20 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :- Hitchcock with a Conscience, 17 octubre 2007
Author:
corrosion-2 (corrosion@hotmail.com) de United Arab Emirates
La Zona is one of those rare films which grips you from the start and
doesn't let go till the end credits roll up. It is also a rare example
of a thriller and social drama which delivers on both fronts.
La Zona are residential compounds in Mexico for the rich and the
affluent. They have their own security system and guards and even law,
thus separating them from the normal law of the land. These "zones" are
real and do exist in Mexico city. The one depicted in the film is
separated from the slum neighbourhood by large concrete walls and
barbed wire. An accident causes one of the power pylons next to the
Zone to collapse thus paving an entry for three young petty thieves
from the slums to enter the Zone to make a quick burglary. Things go
wrong, however, and two of the boys are shot dead while the third
manages to escape from the burgled house but not from the zone.
We then follow the search for the boy, by the residents (who intend to
kill him) and the cops, who are mostly corrupt ready to turn a blind
eye for the right sum. The Zone is a superbly tense thriller and a
damning indictment of the social system in Mexico. The residents in
these zones appear to be totally cut off from the reality outside; a
nice contrast is a golf course inside the Zone from which the players
get a panoramic view of the slums.
It is hard to believe that this is the feature debut of its director
Rodrigo Pla. It's one of the most accomplished feature debuts that I
have ever seen and you can be certain that Rodrigo Pla's name is going
to be much better known in the coming years.
7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :- Very good premise, nice execution, 2 abril 2008
Author:
viKtor-18 (vik@noos.fr) de Paris, Fr
The premise is very good, all the more so as it describes a situation
becoming more and more explosive of our days. Certainly we'll see more
movies of the kind in the years to come.
Personally I think that the POV of poor teens trapped into La Zona
would have been more interesting, at least from a suspense and action
point of view. Following a rich teen dislocates such suspense, plus it
means you have to take an interest in a kid who's not the subject of
the movie. On the other hand the focus on the private militia of
citizens is interesting, yet I'm still a bit unsatisfied.
So, the movie is pretty good, it is a nicely rounded up excellent
premise but it could have been much better. As such you don't get out
of the theater moved. Emotion, as suspense, is too much diluted into a
narration that changes angles too often instead of building up the
tension with a limited number of protagonists tied together.
5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :- Third world class struggle police thriller, 6 abril 2008
Author:
rasecz de United States
In any large city of Latin America or the rest of the third world,
wealth and poverty coexist side by side, not uncommonly separated by
just a thin high wall. In typical fashion the rich appropriate the bulk
of the country's wealth, a few of the poor reclaim a tiny portion back
through robbery and muggings, and the rich react in turn by protecting
themselves and even striking back. It's low intensity class warfare.
La Zona is an enclave, a walled-city with massive iron gates, widely
scattered security cameras and around-the-clock monitoring. It's the
modern equivalent of the medieval castle. Laying siege is a slum, where
live the nemeses of the inhabitants of La Zona. They have come to this
enclave out of fear, for protection against further assaults, to enjoy
the good life in a secure haven. Many are angry. Some have been
victims. Some are vengeful.
The story begins when, during a storm, the wall is breached and
electrical power is lost. A threesome from the slum takes advantage to
penetrate the enclave and steal a few things. The temporary invasion
does not go well. Shots are exchanged. People die. That event sets the
wheels of the thriller in motion.
The typical characters are present. The honest police investigator
whose work is subverted by a corrupt police department. The good
bad-guy, the bad bad-guy, the good good-guy and the bad good-guy. They
are all there, some in multiple copies. It's formulaic, but effective.
Thrilling Narrative, Powerful Critique, 4 mayo 2008
Author:
lmontijo de Tijuana, Mexico
OK. So I just saw La Zona @ SFIFF, and I must say... BRAVO!! Another
big success for Mexican cinema, and well earned indeed. Rodrigo Pla's
first feature delivers a harsh social and political critique about
Mexican social classes and fundamental morality within a gripping and
thrilling narrative.
As another Mexican film about social contrasts, I must say, it proves
originality. La Zona (or The Zone) delves further into character
development and the consequences of moral judgment. Pla's film remains
interesting because it touches upon a broader universal theme: the
human struggle to choose between right and wrong. With an engaging
narrative, inventive setting and well developed character arcs, La Zona
gets its point across, and makes us think
This film delivers recurring themes in Mexican cinema but with a much
fresher and more creative perspective, not to mention exciting
Much 'props' to Villanueva's enthralling cinematography and to
Zaragoza's performance as the chief of police
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Zona, La (2007)
20 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-

Hitchcock with a Conscience, 17 octubre 2007
Author: corrosion-2 (corrosion@hotmail.com) de United Arab Emirates
La Zona is one of those rare films which grips you from the start and doesn't let go till the end credits roll up. It is also a rare example of a thriller and social drama which delivers on both fronts.
La Zona are residential compounds in Mexico for the rich and the affluent. They have their own security system and guards and even law, thus separating them from the normal law of the land. These "zones" are real and do exist in Mexico city. The one depicted in the film is separated from the slum neighbourhood by large concrete walls and barbed wire. An accident causes one of the power pylons next to the Zone to collapse thus paving an entry for three young petty thieves from the slums to enter the Zone to make a quick burglary. Things go wrong, however, and two of the boys are shot dead while the third manages to escape from the burgled house but not from the zone.
We then follow the search for the boy, by the residents (who intend to kill him) and the cops, who are mostly corrupt ready to turn a blind eye for the right sum. The Zone is a superbly tense thriller and a damning indictment of the social system in Mexico. The residents in these zones appear to be totally cut off from the reality outside; a nice contrast is a golf course inside the Zone from which the players get a panoramic view of the slums.
It is hard to believe that this is the feature debut of its director Rodrigo Pla. It's one of the most accomplished feature debuts that I have ever seen and you can be certain that Rodrigo Pla's name is going to be much better known in the coming years.
7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-

Very good premise, nice execution, 2 abril 2008
Author: viKtor-18 (vik@noos.fr) de Paris, Fr
The premise is very good, all the more so as it describes a situation becoming more and more explosive of our days. Certainly we'll see more movies of the kind in the years to come.
Personally I think that the POV of poor teens trapped into La Zona would have been more interesting, at least from a suspense and action point of view. Following a rich teen dislocates such suspense, plus it means you have to take an interest in a kid who's not the subject of the movie. On the other hand the focus on the private militia of citizens is interesting, yet I'm still a bit unsatisfied.
So, the movie is pretty good, it is a nicely rounded up excellent premise but it could have been much better. As such you don't get out of the theater moved. Emotion, as suspense, is too much diluted into a narration that changes angles too often instead of building up the tension with a limited number of protagonists tied together.
5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-

Third world class struggle police thriller, 6 abril 2008
Author: rasecz de United States
In any large city of Latin America or the rest of the third world, wealth and poverty coexist side by side, not uncommonly separated by just a thin high wall. In typical fashion the rich appropriate the bulk of the country's wealth, a few of the poor reclaim a tiny portion back through robbery and muggings, and the rich react in turn by protecting themselves and even striking back. It's low intensity class warfare.
La Zona is an enclave, a walled-city with massive iron gates, widely scattered security cameras and around-the-clock monitoring. It's the modern equivalent of the medieval castle. Laying siege is a slum, where live the nemeses of the inhabitants of La Zona. They have come to this enclave out of fear, for protection against further assaults, to enjoy the good life in a secure haven. Many are angry. Some have been victims. Some are vengeful.
The story begins when, during a storm, the wall is breached and electrical power is lost. A threesome from the slum takes advantage to penetrate the enclave and steal a few things. The temporary invasion does not go well. Shots are exchanged. People die. That event sets the wheels of the thriller in motion.
The typical characters are present. The honest police investigator whose work is subverted by a corrupt police department. The good bad-guy, the bad bad-guy, the good good-guy and the bad good-guy. They are all there, some in multiple copies. It's formulaic, but effective.
Thrilling Narrative, Powerful Critique, 4 mayo 2008

Author: lmontijo de Tijuana, Mexico
OK. So I just saw La Zona @ SFIFF, and I must say... BRAVO!! Another big success for Mexican cinema, and well earned indeed. Rodrigo Pla's first feature delivers a harsh social and political critique about Mexican social classes and fundamental morality within a gripping and thrilling narrative.
As another Mexican film about social contrasts, I must say, it proves originality. La Zona (or The Zone) delves further into character development and the consequences of moral judgment. Pla's film remains interesting because it touches upon a broader universal theme: the human struggle to choose between right and wrong. With an engaging narrative, inventive setting and well developed character arcs, La Zona gets its point across, and makes us think
This film delivers recurring themes in Mexican cinema but with a much fresher and more creative perspective, not to mention exciting
Much 'props' to Villanueva's enthralling cinematography and to Zaragoza's performance as the chief of police
8 out of 10. I really liked it.
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