Gerardo Vigil Movies
Director Robert Rodriguez returns to the characters of his breakthrough hits El Mariachi and Desperado in this grand scale south-of-the-border action-adventure saga. Sands (Johnny Depp) is a rogue CIA agent who is working in cahoots with Mexican officials who've caught wind of a plan by corrupt military leader General Marquez (Gerardo Vigil) and ruthless drug kingpin Barillo (Willem Dafoe) to assassinate Mexico's president (Pedro Armendáriz Jr.). Sands needs to recruit a gunman to take out Barillo's assassins before they can complete their mission, and through barman Belini (Cheech Marin), Sands learns of El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas), a fabled musician turned vigilante with a remarkable talent for violence, and a score to settle with Marquez. El Mariachi is living quietly in hiding after the death of the woman he loved, Carolina (Salma Hayek), but Sands lures him back into action through the promise of a final showdown with his nemesis Marquez, forcing El Mariachi to retrieve his guitar case (containing a mighty arsenal) and once again do battle against the lawless. Robert Rodriguez not only directed Once Upon a Time in Mexico, but he wrote the screenplay, handled the camera work, edited the film, and composed the musical score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, (more)
When the police launch a frantic search for a truck said to be smuggling illegal contraband into the United States, they soon find that the criminal mastermind heading up the operation is the last person they ever suspected in this Spanish-language action thriller from director Rene Cardona. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The action film Comando De La Muerte takes place in a future where civilization has devolved to an every man for himself state. Some act more morally than others, but heroes are hard to find. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sergio Goyri, Jorge Luke, (more)
- 1987
Juanito Aguilar (Gerardo Vigil) is a private detective who simply cannot wrap his mind around what he has stumbled on, so he misses clues that are right beneath his nose. He is unable to envision a group of thugs so heartless that they will steal children from their families or off the streets and subject them to beatings and sexual abuse in the process of selling them off to the highest bidder. Believe it or not, this is a real problem in the country this film originated from, and this sensationalistic film was funded by the Mexican Film Institute (Imcine) to help raise awareness about it. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gerardo Vigil, José Carlos Ruiz, (more)
Police Captain Balbuena (Mario Almada) is taken off the case when he uncovers police involvement with notorious drug smugglers in this action drama. When he loses his job, Balbuena gathers a group of outlaws to go after the gangsters. El Loco Ordonez (Jorge Luke) is recruited to lead the vigilantes after the captain and his family are gunned down. The feature contains effective slices of comedy and violence and is a good action programmer. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mario Almada, Hugo Stiglitz, (more)
An honest lawman declares war on dirty dealings in this action thriller from Mexico. Santa Cruz (Mario Almada) is a police detective who has been struggling against growing corruption within his department. He reaches his boiling point when he learns one of his own men on the force has betrayed him. A new police chief (Sergio Goyri) is brought in to ferret out dirty cops and end the abuse of prisoners, but it soon becomes clear that his efforts don't go far enough to please Santa Cruz, who takes matters into his own hands. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Costa-Gavras's tense political drama opens in an unspecified South American country (though clearly intended to be Chile) in the throes of a military coup. American activist Charles Horman (John Shea), who has been a thorn in the side of the country's military ever since his arrival, suddenly disappears. In trying to find out what has happened, his wife Beth (Sissy Spacek) is stonewalled, not only by the ruling junta but by the American consulate. His father, staunchly patriotic Ed Horman (Jack Lemmon), joins Beth in her search. Ed and his daughter-in-law have never seen eye to eye politically, and he refuses to entertain the notion that his son's disappearance might be part of a larger conspiracy or cover-up. But as the days grow into weeks, Ed comes to the shattering conclusion that he and his family have been betrayed by the American government, on behalf of the "friendly" South American dictator who holds his people in a grip of iron. Adapted by Costa-Gavras and Donald E. Stewart from a book by Thomas Hauser, Missing was inspired by the true story of the late Charles Horman. In spite of (or perhaps because of) condemnation from certain high-ranking officials in the Reagan administration, the film went on to win an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek, (more)
This 1976 Mexican feature is based on a reportedly real incident which took place in 1968. When a group of hikers happen upon a village governed by a paranoid and fanatical priest, they are labelled as communists and desecrators and are lynched by the bespelled townspeople. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernesto Gómez Cruz
