Death in Buenos Aires [Muerte en Buenos Aires] *** (2014, Demián Bichir, Chino Darín, Carlos Casella) – Classic Movie Review 12,884

Death in Buenos Aires is an entertaining, stylish, well shot 2014 Argentine crime thriller, with compelling performances by Demián Bichir as a tough, astute police inspector and Chino Darín as the rookie agent he uses as bait to catch a killer. 

Director Natalia Meta’s Death in Buenos Aires is an entertaining, stylish, well shot 2014 Argentine crime drama mystery romance thriller, with two compelling performances by Demián Bichir as astute tough 1980s Buenos Aires police Detective Chavez, who always gets his man, and Chino Darín as rookie Agent El Ganso Gomez, the young police detective he gets to help him solve the murder of a rich, influential gay businessman in his bed at his home.

Carlos Casella plays ageing gay singer Kevin, the main suspect, unfortunately a not specially interesting role. The film’s theme is, well, ambiguity, as nothing is what it seems.

Inspector Chávez ruthlessly uses the rookie officer as bait to catch the killer, while struggling with his own deepest desires. That would be attraction to young tease Gomez, though Chávez is a married man with a young kid, and Gomez is about to get married (to a woman, surprisingly).

A lot hinges on how alluring Chino Darín can be on screen, and he is plenty alluring. Gomez flirts with Kevin as he is ordered to by his ‘boss’ Chávez, but he also flirts with Chávez, dangerously so in both cases. Gomez just happens to be there when Detective Chavez and his crew turn up at the murder scene, apparently called in there first.

There are enormous numbers of red herrings in the plot, despite the film’s relatively short running time. The red herrings, of course, are distraction, as in Agatha Christie. The red herrings – horses, drugs, faked paintings, power cuts, greedy relatives, dodgy characters – add hugely to entertainment value, however. They are all part of life’s rich tapestry down Buenos Aires way in the 1980s.

The film is loosely based on the real murder of Luis Emilio Mitre with much of the plot similar. Director Natalia Meta is credited as the screenplay writer, with Laura Farhi, Luz Orlando Brennan and Gustavo Malajovich as collaborating writers.

Chino Darín is the son of actor Ricardo Darín. Inspector Chavez’s wife is reading a magazine whose cover shows Ricardo Darín, his wife and his son (as a child) – Chino Darín.

Original title: Muerte en Buenos Aires.

Release date: 5 May, 2014.

Argentina.

Running time: 90 minutes.

TV-MA Your rating: 0 6.610 votes 18+

Crime Drama Mystery Romance Thriller.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 12,884

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