfalto , A Ciegas ; and his second one , Patricia Vico , performed in La Ira, and others . Calparsoro is an expert on action and violent dramas . Daniel has a long career as filmmaker from his beginning with Basque films as ¨Pasajes¨, ¨Salto al vacio¨, ¨A ciegas¨ , ¨Ausentes¨ ; subsequently making thrillers as ¨Asfalto¨ , ¨Guerreros¨ , ¨Invasor¨ , and the successful ¨Combustion¨ , ¨La advertencia¨ , and ¨Cien años de perdon¨ , the Sci-Fi ¨El Aviso¨and the suspenseful thriller ¨El silencio de la ciudad blanca¨. He also directed TV series as ¨Inocentes¨, ¨La ira¨, ¨El castigo¨ , ¨Apaches¨. Rating 4.5/10 . A passable but uneven yarn with several flaws and shortcomings. The flick will appeal to adrenaline lovers and those young people looking for strong emotions. This is the kind of film in which the action and thriller enthusiasts will enjoy immensely.