The Clan (2016)

Very well executed

Memorable, crazy movie

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I found The Clan to be very disappointing... The story itself if very captivating and you expect it to be somewhat as gripping as you'd think. The character building is decent you begin to like and dislike certain characters quickly. I felt the fact you don't see how those whom are being held hostage are living, you actually don't see them at all besides when the Father is making them write their ransom note, makes the movie more of a drama less of a thriller. They are crying and looked beat up you also don't see any abuse. I felt like those are key points of the story and the fact they don't also build on the hostage characters makes it less intense since your less emotionally involved... Just me.

After the fall of General Galtieri in 1980's Argentina; some of the old guard did not accept that democracy and law and order were here to stay. They wanted the old ways back and the money that went hand in hand with corruption. The Puccio family was ahead of the pack, the patriarch was one Arquimedes Puccio played by the ever reliable Guillermo Francella ('The Secret in their eyes') and he led his whole family and a gang in kidnap torture and extortion. His middle son was Alex who was a rising star in Rugby Union and his eldest brother had already done the same but had side stepped the family and escaped to New Zealand. However many hands do make light work and so Arquimedes went out of his way to ensure as many of the Clan as possible were 'hands on'.Now this is based on a real story and it is quite amazing that a modern country could allow such atrocities to take place – but that is the way of the World with criminals everywhere. The film itself is Argentina's biggest earner ever and you can see why. The acting is all great as is the period detail. It jumps around from past to present etc but that is easy to follow. There are some upsetting scenes but the nasty stuff is mostly played down. This is a film that you may get more from on a second viewing but either way it is most certainly worth seeing at least once.

Near the end of the "Spanish Film Festival" in Perth, I saw "The Clan" which tells the story of Puccio's, a family of well off Argentinians who kidnap the wealthy for ransom and hold them in their home. Headed by menacing patriarch Arquímedes Puccio, the film is based on true events, being set between 1981 and 1985 in the aftermath of the fascist Videla regime. Arquimedes worked for the government, helping subversives "disappear", so when he was out a job, he moved onto kidnapping for profit.Helping him alongside his gang of thugs is his son, Alejandro, a rugby player whose aspirations are higher than living a life of crime.The father-son dynamic makes The Clan quite an interesting watch, setting it apart from other typical true crime dramas. I was invested in the plot and the strong acting from Guillermo Fancella and Juan Pedro Lanzani. The movie is very stylish as well, taking a page from Martin Scorsese movies, having interesting camera setups, never shying away from sex and violence, and sometimes telling the movie out of order.That said, the rest of the characters aren't nearly as interesting, and are really more in the background, only having lines to forward the plot. The movie has a lot of attention paid to the kidnappings, but the formula of showing long, fluid takes that have English pop music playing in the background got a bit tiresome during the middle of the second act when it took focus away from Alejandro, and more on Arquimedes' other son, who returned home after away playing rugby. It would have also been interesting to have seen some more of Aquimedes' past, instead of it just being show in the opening, and then mentioned in passing.While it isn't the most original movie in its presentation, it's an interesting one, and a good place to start if you want to get into watching foreign-language films that are entertaining and accessible.

It is a great story, there are great actors in scene, the soundtrack is impressive, but something is missing. Elements are just not glued well together, the movie feels like it doesn't know what it wants to be. It is still good entertainment and worth it. The Puccio case is memorable by itself, and Trapero makes it visually enjoyable with a main character that will hypnotize you with a cold-deep-blue-eyes. But what makes El Clan less interesting than previous works from Trapero is how superficial characters are and the low tension observed overall (which was remarkably good in previous Trapero's works). With weak character motivation it is harder to get the audience to feel what they feel. Suddenly you can't really empathize with the story you watch. I am hoping Trapero did this one for money and will come up with a more interesting personal project soon!