Federico Luppi Movies

A group of motley math experts must solve problems at lightning speed to avoid being squashed into oblivion in writer-director Luis Piedrahita's mindbending thriller Fermat's Room. The story begins with a handsome, twentysomething intellectual, Galois (Alejo Sauras) banking off the success of solving an intimidating mathematical enigma known as Goldbach's theorem. Galois then receives an invitation from the mysterious stranger Fermat (Federico Luppi) who invites both him and several other intellectuals to a set location in a warehouse, with the stated intention of having them collectively solve a mathematical riddle. He instructs them to avoid bringing cell phones, which none do. Upon arrival, Fermat indeed greets them in the warehouse, but is soon summoned offsite and leaves his invitees alone. As soon as he departs, odd events begin to transpire: the members of the group begin receiving strange mathematical riddles on their PDAs which they must solve in under a minute; subsequently, hydraulic presses on the exterior of the warehouse kick on and the walls begin to close in, threatening the lives of the protagonists. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

A con man finds himself up against an adversary he hasn't the strength to challenge in this crime drama from Spain. Ernesto (Ernesto Alterio) is a man who grew up learning the easier way to get out of trouble was to lie, and over the years, he's built a career out of his gift for twisting the truth as a con man. Teaming up with two experienced grifters, Manco (Manuel Alexandre) and Federico (Federico Luppi), Ernesto is able to pull off a major scam involving the Spanish Army that scores the three a major payday. This should put Ernesto and his partners on Easy Street, but things begin to go sour when Ernesto is reunited with a former girlfriend, Pilar (Victoria Abril). Ernesto is a soft touch for anything that Pilar might suggest, and when she plots a big con for him and his partners, he offers no objections. However, when Manco dies under hazy circumstances and Ernesto's childhood pal Gipsy (Alejandro Casaseca) conveniently appears wanting to take his place, Ernesto begins to suspect that he may be the one being scammed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Five strangers from various parts of the Iberian Peninsula experience an outbreak of seemingly unrelated supernatural phenomena that only later take on greater significance in veteran director George Sluizer's 2002 seriocomic fantasy The Stoneraft. Joana (Ana Padrao), Jose (Gabino Diego), Maria (Iciar Bollain), and Joaquim (Diogo Infante) are all experiencing events they cannot logically explain: A flock of starlings follows Jose everywhere he goes, while Joana creates small fault lines with her walking stick; Joaquim not only raises an impossibly large stone with only his hands but also throws it out to sea; while unraveling one sock, Maria discovers the thread has no end. Pedro's (Federico Luppi) -- the fifth stranger -- experience is the most significant, as he alone feels a bizarre tremor that eventually leads to the entirety of Iberia dislodging itself from the rest of the European continent. As the new island begins to drift toward North America and a catastrophic collision appears imminent, the majority of the Spanish and Portuguese populations begin to abandon the renegade land mass. The five prophets, however, seek an answer to all of these puzzling events and are thus drawn together on their mutual quest for truth while preparing for what seems to be an approaching apocalypse. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide

An abandoned Uruguay community rails against Hollywood's purchase of an antique locomotive in this comedy drama from sophomore director Diego Arsuaga. Despite the locals' joy over the sale of the train, the Friends of the Railroad Association views the purchase as the selling of an important part of the town's rich history. In a last-ditch effort to sabotage the sale and keep their beloved locomotive, the group hijacks the train and attempts a daring escape to Brazil. With the police in hot pursuit, the daring feat inspires new hope in a town who lost their connection with the outside world when the train stopped running years ago. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Two lifelong prison buddies cope with life outside the big house in this award-winning Argentinean production. Federico Luppi and Ulises Dumont play Tito and Castor, two robbers whose failed scheme has landed them in Rosario prison for 30 years. Before being jailed, however, the duo stashed a sum of money in a river, and plan on retrieving it as soon as they're released. When the fateful day comes, however, their petty insecurities and the pressures of being re-adjusted to society threaten to ruin their perfect scheme. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

A man tries to reconcile with his past before it disappears in the allegorical drama Las Huellas Borradas. Manuel (Federico Luppi) is a writer who journeys from Argentina, where he lives, to the Spanish village where he was born; word has reached him that the town will soon literally vanish, as the area is being turned into a giant reservoir. Manuel hopes to tie up some loose ends from his past, and hopes to rekindle his relationship with Virginia (Mercedes Sampietro), whom he loved as a young man. With the village's days numbered, many long-dormant rivalries have been brought back to life, as a number of people hope to settle old scores before progress eliminates their home town. Virginia also has to deal with her daughter Rosa (Elena Anaya) and her sudden rebellious streak -- she's now pregnant, and has decided to move in with her boyfriend Delfin (Sergi Calleja). Meanwhile, Manuel spends some time with his old friend Don Jose (Hector Alterio), with whom he discusses philosophy and the secrets of a town that will soon cease to exist. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Gerardo Herrero directed this Spanish-Argentine-German-French period fantasy drama set in turn-of-the century Buenos Aires. After widowed Roque (Jose Coronado) killed a man in Spain, he emigrated to Argentina with his young son Ramon (Francisco Corbalan). With his friend Hermann (Peter Lohmeyer), Roque works for a tobacco distributor. A ghost, Maidana (Federico Luppi), murdered by a "cutthroat and philosopher," reveals himself to only two people -- Roque and brothel-owner Teresa, aka Piera (Maribel Verdu) -- a situation which brings Roque and Piera together romantically. Shown in competition at the 1998 San Sebastian Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Though outwardly at peace being middle-aged and single, a Jewish woman still places a personal ad in a local newspaper requesting the company of an older Jewish man. This warm, tender romantic drama follows what happens when her best respondent turns out to be a gentile. Until she discovered his religious affiliation, Clara was quite taken with Raul. Though she at first spurns him, she realizes she needs him. Her brother is about to visit her from Boston and she has been lying to him about being in a relationship. Fortunately, Raul goes along with the ruse that it soon ceases to be a ruse. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This lively western from Spain centers on the exploits of a wealthy young troublemaker who escapes from a Franciscan monastery and teams up with a handsome country boy who has run away from the Army. Together the two try to become outlaws and pose as gang members under the notorious El Argentino, an outlaw who plies his trade upon the border of Portugal and Galicia in northern Spain. The two "bandidos" steal horses and rob a taxman as they flee for the border. Along the way another fellow joins them. Much to their surprise, the fellow turns out to be a female reporter for the New York Times, hoping to interview El Argentino. Unfortunately, the outlaws have never met him. They meet him soon enough when he captures them. Proving to be a vain but basically good-hearted outlaw, he spares them and together they all take off with the Civil Guard hot on their trail. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

An unlikely pair of outlaws take to the highway and become criminal folk heroes in this satiric comedy. Jose (Hector Alterio) is a 70-year-old anarchist who deposited $15,000 in a bank 20 years ago and wants to withdraw the money; however, he doesn't have the paperwork, and the bank staff keeps giving him the runaround. So he takes drastic measures: he arrives at the bank one day with a gun, and, pointing the pistol at his head, he announces that he'll blow his brains out if he doesn't get his money. Pedro (Leonardo Sbaraglia), a 23-year-old clerk working at the bank, is unhappy with his job and his life, and he impulsively announces that Jose has taken him hostage; they end up leaving the bank with $500,000, and they hit the road with both cops and reporters following their trail. Jose and Pedro seem like an odd team at first, but friendship and respect grow between them as they travel the backroads, spending some of the money, handing some of it out to poor people along the way, and sending occasional videotaped messages to the media. They also pick up a woman named Ana (Cecilia Dopazo), whose tough demeanor is intimidating but fits the situation perfectly; Pedro soon finds himself attracted to her as she joins in their low-level crime spree. Caballos Salvajes was the debut feature from Argentinean director Marcelo Pineyro, who became one of the most acclaimed young directors in South America on the basis of this and his second film, Cenizas del Paraiso. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This surreal variant on the classic vampire tale is the directorial debut of Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who garnered international acclaim and several awards. The film tells the story of elderly antique dealer Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi, in a role originally written for Max Von Sydow) who, with his eight-year-old granddaughter Aurora (Tamara Shanath), discovers an ancient artifact secreted within a statue obtained from the estate of a 16th-century alchemist. Unbeknownst to Gris, the device -- which resembles an ornate, gilded mechanical beetle -- houses an immortal parasite which will grant eternal life to its host. Naturally, there is a terrible price for this gift, which Gris is doomed to discover after the object anchors itself to his body. He begins to develop an extreme aversion to daylight, as well as an agonizing thirst for human blood. To compound matters, dying millionaire Dieter de la Guardia (Claudio Brook) has learned of the device's existence -- thanks to an occult tome obtained from its inventor -- and wishes to obtain it for his own use. To this end he employs his vain, brutish nephew Angel (Ron Perlman) to retrieve it for him. Angel's techniques are less than subtle, and he inevitably winds up killing Gris in his futile search for the artifact... but death is not permanent for the host of the Cronos, and he rises from the mortuary slab to reunite with the long-suffering Aurora. Together they confront de la Guardia and his nephew one last time, hoping to find a way to reverse the horrible process before Gris suffers the same monstrous fate as the device's creator. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

These days, most people tend to forget that silent films were truly a universal medium, transcending boundaries of language, nationality and race. In this story an older woman, whose main entertainment is the silent cowboy films of Tom Mix, lives with her nephew. She seems to live the stories in the films almost as much as she lives her outer life, and she initiates a young boy into her mythological world when he comes to visit the family. Since her family disapproves of her fantasy life, she has to sneak out to get to the movies and watch her beloved hero in action, and they are dismayed that she is polluting their young visitor's mind with her foolishness. The town she lives in suffers from occasional visits by marauding banditos, and she writes to Tom Mix to ask him to help them out. However, by the end of the movie, she and some locally grown heroes sort things out on their own. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide