Room 164 is an almost laughably simple, aggressively drablooking film, but it packs a wallop. The motel room, we later find out, was conveniently picked by the sicario because it was the former stage for torture and murder. The autobiography of a mexican assassin graphically illustrates the violence that has seized that nation. A subject really has to have something to say to justify this kind of film treatmentmichael rupperts hypnotic apocalyptic scenarios in collapse come to mindand the unnamed focus of. The term sicario goes back to roman palestine, where a jewish sect, the sicarii, used concealed daggers sicae in their murders of romans and their supporters.
But the man shows more than a little pride in his professionalism as. The story of a hitman for the drug cartels in ciudad juarez, mexico. Filmmakers discuss the tremendous impact of francois truffauts 1966 book hitchcocktruffaut, in which alfred hitchcock. Ciudad juarez and the global economys new killing fields by charles bowden. Recently, hollywood soapbox talked with charles bowden, the awardwinning journalist and author of several books about the mexican drug business. In a motel room in or around ciudad juarez, a man in a black veil sits down to spill his guts. Room 164, in which the author and a translator are given a firsthand account of what its like to be a hitman in one of the most narcotics ridden countries in the world. While the unnamed subject drapes his head in black mesh cloth if anything, a more menacing device than obscuring shadow, hes allowed to speak in his own voice. He is a contract killer who functioned as a commandante in the chihuahuan state police, who was trained in the us by the fbi, and who for twenty years kidnapped, tortured and murdered people for the drug industry at the behest of mexican drug cartels. In a nondescript hotel room, a man, his face shrouded by a black hood, matteroffactly describes his life and career as a hitman for a mexican drug cartel. Max goldberg, mubi proves that a static interview in a confined space has the potential to be just as cinematic as any hightech hollywood product. Though he is never identified for obvious reasons, this purports to be the story of this individuals role as a killer and long association with a mexican drug cartel before he escaped and found religion.
Il est inspire par larticle the sicario, a juarez hit man. An expert in torture and kidnapping, he was employed by mexican. Sicario, room 164 available in dvd ship this item qualifies for free shipping buy online, pick up in store is currently unavailable, but this item may be available for instore purchase. He has killed hundreds of people, is an expert in torture and kidnapping, and for many years was a commander of the state police in chihuahua. This documentary from director gianfranco rosi visits one of the most notorious of all contemporary sicario.
Aided only by a magic marker and notepad, which he uses to illustrate and diagram his words, the sicario describes, in astounding detail, his life of crime, murder, abduction and torture. Director gianfranco rosis lowgrade digital camera stops on the hairdryer, the headboard, the tv stand, before introducing the titular subject, an exhitman for a mexican drug cartel, standing in front of the hotel bathroom mirror adjusting the black shroud that hell wear over his head for. We see views of the inside of an ordinary travelers hotel room. A reformed assassins tellall of the horrors endured and executed throughout his years in the mexican drug trade. Room 164 is a oneman monologue of a documentary, 80odd minutes spent in a crummy motel suite in the company of a guy with a black mesh cloth covering his head and obscuring his identity. Room 164, in which the author and a translator are given a firsthand account of what its like to be a hitman in one of the most narcotics ridden countries in. A hit man who killed hundreds of people was for many years a police officer. Mexico border, where the sicario used to break down victims before passing them over to the cartel. I would not recommend it to anyone with a low threshold for reality. Though he is never identified for obvious reasons, this purports to be the story of this individuals role as a killer and long association with a mexican drug. Editors molloy research librariannew mexico state univ. The word sicario originated in romangoverned palestine, and originally referred to the sicarii, a jewish sect known for using concealed daggers to slay ruling officials. Gianfranco rosi and charles bowden on murder in mexico.
While the editors offer the necessary frontmatter and. To book classes museums comedy dance city guide neighborhoods magazine sweepstakes venue rental. The stories he spinsof crime, corruption, torture, and murderare chilling evocations of evil, but its impossible to look away. Dec 29, 2011 the motel room, we later find out, was conveniently picked by the sicario because it was the former stage for torture and murder. They not only imagine his crimes but they also extrapolate from his information. A highend enforcer, or sicario, for a mexican cartel, he was recruited from at an early age, entered into the police academy for training, then positioned to. Chuck bowen, slant magazine one who knows speaks and well. Dec 20, 2011 this rigidity is matched by the movies one setting, room 164 in a motel somewhere near the u. Some strides have been made against the cartels by the mexican government the past couple of. Il protagonista ha ucciso centinaia di persone, e esperto in torture e rapimenti, ha lavorato per molti anni come comandante della polizia statale del chihuahua ed e stato perfino addestrato dallfbi. The autobiography of a mexican assassin, coedited with molly molloy. Ce film est base sur larticle the sicario ecrit par charles bowden et publie dans harpers magazine en 2009.
The first is the sicarios masked face, an impassive blank slate matched by a subdued voice, flatly conveying stories of casual cruelty. Variety one of the most revealing and shocking documentaries ever made about the drug trade. Bowden wrote the original story about the sicario hit man and coproduced the documentary with director gianfranco rosi. In modern language, a sicario is a professional killer or a hit man.
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