Burnt
Money (2001) (AKA "Plata quemada")
The "gay" "Bonnie and Clyde" - as made by an Argentinean
hack.
Claustrophobic, homophobic and lackluster, "Burnt
Money" drags on and on for over two hours before killing
off it's gay antiheroes who have, surprise! burnt all
the money they have stolen. Don't you love it when a
title ruins the climax of a film!?! An hour into the
piece you realize what is going to happen here, simply
because you know the title. In some cases, that might
be okay if the film had any redeeming value, interesting
characters or other story elements to get involved in.
But such is not the case here.
This film is based on a true story yet, because it
is Hispanic, it is filled with the most annoying qualities
of machismo attitude. "Burnt Money" insists on making
it's gay characters not only victims but deluded, psychopathic,
unnatural and doomed. The film is bloody beyond belief
and filled with the most lackluster and boring moments
one can ever imagine enduring. And the gay sex scenes
are sickening. One of the main gay characters here rapes
a gay guy while calling him "fag." It is nauseating.
And the word "fag" (actually "puta") gets bandied about
here every five fucking minutes. Sure the film is set
in 1965 and part of the film's supposed theme is the
inability to cope with one's own homosexuality, but
so what. The film sucks so these elements just come
across as typical Hispanic macho bullshit. If I wanted
to hear dialogue like this, I'd just go hang out at
a Hispanic high school, or a Tejano bar.
The film sets up its two main characters, a gay couple,
as meeting in a public toilet. (Charming!) Then magically,
without any exposition, they are bank robbers. It's
as if all homosexuals instinctively knew how to commit
crimes. There is no character development here, no storytelling,
nothing. The film just jumps immediately to their crime.
We never come to like these characters, one of whom
hears voices in his head (with no character development
to understand why) and is as insane as the day is long.
His lover, of course, must be insane as well, because
no sane gay man would put up with this whiney, lifeless,
boring partner. These two characters are really just
meat puppets who "happen to be putos." They are, in
addiction to being "fags" and criminals, and lunatics
- drug addicts, alcoholics, murderers, rapists and God
knows what else. There is no characterizations here,
simply unsavory stereotypes.
The narration in the film is endless. Beginning with
the first frame, it drones on and on like the movie
itself does, telling us shit that is already obvious
from the visuals. You don't have to tell me these two
characters are gay when I see them in bed together.
I am smart enough to figure that shit out. Anyway, the
narration at one point says, "They were called 'The
Twins' even though they did not look alike" which is
funny as hell because you can't tell the one from the
other here; they are so interchangeable. They look exactly
the fuck alike. One of them gets shot in the shoulder
in the beginning of the film but that doesn't help you
much because thanks to the horrid direction, the special
effects suck so bad that he doesn't have a wound later
in the film. It has only been a week or so and the guy
has been shot pretty bad but when they show him later,
and he is shirtless, the wound has magically disappeared.
It would be laughable if it weren't so abysmally depressing.
Director Marcelo Pineyo is not very good at his job.
This film is supposed to be claustrophobic and bitter,
because the script demands it, but Pineyo cannot even
make this work in the film's favor. The finished piece
is so heavy - and heavy- handed, that it bogs down in
the muck of it's own self-hated and blood drenched homophobia.
It's really a distasteful piece of work.
You'd think a film filled with sexy, sweaty guys consistently
in states of undress would be easy to enjoy. Not "Burnt
Money." Its incessant unpleasantness makes it one of
the most torturous gay films to be viewed since... well
since last year actually... but the point is... this
one is pretty bad. Like the macho point of view this
film presents, there is nothing but harsh, spiritless,
bitter bile to be gained here.
Note:
In Spanish with subtitles.
Made in Argentina.
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Report
Card
Script:
F
Acting: C
Cinematography\Lighting: B+
Special Effects\Make Up:C
Music: B+
Final
Grade: F
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