Summer is coming to a close and if you want to end it with a silly, humorous, action flick try Mexico’s Saving Private Perez. Julian Perez (Miguel Rodarte) is the most powerful man in the country with criminal ties all over the world, but in the eyes of his mother he doesn’t exist because he had dedicated his life to dishonest pursuits. Her good son, Private Perez, has just gone missing in Iraq. The Army has listed him missing in action but Mama Perez reaches out to her wayward son. “Go get your brother” she commands. “Go to Iraq and bring him back alive.”
Using all his criminal ties Don Perez assembles an elite team, a la’ The Dirty Dozen and flies them to Turkey in his private jet. Once there they are joined by a Russian contact who will smuggle them into Iraq using their gun running and drug routes. For Perez his wealth and influence have purchased him the best in guns, supplies and intelligence, but out of his native Mexico he and his gang are a comic sight running around the country in silk shirts, cowboy hats, gold chains and rattlesnake boots. Since this is a comedic action film, things in Iraq do not go well as our extraction team encounters foreign cultures, alien ways, and are a target for both the Iraqis and the Americans. It is only their mustached macho persistence that causes them to prevail.
Saving Private Perez is funnier is you are familiar with Mexican archetypes. My favorite bit is when their Russian guide serves the men some kind of Russian goulash and one of the men instantly whips out his hot sauce. Soon the other men are all begging for a chance to add in the precious chili. Later this little red bottle is used as a device of torture. It’s funny because it’s true.
I was amused by this movie. The parody is subtle and the more you know of Mexican culture, the funnier it gets. It is fairly light weight, some of the sets and costumes are a bit cheesy but there is enough heart here to keep you connected to the story. If enough people see this film I can see it developing a cult status. It has that campy quality. But I may be overestimating the movie going public. It hard to get Americans to see Mexican films. But it would be nice if you give this one a chance.
Rating: Bargain Matinee A Mexican gang takes on terrorists in Iraq
About Me
- Melanie Wilson
- My Reviewer's Philosophy: I believe that every film has its audience. One man’s Citizen Kane is another man’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre. My purpose is to help you spend your entertainment dollars wisely. A bad review never kept me from going to a film I wanted to see, but a good review will sometimes get me to a film I never considered. As a movie lover I want you to go to the movies. When more people go to the movies, the more movies get made. But, I also believe that if you enjoy the films you see, you naturally will be inclined to go more often. So join me in supporting our film industry by going to a movie today. Hopefully I can steer you towards a good one. See you at the movies. Melanie Wilson
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I'm one that does not usually watch foreign film and, had I known this one was in spanish, I probably would not have rented it. But I did and ended up rooting for our bad guys! It was a fun film and I, too, can see it gaining cult status. It's that kind of film.
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