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Intacto (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:72
Fresh:52
Rotten:20
Average Rating:6.5/10
Consensus: The plot gimmick is original, bolstered by stylishly intriguing setpieces.
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: With INTACTO, from director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, a group of people who have "the gift" of being extremely lucky play into a suspenseful world of gambling and superstition. The film begins and... With INTACTO, from director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, a group of people who have "the gift" of being extremely lucky play into a suspenseful world of gambling and superstition. The film begins and ends in the Canary Islands, where ringleader Sam (Max von Sydow), a Holocaust survivor, runs a casino. His right-hand man Federico (Eusebio Poncela) is stripped of "the gift" in a terrifying exchange that Federico sees as worse than death: Sam hugs him and in doing so steals his luck away. Desperate for revenge, Federico latches onto Tomas (Leonard Sbaraglia), the miraculous sole survivor of an airplane crash. He convinces Tomas to test his luck in various games (one involves running full-speed, blindfolded, through a heavily wooded forest to see if he is "lucky" enough to avoid running into a tree.) By training Tomas to be a winner, Federico hopes to eventually have him challenge Sam. Thrown into the complicated mix are an untouchable bullfighter (Antonio Dechent), and an auto accident survivor (Monica Lopez) who want to break up this obsessive gambling ring. INTACTO uses its stirring orchestral score by Lucio Godoy, its puzzling plotline, its bleak desert settings, and its fast-moving nighttime driving scenes to create a mood of mystery and intrigue. [More]
Starring: Leonardo Sbaraglia, Eusebio Poncela, Antonio Perez Dechent, Max von Sydow
Starring: Leonardo Sbaraglia, Eusebio Poncela, Antonio Perez Dechent, Max von Sydow
Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Screenwriter: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Composer: Lucio Godoy
Studio: Lions Gate Films
Reviews for Intacto
The movie doesn't generate a lot of energy. It is dark, brooding and slow, and takes its central idea way too seriously.
So fiendishly cunning that even the most jaded cinema audiences will leave the auditorium feeling dizzy, confused, and totally disorientated. Not to mention absolutely refreshed.
While it runs a bit slow, Intacto doesn't bore, and the ending is interesting to see played out, if not a bit predictable.
one of those European genre films that look much superior to Hollywood even when they are obviously below the standards of genre excellence
Rarely is a film about the supernatural as thoughtful and affecting as Intacto; even more rarely does that kind of film attract an audience.
Though at times the rules of this luck-stealing underworld aren't exactly clear, and the plot becomes a bit mired in its own cleverness, Intacto is an intriguing notion.
Like a sprinter competing in his first distance race: It bursts forth with tremendous energy, sustains itself for quite a while, loses steam near the end but finishes ahead of most of the pack.
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